• Civil Society and Governance
  • Civil Society and Governance Overview
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Civic Education
  • Citizen Participation
  • Advocacy
  • Democratic Governance
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Women's and Minority Rights
  • Disenfranchised Groups
• Education
  • Education Overview
  • Basic Education
  • Higher Education
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
  • Education for Vulnerable Groups
• HIV/AIDS
  • HIV/AIDS Overview
  • HIV/AIDS Prevention
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
  • Grants Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Institutional Capacity Building
• International Visitors Exchanges
  • International Professional, Academic, and Cultural Exchanges Overview
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Professional Exchanges
  • Youth Exchanges
• Capacity Development and Training
  • Capacity Development and Training Overview
  • Participant Training
  • Institutional Capacity Building
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Academic Exchanges
  • Grant Solicitation and Management Capacity
  • Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Professional Exchanges

Legislative Fellows Program

The Legislative Fellows Program is a two-way exchange program for professionals and young leaders from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the US.  The project is intended to strengthen the understanding of the US legislative process and civil society's role in the political process, and to foster relationships among Asian and American institutions.

The program includes the following components:

• participant selection and pre-departure orientation in Asia;
• a one-month U.S. experiential program in April/May 2012, to be repeated in OctoberNovember 2012, for Asian participants that includes fellowships, interactive seminars, site visits, and synthesis discussions;
• in-country seminars and follow-on activities for Asian participants, and workshop tours and consultations by American experts to take place in summer 2012, and repeated for a second exchange group in spring 2013.

The US program begins with an orientation in Washington, DC, focusing on US history, legislative process, and diversity.  The group will travel to U.S. cities for a three-week professional fellowship, which includes stays in Americans' homes, seminars, and a volunteer activity.  The final segment brings the group back to Washington, DC for high-level meetings with federal government officials and in Congressional offices, and culminates with a final evaluation for participant feedback. 

To implement the program, World Learning has created a network of cooperating organizations in each of the participating countries.  These organizations will manage recruitment and pre-departure and follow-on activities in Asia.  In the US, World Learning is partnering with the International Visitors Center of Chicago, International Visitors Council of Columbus, Colleagues International, the Northern Nevada International Center, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs and the World Affairs Council of Kentucky

Download the application (DOC)