The U.S. Embassy in Qatar is proud to announce the prestigious Student Leaders Program (SLP), a rigorous leadership and civic engagement program for competitively selected undergraduate and graduate students from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The focus for the 2024-2025 program is Climate Change and Environmental Protection. Students are placed in U.S. universities where they develop leadership and project management skills, and expand their understanding of civil society and participatory governance. The cornerstone of the program is the development of Community Engagement Plans (CEP), where each student identifies an issue/opportunity related to climate change or environmental issues that they would like to address in their communities.
The SLP is a yearlong three-part program: pre-summer, summer, and post-summer, with the most intensive part taking place in the United States. During the intensive four-week summer program tentatively scheduled to take place in July 2024, participants will meet their American peers, engage in local community service activities, and observe and take part in the governmental process on the local, state, and federal levels. In summer 2023, five students from Qatar participated in the in-person exchange at Montana State University, University of Delaware, Georgetown University, and Portland State University.
Participants apply for the program online at https://studentleaders-apply.smapply.io/ and are then interviewed and nominated by U.S. Embassy Doha.
All expenses for the MEPI SLP are fully covered by the U.S. Department of State, MEPI.
Eligibility Criteria
- Age: Must be between 20 and 24. (birth dates falling between July 26, 1999 and June 28, 2004)
- Citizenship: Qatari, Syrian, or Yemeni citizens residing in Qatar.
- University Enrollment: Must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, have recently graduated, or will start graduate studies in fall 2024. Applicants must not graduate more than 6 months before the program begins. In other words, they must not graduate before January 2024, unless they will be enrolled in a graduate program in the August/September Fall 2024 semester.
- English Proficiency: Must have high English language skills.
- Commitment to addressing climate change through leadership and civic engagement: Must demonstrate strong commitment to addressing climate change and environmental protection.
Learn more about the program at https://mepi.state.gov/leadership/student-leaders-program/ and check out the program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) under the section “2024-2025 Student Leaders Program” at https://mepi.state.gov/leadership/faqs/.