Fully Funded Young African Leaders Fellowship

The AFS Youth Assembly, a global gathering of young changemakers run by AFS Intercultural Programs, is choosing 10 leaders aged 18 to 35 from Sub-Saharan Africa for the third edition of the Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leaders Program, with grant support from the Sir Cyril Taylor Charitable Foundation. AFS calls it a 12-month fully funded scholarship: a virtual intercultural course and preparation workshops, a trip to Switzerland in August 2027 for the Youth Assembly and a changemaking workshop, then six months back home running your own impact project with seed funding and mentorship. The last edition drew almost 6,000 applications for its 10 places.

What you get:

• A 12-month place that AFS describes as fully funded, covering the costs of every programme element below
• Travel and accommodation for the AFS Youth Assembly in Switzerland, August 2027
• Enrolment in the AFS Global Competence Certificate, a virtual intercultural skills course taken before the Youth Assembly
• Preparation workshops before the Youth Assembly
• A place at the AFS Youth Assembly, which draws 700 to 900 participants from over 100 countries, with special recognition at its Closing Ceremony
• The Effect+ in the Community intensive changemaking workshop in Switzerland, August 2027
• Seed funding for your own impact project, with six months of mentorship and support from the AFS Youth Assembly Impact Network
• Recognition as a Sir Cyril Taylor Young African Leader, alongside the 2025 and 2026 cohorts

What you'll do:

• Complete the virtual Global Competence Certificate and the preparation workshops before travelling
• Attend the AFS Youth Assembly and the Effect+ in the Community workshop in Switzerland in August 2027
• Back home, run the Effect+ in the Community workshop for at least 100 young people in your community
• Launch your own impact project with the seed funding and work on it for six months with mentorship

Key dates:

• Applications close 19 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC, and are reviewed first come, first served
• Virtual Global Competence Certificate and preparation workshops before the Youth Assembly (dates not yet published)
• AFS Youth Assembly in Geneva, 11 to 13 August 2027, per AFS's apply page, home page and FAQ (one line on its terms page says 12 to 14 August); the Effect+ workshop is also in Switzerland in August 2027
• Six months of impact project work after returning home

More information:

• AFS encourages early applications because visa processing can take several months; selected leaders receive an official scholarship offer letter to support the visa application
• AFS highly discourages using AI to write the narrative parts of the application
• Apply through the scholarship form only: AFS's FAQ says scholarship applicants should not create a regular Youth Assembly application, which is the self-funded route with its own registration fee
• The application is a Google Form that asks you to sign in to a Google account
• Earlier cohorts of 10 came from Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, South Africa and Ghana (2025), and from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Namibia (2026)

• Aged 18 to 35 (AFS's scholarship FAQ measures age at the programme start date)
• From a Sub-Saharan African country
• Hold an unexpired passport
• Demonstrable leadership qualities or a proven track record of leadership experience
• Potential for personal and professional growth
• Preferred: leading a social impact project related to the Sustainable Development Goals
• Able to attend the Youth Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, in person in August 2027
• Proficient in English at intermediate level
• Demonstrable interest in global affairs, sustainable development and youth issues