Young Leaders Program

The Young Leaders Program at Pacific Forum CSIS invites selected up-and-coming young professionals and post-graduate students to participate in a series of Pacific Forum policy dialogues and conferences, which are normally limited to seasoned experts. The program serves as a catalyst for training young Asian and American professionals in international policy affairs at an early juncture in their careers, while also giving greater voice to the younger generation’s viewpoints within the elite circles of policy specialists. 

The Young Leaders program has four primary objectives: 

• To foster education in the practical aspects and complexities of policy-making;
• To generate a greater exchange of views between young and seasoned professionals;
• To promote cross-cultural interaction and cooperation among younger professionals;
• To enrich dialogues with generational perspectives for the benefit of all attendees. 

Criteria for selection. The Pacific Forum typically selects 8 to 12 Young Leaders to participate in each of our policy dialogues. Fellows must have a strong background in the area covered by the conference they are attending and an endorsement from respected experts in their field. The typical candidate has extensive academic and on-the-job training, but is limited in personal interaction in dialogue settings. The goal is for Young Leaders to attend multiple meetings to build a learning curve, gain confidence, and build a core network. Repeat invitations are based on performance.

Program Description. Each Young Leader event begins with a pre-conference introductory session, where Young Leaders become acquainted with each other and with the program. Recently, the Young Leaders Program has expanded to include a full day of meetings by the host organization to gain insight into local views of security issues and to gain familiarity with local political and security institutions.

During the conference, Young Leaders are encouraged to participate and contribute views, and Pacific Forum senior staff encourages sidebar interactions with senior experts. At the conclusion, Brad Glosserman, executive director of Pacific Forum and director of the Young Leaders Program, chairs a Young Leaders seminar to probe for more in-depth views. Each Young Leader is required to write a brief position paper on a topic dealt with in the meeting, which is critiqued at the Young Leaders Seminar.  

For more information, contact Brad Glosserman, executive director, pacificforum@pacforum.org or 808-521-6745 (Honolulu, Hawaii).