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Russian Young Leadership Fellows for Public Service Program (YLF) a Success According to Independent Evaluation

According to the findings of an independent program evaluation, alumni of YLF "believe that they are better off than their peers in terms of their education and their work." Alumni directly attribute that better status to their participation in YLF.

The independent program evaluation was ordered in October 2001 by the US State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The program evaluation was conducted by Aguirre International between July and December 2002. The evaluation findings are based on face-to-face interviews with YLF alumni, discussion groups of Russian alumni and semi-finalists, and open-ended interviews with program officers and other key informants.

The focus of the evaluation was to document the program's outcomes and impact, and link these findings to the legislative mandates under which the program operates, namely the FREEDOM (Freedom for Russian and Emerging Eurasia Democracies and Markets) Support Act of 1992. The evaluation conludes that "the YLF program is meeting its goals in supporting both market reform and democratic institutions and attitudes among the Russian participants."

Public service forms the core of YLF with fellows performing a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on volunteer work per month. Participants also complete one year of non-degree academic study at leading universities and colleges. A professional internship follows the academic and public service components of the fellowship. The program and alumni activities are administered by IREX.

Copies of the YLF evaluation and the YLF evaluation executive summary are available for download on the ECA website.