ANTANANARIVO โ Prรฉcieux Rajaofera, Madagascarโs participant in the ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ (CEE) program, has returned from his exchange experience in the United States and is preparing community engagement projects.ย Over the next five months, Rajaofera will develop and implement projects in his community and put to work the technical and leadership skills he learned during his fellowship.
Rajaofera, a 2019 YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship alumnus, was selected from a pool of 4,400 applications worldwide and began the intensive CEE program last September.ย The experience has been a transformative one for Rajaofera as a civil society leader.ย Through the Leadership and Civic Engagement Academy at George Mason University, he developed skills in leadership, advocacy, organizational development, active citizenship, political activism, systems change, service learning, community development, and strategic planning.
Following his training at George Mason, ย Rajaofera conducted a three-month internship at Civics Unplugged, a U.S. non-profit organization in New York.ย This experience was particularly impactful, providing him with the opportunity to hone his project management skills and learn best practices in the field of youth leadership and professional development.ย Most importantly, the CEE program connected him with a network of global leaders and opened the door to future collaborations and partnerships, all of which will help him create positive change in his community.
Launched in 2022, the Community Engagement Exchange is a new U.S. Department of State-funded program that provides 110 young civil society leaders opportunities for intensive training in leadership, governance of civil society organizations, and civic engagement at George Mason University.
For more information about the program:ย https://www.irex.org/project/community-engagement-exchange
