The U.S. Department of State's
Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP) is now recruiting U.S. hosts for its 2025 program. This program provides young leaders from Southeast Asia the opportunity to engage in environmental-based professional development and cultural exchange projects in the United States. As part of the program, a select few number of U.S. hosts are eligible to apply for a U.S. Department of State funded Reciprocal Exchange. This provides hosts with the opportunity to travel to their YSEALI Fellow's home country and support the design and implementation of a local project.
Learn more here or
download the host information sheet.
MRN President, Kitty McIlroy, recently completed a host project, in April-May 2024, as well as a reciprocal exchange project in Singapore in January 2025. The Singapore project focused on researching the feasibility of expanding foodware reuse infrastructure at Hawker food stalls, a cultural fixture there, along with presenting at the U.S. Embassy and the National Environment Agency (NEA) of Singapore, highlighting the Maryland and U.S. solid waste and recycling landscape, including an overview of recent policy initiatives.
MRN Past President Melissa Filiaggi also successfully completed a host and reciprocal project cycle in Indonesia a couple years ago. MRN Board Member, Rebecca Culler recently hosted a Fellow back in April-May 2024.
The YSEALI PFP is actively seeking Fellowship hosts for this upcoming cycle in the below interest areas:
• energy efficiency/carbon capture
• renewable energy- solar
• climate-smart agriculture
• forestry
• natural resource conservation
• water conservation/water management/water sanitation
• regenerative built environments
• plastic waste management
• disaster resilience
• ecotourism
• public health
• waste management
• food waste reduction
As a host, you will have the unique opportunity to work alongside these young professionals. Your participation plays a crucial role in the success of the program. The program will pay for and arrange all transportation, lodging, and meals and incidentals for the Fellows. Fellows will arrive in their host communities on Friday May 2 and will depart on Saturday May 31.
The YSEALIL PFP program needs to secure all placements by
Friday March 14,
so please contact Alaina Mendoza (amendoza@icma.org) as soon as possible if you are interested in participating in this program.
*Update 3/20/245 - The program has currently been paused.