{{Short description|Development program bringing Irish students to Washington, D.C}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{multiple| {{More citations needed|date=May 2007}} {{COI|date=October 2025}} }} The '''Washington-Ireland Program''' for Service and Leadership ('''WIP''') is a six-month program of personal and professional development that brings university students from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to Washington, DC for summer internships and leadership training. The program begins and ends with practical service (usually some form of voluntary work in the NGO or political sectors) in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Originally known as the "Young Leaders Program", it was renamed in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/new-name-for-scheme-to-train-young-leaders/28148646.html| website = belfasttelegraph.co.uk | title = New name for scheme to train young leaders | date = 27 January 2003 | accessdate = 21 October 2025 }}</ref>
In Washington, participants get first-hand experience with U.S. government and politics and an immersion in American culture by living with an area host family. The eight-week program aims to send students home with enhanced professional and interpersonal skills and a new confidence in their own leadership abilities which they are expected to demonstrate through service to their own communities.{{fact|date=November 2025}} Among the 2007 Internship opportunities were placements in the Senate offices of then Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
==History== The WIP program has been operating since 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://wiprogram.org/what-we-do/ | website = wiprogram.org | title = What we do | accessdate = 21 October 2025 | quote = WIP's Emerging Leaders Program has been operating since 1995 }}</ref> Since its inception in the 1990s, the program has expanded from four to eight weeks, allowing time for both leadership training and work experience. Students are placed in offices across the Washington metropolitan region representing federal and local government, businesses, non-profit organizations, professional services firms and media organizations. Placements have included The White House, Congressional offices, Northern Ireland Bureau, World Bank, Habitat for Humanity, AFL-CIO, CNN and CBS, Library of Congress, Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, The Justice Project, Imagination Stage and Solas Nua.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
Participants are intended to develop practical leadership abilities by committing to 30 hours of service in their own communities before the summer and 40 hours in a Group Service Project when they return.{{fact|date=October 2025}} Students may also help launch and run the following year's program by assisting with marketing, recruiting, selecting and mentoring the succeeding WIP class.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
Successful candidates must be Irish-born, or Irish or British (NI) citizens with current passports.{{fact|date=October 2025}} They must be full-time students in Ireland or the United Kingdom, between the ages of 18 and 25, and passing their subjects at a better than passing grade.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
Initially begun in partnership with the Students' Union at Queen's University, Belfast, WIP has received support from the Irish Government through its Department of Education and the International Fund for Ireland as well as the UK government and the US State Department.{{fact|date=November 2025}}
The Washington-Ireland Program is an extension of Project Children, a program that sponsors six-week summer holidays in the U.S. for young people from Northern Ireland. The participants in Project Children, who stay with American host families, range in age from 10–14 years old and come from neighborhoods impacted by the Troubles in Northern Ireland.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
==Youth Empowerment Scheme== In 2001,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.youthempowermentscheme.org/yes/who/who.htm | website = youthempowermentscheme.org | title = Who Are We? | quote = The Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) [..] was co-founded by participants of the Young Leaders Programme 2001 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20040607022327/http://www.youthempowermentscheme.org/yes/who/who.htm | archivedate = 7 June 2004 }}</ref> alumni members of the Washington-Ireland Programme established a charity known as the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES). The scheme created a mentoring programme in which young adults acted as mentors for children aged 11–14 years old.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30138342.html | work = Irish Examiner | title = Youth group aims to combat racism | date = 15 March 2004 | accessdate = 7 October 2025 | url-status = live | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20251007025509/https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30138342.html | archivedate = 7 October 2025 }}</ref> In 2006, members of the Youth Empowerment Scheme visited South Africa as part of an "exchange" with the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/tara-maguire-left-and-emma-stewart-will-represent-the-youth-empowerment-scheme-yes-as-they-link-up-with-university-of-kwazulu-natal-in-durban-on-a-hivaids-awareness-programme/28093511.html | work = belfasttelegraph.co.uk | title = Tara Maguire (left) and Emma Stewart will represent the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) as they link up with University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban on a HIV/AIDS awareness programme | date = 15 June 2006 | accessdate = 21 October 2025 | archiveurl = https://archive.today/20251007025636/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/tara-maguire-left-and-emma-stewart-will-represent-the-youth-empowerment-scheme-yes-as-they-link-up-with-university-of-kwazulu-natal-in-durban-on-a-hivaids-awareness-programme/28093511.html | archivedate = 7 October 2025 | url-status = live }}</ref> YES undertook fundraising to fund its activities and, for example, held a 'night at the movies' fundraiser at the Sheridan IMAX movie theatre in early 2005.<ref name=MBBBOTCC>{{cite press release |url=http://news.ulster.ac.uk/releases/2005/1569.html |title=Movies Bring Big Box-Office To Children's Charity |date=11 March 2005 |publisher=University of Ulster | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061015041900/http://news.ulster.ac.uk/releases/2005/1569.html | archivedate = 15 October 2006 }}</ref>
== Notable alumni == * Leo Varadkar (class of 2000), Fine Gael TD who became Ireland's youngest ever Taoiseach.<ref name="alum">{{cite web | url = https://wiprogram.org/alum/ | website = wiprogram.org | title = Our Alum community | accessdate = 21 October 2025 | archive-url =https://archive.today/20251021142002/https://wiprogram.org/alum/ | archivedate = 21 October 2025 | url-status = live}}</ref> * Chris Lyttle (class of 2002), Alliance Party MLA for East Belfast.<ref name="cl2002">{{cite web |title=Class of 2002 |url=https://wiprogram.org/project/class-of-2002/ |website=wiprogram.org|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230521164654/https://wiprogram.org/project/class-of-2002/ |archive-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> * Emma Little-Pengelly (class of 2002), Democratic Unionist Party MLA within the Northern Ireland Executive.<ref name="cl2002"/> * Noel Rock (class of 2006), Fine Gael TD for Dublin North-West.{{fact|date=October 2025}} * Claire Sugden (class of 2008), independent MLA for East Londonderry and former Justice Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive.<ref name="alum"/> * Nuala McAllister (class of 2010), Alliance Party MLA for Belfast North.{{fact|date=October 2025}} * Patricia O'Lynn (class of 2016), Alliance Party MLA for North Antrim (2022-2023).<ref>{{cite web |title=Successful internship for Larne girl in Washington |url=https://www.northernirelandworld.com/news/successful-internship-for-larne-girl-in-washington-2137828 |website=Northern Ireland World |date=15 August 2016 |access-date=12 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Class of 2016 |url=https://wiprogram.org/project/class-of-2016/ |website=wiprogram.org|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230521164715/https://wiprogram.org/project/class-of-2016/ |archive-date=21 May 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.wiprogram.org Official website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20250107103930/https://wipan.org/ WIP alumni website] (archived Jan 2025)
Category:Ireland–United States relations Category:Vocational education Category:Internship programs Category:Education in Ireland