ROOTS- Youth Leadership Immersion Program

ROOTS – Youth Leadership Immersion Program

A Fully Residential Leadership Immersion in Nepal

ROOTS is a 14-day residential youth leadership immersion program designed for high school students from the global Nepali diaspora, co-created by Daayitwa and the Nepal Leadership Academy.

The program offers participants an opportunity to reconnect with their roots, explore their identity, develop leadership skills, and engage directly with communities and changemakers in Nepal.

Program Details

• Dates: July 9–22, 2027
• Location: Nepal
• Age: 16–18 years
• Duration: 14 days
• Cohort: Limited
• Format: Fully residential

Why ROOTS?

Discover Your Roots
Experience Nepal not simply as a tourist, but as a returning member of a community.

Discover Yourself
Through reflection and storytelling, explore questions such as: Who am I? What do I stand for?

Chart Your Way Forward
Develop leadership skills, receive mentorship, and work towards creating an authentic college essay.

Program Journey

Phase 1 | Days 1–2 – Kathmandu

• Identity workshop
• Culture and community orientation
• Daily journaling

Phase 2 | Days 3–5 – Rural Nepal, Myagde

• Homestays with rural families
• Enterprise visits with women and youth entrepreneurs
• Peer storytelling
• Cultural craft workshop

Leadership on the Trail | 2–3 Days – Poon Hill

• Guided trek through Nepal's mid-hills
• Leadership concepts practiced on the trail
• Summit reflection
• Campfire storytelling

Back in Kathmandu – Meet the People Shaping Nepal

• Visits to Singha Durbar and the National Planning Commission
• Conversations with government officials
• Private-sector and social-enterprise visits
• 1:1 mentorship with Nepali changemakers

Find Your Story – Nagarkot

• Coached writing workshop
• Public narrative framework developed at Harvard's Center for Public Leadership
• Personal project presentations
• First college essay draft
• Closing ceremony

Application Details

• Program Fee: $2,500
• Application Deadline: 31 December 2026
• Priority Application Deadline: 1 December 2027 (as shown in the provided post)
• Early Bird Offer: $2,300 + selections finalized by 1 January 2027

Impact: Proceeds from the ROOTS program will support youth and women entrepreneurs in rural Nepal.

How to Apply

Applications are open. Interested participants can apply by scanning the QR code provided in the original program announcement.