THE Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco invites young Filipino Americans to join the IMPACT! Filipino-American Internship Program for Summer 2024.
The IMPACT! Program is a nine-week professional development program created by the U.S.-Asia Institute (USAI) in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), which allows young Filipino American adults to have a first-hand look at the U.S. government in Washington D.C., engage with government and political leaders, and reflect on the role they, as future leaders, might play in strengthening Philippines-U.S. relations.
According to the US-Asia Institute website, IMPACT! introduces young adults to their roles and responsibilities in becoming engaged in their community and beyond. It provides them with the skills and knowledge to participate in and transform into leaders in the democratic and electoral processes as well as civil society through a series of hands-on and interactive workshops, networking opportunities, placement in professional development/internship positions in Washington, D.C, one-on-one mentorship, and the completion of a civic engagement project.
This program provides these young people with the opportunity to intern/shadow on a national level in various offices of elected officials, public agencies or in organizations involved in the political/government/policy influencing arena. This opportunity helps develop a stronger understanding of how government and the political system work by experiencing it from an insider’s perspective.
Further, the program prepares these young leaders to participate in the civic arena, developing skills for those interested in public service and/or in becoming citizens involved in their communities. Not only is this an invaluable professional experience, but it also benefits the Filipino American community by increasing the interest of Fil-Ams in American politics and civic engagement in the future.
The program also highlights professional development at its core. Each IMPACT! participant is matched with a mentor based on professional and career goals, offering individualized support and guidance to our program participants in helping them navigate their professional careers and expand their networks. The IMPACT! Program also features a variety of group and individual networking opportunities and professional development workshops.
In the United States, participation in the political process and being civically engaged are crucial to ensuring that a community’s needs and concerns are heard and addressed. The IMPACT! program is one way to achieve this objective by finding a more effective way to support the Fil-Am community’s new generation to represent their own community politically and civically.
The 2024 IMPACT! Program will run from June 3 – August 2, 2024.
The internship program is open to U.S. citizens of Filipino descent and dual U.S./Philippine citizens, aged 18 to 25 years old, and enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student with a good academic standing or recently completed an undergraduate degree.
Selected participants will receive the “Filipino American Youth Political Leadership Award” in the form of a $2,000-stipend. They will be responsible for all expenses, including travel, housing (inexpensive housing options are available at the suggestion of the USAI); food; and others. After acceptance into the program, participants must also show proof of health insurance and sign a liability waiver.
Young Filipino Americans are highly encouraged to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve and lead. Interested candidates may apply at http://tinyurl.com/3vp4tcts until 31 January 2024, 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time (10:00 p.m. Mountain Time, 8:00 p.m. Alaska Time).
Those interested can also visit https://www.usasiainstitute.org/impactprogram for additional information, to learn about requirements, and to sign up for email updates about the program.
