American Councils Armenia invites eligible young legislative professionals to submit online applications by October 31, 2012 for the Legislative Fellows Program, a short-term professional development exchange in the United States

The Legislative Fellows Program (LFP) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In Armenia LFP is administered by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS.

LFP affords promising young professionals from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine the opportunity to gain practical experience in, and exposure to, United States government. LFP will engage professionals who are actively involved in the legislative process and/or policy-making through their work in government, civic education organizations, citizen advocacy groups, political parties, or election monitoring organizations. The knowledge and interest of these young Eurasian professionals in American political processes will be expanded through short-term fellowships in state legislatures and city halls across the United States, as well as on Capitol Hill and in non-profit organizations that address policy issues. In addition, LFP enables Americans to travel on reciprocal visits.

LFP goals are to:
- strengthen understanding of the U.S. legislative process;
- enhance appreciation of the role of civil society plays in shaping public policy and holding government accountable;
- create partnerships between institutions in the U.S. and Armenia ; and
- establish a common language to develop practical solutions for shared problems and concerns.

Each LFP fellow will spend a total of five to six weeks in the United States in Spring 2013. The LFP provides round-trip international and domestic transportation, visa fee and processing costs, health and accident insurance, and modest stipend. Housing and meals will be provided for program participants with U.S. host families.

To be eligible for LFP, applicants must:
- be a citizen and resident of Armenia;
- be 25 to 35 years of age at the time of application;
- be a college graduate (equivalent of a Bachelor's degree or higher);
- be proficient in English. If you are selected as a semi-finalist, we will give you an institutional TOEFL exam, unless you have a valid TOEFL score over 500 (paper test) or over 60 (IBT test) or its equivalent (for example, valid IELTS band 6 or higher);
- have relevant experience in and commitment to a career in the public sector and/or nonprofit sector in Armenia ; and
- have demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills.

Eligible candidates must submit the online application by October 31, 2012 at https://ais.americancouncils.org

LFP participants will be selected through a competitive application process.

See the LFP website http://lfp.americancouncils.org/ for more details about LFP application and selection or contact LFP Armenia Coordinator Nane Abrahamian at the American Councils Armenia office at [email protected].