MAUREEN MANSFIELD WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT SERIES:TRILATERAL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
The Maureen Mansfield Women’s Empowerment Series: Trilateral Youth Empowerment
Program focuses on broadening participation of young women in the democratic process
and amplifying youth voices in policy decision-making processes in Japan, the Republic ofKorea and the United States.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Despite their commitment to liberal democratic values, Japan, the United States, and theRepublic of Korea struggle to ensure equitable opportunities for women to secureleadership roles in the democratic process. Social and political obstacles continue to hinder
the effective political participation of young women in these three countries.
Funded by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, theJapan-ROK-U.S. Trilateral Youth Empowerment
Program will be integral in building more
inclusive democracies in Japan, the Republic ofKorea, and the United States by bolstering
marginalized voices and empowering young
women from these three countries to take amore active role in politics.

According to a 2020 report from the InterParliamentary Union (IPU), women under 30“are the least represented in leadership
positions” and “less than 1 percent [ofparliamentarians] are women. (source)”

PROGRAM SUMMARY
Participants will be divided into five three-person groups based on their topics of interest.
Working with an experienced mentor, each team is expected to collaborate for nine months
to generate policy recommendations and action plans to address their chosen public policy
issue. After the nine months of workshops and research, participants will convene for a fiveday, in-person capstone meeting in Washington, DC.

PROGRAM TIMELINE
Each virtual workshop will be between 60-90 minutes. Tentative schedules are as follows:
End of January or early February 2023
• Virtual Orientation
February - July 2023
• Monthly Virtual Workshops• 3 Bi-Monthly Virtual Mentor Check-Ins
August 2023
• In-person Five-Day Capstone Meeting in DC* Participants are also expected to participate in small group meetings as needed to produce
a policy brief before the in-person capstone meeting in Washington, DC.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The program provides a space for young college women to develop
their skills and ideas by working with established experts on public
policy and their peers. During the program, participants will also
develop intergenerational partnerships with their mentors throughcontinued cooperation.
Each group of mentors and participants will generate policy
recommendations to address different public policy challenges.
Participants will present these recommendations to Congressional
staff on Capitol Hill during their capstone meeting in Washington, DC.
Participants are also encouraged to prepare an alternative medium
for their policy recommendations in order for them to reach wider
audience (i.e. making a video, using social media, etc.). In addition tothe policy recommendations, these dialogues will foster multilateraland multicultural cooperation among young women in Japan, SouthKorea, and the United States.

Maureen Mansfield

APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION
Applications are due January 10, 2023, no later than 11:59 p.m. (EST), and can be submitted
electronically to applications@mansfieldfdn.org. Applications will be reviewed by a selection
committee and if selected on the first round, candidates will be contacted separately to submit
a short video for the final stage of the selection process. finalists will be announced on January30, 2023. The Mansfield Foundation will select up to fifteen participants for this program. For
further information, please contact Ari Lee, Associate Director of Programs, The Maureen andMike Mansfield Foundation at alee@mansfieldfdn.org.
All eligible applicants must:• Identify as women• Be 18-24 years old and currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program• Be a legal resident of the United States, Japan, and/or Republic of Korea• Be able to attend virtual workshops and travel to Washington, DC for a weeklong inperson capstone meeting in August 2023
• Be able to communicate comfortably in English

The Maureen Mansfield Women’s Empowerment Series: Trilateral Youth Empowerment Program is administeredby the Mansfield Foundation with funding provided by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo through an open grantcompetition award. All program associated costs including flight, lodging, meals, etc. are going to be covered.
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes understanding andcooperation among the nations and peoples of Asia and the United States. Maureen and Mike Mansfield’s values,
ideals, and vision for U.S.-Asia relations continue through the Foundation’s exchanges, dialogues, research, andeducational programs, which create networks among U.S. and Asian leaders, explore the underlying issues
influencing public policies, and increase awareness about the nations and peoples of Asia. The Foundation has
offices in Washington, DC; Tokyo, Japan; and Missoula, Montana.