The Emerging County Leaders (ECL) Program was created in 2022 to provide practical experience to college students interested in civic affairs whether it is for professional or community interest. It is a summer internship for college students aged 18-25 that have completed at least two semesters of college. Interns work full-time at designated worksites in the public policy arena in the areas of legislative offices, government, law, advocacy and media. Interns are paid a stipend for their participation.
Over the past three years, the number of applications has grown slowly ranging from 6-8 applications on average. This year under the current political environment, the number of applications has soared to 22 for the 2025 cohort. This includes students from as far away as Texas and Alabama.
Although we cannot accept all the students who have applied, we expect to double the number of students who will participate in the 2025 cohort. Priority continues to be given to students whose home base is the DMV region. Inflationary times also dictate that we increase the amount of the stipend by at least 10%.
We are very pleased that our future leaders are seeing the value of civic engagement and policy making. Your help is needed to support the growth of the Emerging County Leaders program and facilitate the empowerment of the Muslim community.
100% tax deductible donations can be made here.
