Four emerging political leaders from Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Pakistan have been selected to visit Northern Nevada through a project funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Northern Nevada International Center, based on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, is seeking area political and government offices to host these visitors as interns for nine days.

The program dates are Oct. 16 through Nov. 7. The visitors will have three days of internship each week, and the remainder of their visit will be devoted to other programming, site visits and training modules. Workplaces that host a visiting intern will have the opportunity to better understand the participant's native country and culture.

The Legislative Fellows Program for South and Central Asia is an exchange program for young leaders intended to strengthen understanding of the U.S. legislative process and civic participation. Other themes linked to legislation, governance and civic participation may be incorporated into the internship, such as multiculturalism, ethnic and religious tolerance, social justice, emerging democracies, grass-roots democracy, freedom of the press, environment, transparency and government oversight, conflict resolution, economic development, worker rights and the role of women.

The four leaders coming to Northern Nevada are:

• Kinley Tenzin, a legal officer responsible for reviewing legislation, drafting laws and providing procedural advice and services to the chairman and members of the National Council of Bhutan, is interested in broadening his understanding of the U.S. legislative process.
• Anastassiya Rud, a jurist with the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, is interested in better understanding the cooperation between nongovernmental organizations and governmental bodies in the United States.
• Sagun Sunder Lawoti, general secretary in the Youth Wing of the National Democratic Youth Organization of Nepal, wants to enhance his knowledge of democratic practices and better understand the relationships between media, the economy, society and political processes.
• Yasmeen Nazar, a member of the Legislative Assembly in Pakistan, has a decade of field experience in rural development and wants to better understand U.S. legislative process, as well as the role of women's rights and leadership in the United States.

For more information or to volunteer to provide an internship, contact Corazon Padilla, Northern Nevada International Center program coordinator, at (775) 784-7515 ext. 223 or cpadilla@nnic.org