American Councils Armenia invites eligible young legislative professionals to submit online applications by March 18, 2012 for the Legislative Fellows Program, a short-term professional development exchange in the United States. 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 and its engagement in the political process; create partnerships between U.S. and foreign institutions; 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 fall 2012. 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, as demonstrated by TOEFL scores over 500 (paper test) or its equivalent (for example, university-level study in an English-speaking program or IELTS band 6 or higher). If applicants have none of these and are selected as a semi-finalist, they will be given an institutional TOEFL exam; have relevant experience in and commitment to a career in the public sector of their home countries; and have demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills. Eligible candidates must submit the online application by March 18, 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]. 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.

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