Press Release: Clinton Democracy Fellowship at City Year Begins Second Year
Ten Young Leaders From South Africa Arrive in Boston on May 7 for 10-Week U.S. Fellowship on Citizen Service Policies and Initiatives
The 2003 Clinton Democracy Fellows – a group of 10 young leaders from South Africa – will spend 10 weeks in the United States as part of a City Year International initiative, sharing strategies for building democracy with leading American citizen service practitioners, policymakers, academics, social entrepreneurs, private sector leaders and public officials. The program, now in its second year, will be based at City Year's headquarters in Boston from May 7 through July 16, and include visits to City Year programs in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Philadelphia and San Jose. The U.S. curriculum will be followed by additional training in South Africa to complete the one-year Fellowship. The program's ultimate goal is to inspire the development of citizen service programs and policies around the world.
These 10 emerging leaders will follow in the footsteps of last year's inaugural fellows who successfully completed an intensive 12-week leadership training program about citizen service policies and initiatives; they returned to South Africa and made immediate and significant contributions to their local communities as founders and leaders of innovative programs in education, business and social services.
“Thanks to this program the Fellows will be able to develop their ethic of service in a way that benefits them as individuals and the communities they represent,” President Clinton said. “I know these remarkable young people will return to their country with renewed enthusiasm and a desire to engage others in community and public service. In so doing, they will strengthen the democracy that holds the key to a brighter future for all South Africans.”
The 2003 Clinton Democracy Fellows, selected on March 11th from a diverse and competitive pool of 120 candidates, come from a variety of sectors and represent the diversity of their nation. They were selected through a rigorous application process by a delegation of six Americans and seven South Africans in Johannesburg, South Africa. They are bound together by a shared vision of a fair and open society in South Africa, and by their desire to leverage citizen service to achieve this vision.
The 2003 Clinton Democracy Fellows are:
Scott Burnett, age 24, from Johannesburg, is the National Manager of the Debating Program at Miles and Associates, and volunteers as a debate and public speaking instructor. He works to promoting the importance of civic engagement and an informed public for a stronger South Africa.
Kim Fischer, age 31, from Cape Town, is the Fundraising and Marketing Manager of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, where she works to ensure that future generations learn from South Africa's history, shape its future and share a belief in “living responsibly in the midst of freedom.”
Andile Eugenia Gaelesiwe, age 29, from Johannesburg, is the Social Issues Director at the largest regional radio station in South Africa. She uses her broadcasting talents to promote advocacy for education and support for young people, and she co-founded a program that aids the survivors of sexual violence, speaks of her own experiences as a rape victim/survivor, and developed a youth-oriented educational curriculum.
Sikhumbuzo Gqoli, age 24, from Johannesburg, is a senior accountant with KPMG and is an active champion of corporate social responsibility. He strives to use his understanding of business in South Africa to improve the management of non-governmental organizations and their ability to work with private partners.
Tiisetso Maarohanye, age 21, from Johannesburg, is a student at the University of Cape Town and is deeply involved with the Ithuteng Trust, an NGO in Soweto, where she focuses on illiteracy and works with township youth, providing tutoring and counseling, and fighting abuse and crime. President Thabo Mbeki presented her with the Outstanding Young South African Award in 2000.
Vukile Goodwill Nkabinde, age 31, from Pretoria, is the founder and Executive Director of the South African Graduates Development Association, serves on the board of the Higher Education Quality Committee, and was appointed to serve on the Board of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. One of his top concerns is the high rate of unemployment among young people in South Africa.
Thulani Thobela Tshefuta, age 24, from Johannesburg, is the Communications Officer at the Unsobomvu Youth Fund, where he is dedicated to promoting and coordinating events related to youth service.
Mthetho Christopher Tshemese, age 24, from Johannesburg, is an associate lecturer in the psychology department at the University of the Witwatersrand who wants to help develop community-oriented, skill-based programs for underserved populations facing high unemployment, low skills and no mental health services. He has coordinated a rail-based primary health care program that brings necessary care to communities in rural South Africa.
Allan Wilfred Williams, age 33, from Pretoria, is the Executive Director of the African General Equity (AGE) Foundation, which uses the structure of government to reach young people about the importance of their role in their nation's future. He works on initiatives including teaching sound governance, HIV/AIDS education, voter education, poverty eradication, leadership development and the promotion of citizen service.
Phila Hlontwisha Lorraine Xuza, age 27, from East London, works to create comprehensive community development through tourism, farm-worker economic development, voter participation and environmental planning as the General Manager of Economic Development and Tourism for the Buffalo City municipality. She is obtaining her Masters in Geography.
“There was so much talent and social entrepreneurship passion for democracy among the applicants that it was a difficult decision to select just ten,” said Eli Segal, Chair of the Clinton Democracy Fellowship Advisory Board. “It is inspiring to talk with these determined young people, to hear about their idealism, their sense of purpose, and their belief that they can change their country, and in the process change themselves.”
Since its inception in Boston in 1988, City Year has hosted visitors from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and the former Yugoslavia. Many visitors expressed an interest in starting national service programs in their home countries, convincing City Year's leadership that the concept of national service could only grow and improve by sharing ideas across national borders.
In February 2001, a month after leaving office, President Clinton met with City Year CEO Alan Khazei, City Year President Michael Brown, City Year Vice President of Public Policy AnnMaura Connolly, and City Year Trustees Eli Segal and Jeff Swartz. It was then that the group decided to create the Clinton Democracy Fellowship at City Year. In April 2001, President Clinton invited City Year representatives to accompany him on a journey to South Africa at the invitation of former President Nelson Mandela. In Johannesburg, President Clinton shared his passion for citizen service as a means of breaking down the barriers that divide people and building stronger democracies and announced that the first Clinton Democracy Fellows would come from South Africa.
“The Clinton Democracy Fellowship at City Year helps us further demonstrate that citizen service is a powerful strategy for engaging diverse groups of people in solving community problems, learning to work together across racial, socioeconomic and religious divides and building stronger democracies,” said Alan Khazei, CEO and Co-Founder of City Year, Inc. “Our experience in South Africa has taught us a great deal, and we are constantly inspired by its people who have so much hope for a better future.”
The Clinton Democracy Fellowship at City Year engages emerging leaders from outside the United States who are between the ages of 21 and 35 and who have a strong interest in using citizen service programs, national service policymaking and social entrepreneurship techniques to build a stronger democracy. The Fellowship brings these leaders together in the United States for a rigorous program on citizen service policies and initiatives. For more information, visit www.cityyear.org/international.
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