(CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.) – From Thursday, May 20 through Tuesday, May 25, the University of Virginia Center for Politics is hosting the Leaders Advancing Democracy – Mongolia (LEAD Mongolia) fellowship featuring 30 high-achieving young professionals from across Mongolia. The program is operated by the Center’s Global Perspectives on Democracy Program in partnership with World Learning and sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

This will be the 30th exchange group hosted by Center’s Global Perspectives on Democracy program and the fifth LEAD-Mongolia fellowship. This year’s fellowship is being conducted virtually because of the pandemic. Fellows will participate in sessions and site visits that focus on leadership training and civic engagement through the themes of environment and urbanization, unemployment and poverty alleviation, and anti-corruption and transparency.

Members of the media interested in LEAD-Mongolia are welcome to attend any of the following events. Contact the Center for Politics to receive the Zoom link or to arrange an opportunity to interview a participant. Fellowship sessions each take place between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. due to the 12-hour time difference.

• Friday, May 21: Public Education Options for the Deaf and Blind, 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Pat Trice, Superintendent of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind;
• Saturday, May 22: Racial Segregation and Desegregation in Charlottesville, 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Dr. Andrea Douglas, Executive Director of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center;
• Sunday, May 23: Contemporary American Politics, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. with Larry J. Sabato, Director of the UVA Center for Politics;
• Monday, May 24: Urban and Environmental Planning, 7:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. with Ellen Bassett, Associate Professor and Department Chair of Urban and Environmental Planning at the UVA School of Architecture;
• Tuesday, May 25: Advocacy, Promotion and Goals of Civic Action, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. with representatives from the SARA, Piedmont Environmental Council, PVCC, CVLAS, and Virginia Clean Cities.

The Charlottesville portion of LEAD Mongolia is coordinated by the Center for Politics’ Global Perspectives on Democracy program. GPD fosters dialogue between the United States and other countries through public events and international exchanges. Visit www.centerforpolitics.org/gpd.html for more information about GPD programming.