2025 Emerging Leaders Fellowship
Apply to join our third cohort of Emerging Leaders.
DEADLINE: April 18, 2025 @ 11:59pm PT
DURATION: Mid-July 2025 to Mid-January 2026 (6 months)
LOCATION: Initial convening in New York City, then mostly virtual.
For decades, Afghans have been in search of dignified life throughout the world. Affected by conflict and forced displacement, generations of Afghans have found themselves in perpetual crisis. Deeply impacted by systems that render Afghans powerless and invisible, Afghans For A Better Tomorrow (AFBT) was created to achieve transformative change for Afghans and to move away from structures that have harmed us for decades. This project aims to build power for our community; for us, by us.
This Fellowship kicks off with a three-day in-person (August 1-3) convening and meets virtually for the following six months. The Emerging Leaders Fellowship aims to build capacity by investing in tomorrow’s leaders of our community, today.
During the six-month fellowship, fellows will be immersed in workshops, frameworks and conversations in order to train the next generation of grassroots leadership of the Afghan community. You will receive:
Opportunity to learn from and connect with other social movements and leaders.
One-on-one mentorship on how to develop your leadership skills.
Group support for project planning and implementation.
Collaboration with and opportunities to build meaningful networks with current and alumni fellows.
$1,000 stipend to support yourself or your project.
Lodging and travel support to attend the convening.
Fellows responsibilities:
Be passionate about social justice and want to build community organizing skills.
Participants who can fully commit to an in-person convening in New York City during the weekend of August 1st to the third and a six-month fellowship consisting of virtual meetings.
Commitment of at least 10 hours a month.
Projects that align with our pillars of programmatic work:
Welcoming new Afghan arrivals.
Community safety.
Storytelling.
Community resource.
Examples of previous projects we have accepted:
Safe safe creation for LGBTQI Afghans.
Cultural and archival preservation of Afghan Sikh in Texas.
Mentoring for newly arrived Afghan youth in Utah.
Art exhibition that showcases the civilian harm during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Short film that centers an Afghan-American story.
Advocacy that ensures permanent legal status for newly arrived Afghans.
Capturing the stories of new Afghan arrivals and U.S harm done through storytelling.
How we will select you:
After your submission, we might ask you for a quick phone conversation to get to know you further. We are looking for passionate individuals who are eager to learn and see themselves as part of the broader movement to bring about social change.
Who should apply:
Members of the Afghan community who reside within the United States between the ages of 18 and 30.
If you are passionate and committed to building a better tomorrow.
About Afghans For A Better Tomorrow
AFBT aims to organize the Afghan-American community to bring about systemic change in the U.S. and beyond to ensure all Afghans have lives of safety, dignity, and freedom.
For questions, please contact contact@weareafghans.org.
2024 Emerging Leaders Fellow Bibi Bostani talks about her experience.
“I found a lot of comfort in being able to be myself in my community without feeling judged or misunderstood. It was a relief to feel that sense of belonging.”
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“By helping me connect with the greater community — meeting Afghans from every corner of the country, you helped me feel like a part to a whole, which is quite rare. You also enabled and engaged with each and every project, caring for and nurturing us all to make sure we were using every resource available.”