Program Objective
The Trilateral Youth Empowerment Program, as part of the Maureen Mansfield Women’s Empowerment Series, aims to build more inclusive democracies in Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States (U.S.). by amplifying youth voices in the policy decision-making process, and empowering young women from these three countries to take a more active role in politics. The program provides a space for college-age women (ages 18-24) to develop their skills and ideas by working with their peers and established experts on current public policy challenges. During the program, participants develop intergenerational partnerships through cooperation with their mentors.
Program Timeline
In 2023, the first cohort of this program participated in virtual and in-person discussions and workshops covering a variety of fields including climate change, economics, security, and social issues. Participants formed five three-person groups based on their topics of interest. Working with an experienced mentor, each team continues to collaborate for 9 months to generate policy recommendations and action plans to address their chosen public policy issue. This collaborative product was be presented to Congressional staff on Capitol Hill during a 5-day, in-person capstone meeting in Washington DC in August 2023. The schedule to date has included:
- End of January or early February 2023: Virtual Orientation
- February 2023: Virtual Workshop / Virtual Mentor Check-In
- March 2023: Virtual Workshop
- April 2023: Virtual Workshop / Virtual Mentor Check-In
- May 2023: Virtual Workshop
- June 2023: Virtual Workshop / Virtual Mentor Check-In
- July 2023: Virtual Pre-Departure Orientation
- August 2023: In-Person 5-day Capstone Meeting in DC
Following the August 2023 capstone meetings in DC, the groups are preparing finalized policy proposals, which will be compiled and distributed by the Mansfield Foundation to audiences in the United States, Japan, and Korea.
Application and Selection (applications for this program closed on January 23, 2023)
See the application announcement page here.
Applications for this program closed on January 23, 2023. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee and applicants who were selected in the first round are contacted separately to submit a short video for the final stage of the selection process. The Mansfield Foundation selects up to five representatives each from Japan, South Korea, and the United States for a total of fifteen participants. For further information, please contact Associate Director of Programs Ari Lee at alee@mansfieldfdn.org.
This program is administered by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation with funding provided by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo through an open grant competition award. 