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US State DepartmentWASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs welcomes 220 emerging leaders from 44 countries and territories to the United States for intensive month-long fellowships designed to broaden their professional expertise in governance, media, and economic empowerment and promote the Department’s goal of empowering young people globally.

They will participate in the Professional Fellows Program, a two-way exchange embracing the power of individual citizens to find solutions to challenges that face their societies and promote shared global prosperity.

The Professional Fellows are placed in public and private sector offices across the country to learn first-hand how issues in their respective fields are addressed in the United States. Professional Fellows alumni draw upon their exchange experiences to introduce fresh ideas and knowledge into their workplaces at home, gain more responsibility in their jobs, and establish formal, institutional relationships with other organizations as a result of their exchange.

This year, the Professional Fellows Program focuses on three themes: Economic Empowerment, Legislative Process and Governance, and Media. Fellows are rising professionals in one of these fields. Along with approximately 300 U.S. participants traveling overseas on reciprocal programs, the Fellows help U.S. host businesses and organizations become global competitors.

The program ends in a three-day Professional Fellows Congress, May 8-10, 2013, in Washington, D.C., where the participants work together to design real-world solutions and projects they can implement in their home communities and institutions.

To follow their experiences in the United States, use #ProFellows on Twitter or visit http://www.exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/professional-fellows-economic-empowerment-program for more information.