The National Refugee Leadership and Lived Experiences Council (NRLLEC) program serves refugees, asylees, and other ORR-eligible newcomers to build and deepen their leadership skills and capacity, and positively impact their community. NRLLEC is led by Refugee Congress, in partnership with Refugee Council USA, Every Campus A Refuge, Church World Service, and USA Hello, and is a federal initiative of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
Members of the 2025 Council and Staff
2026 Councils
In 2026, the NRLLEC program will offer two distinct cohorts of the National Young Adult Leadership Council (NYALC): a cohort for emerging leaders and a cohort for experienced leaders. Both Council cohorts are open to refugees, asylees with granted asylum status, and all other ORR-eligible populations who are between the ages of 18 and 24 and have lived in the United States for less than 5 years at the time of application.
Members of both Council cohorts will engage in 10 months of leadership development, including intensive virtual trainings, tailored mentorship, and an in-person gathering in Washington, DC. Council Members will also be guided through developing and implementing a community project to apply their leadership skills and positively impact their local community. The 2026 Council Term will run from November 2025 to September 2026. All Council graduates will have the opportunity to continue their development through the NRLLEC Alumni Network. Read more about the emerging leaders cohort and experienced leaders cohort of the NYALC.
Application and Selection
Applications for the 2026 NYLAC cohorts will be accepted through Monday, November 10, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Applicants must submit their applications directly through this website.
Applicants will be sorted into either the emerging leaders or experienced leaders cohort based on their responses to the application questions. An “emerging” leader is an applicant who has no previous experience or less than six months of experience in a leadership role of a community initiative. An “experienced” leader is an applicant who has at least six months of experience in a leadership role of a community initiative.
The application includes questions to confirm eligibility, basic biographic questions, and a series of narrative questions for applicants to share their existing leadership experience and/or their goals in joining a NYALC Council. All applicants must also enter or upload their resume information and attach a letter of recommendation. Before starting an application, interested applicants are strongly encouraged to review:
All applicants will be notified about their application by November 14, 2026. Finalists will be invited to a virtual finalist interview, which will take place between November 17 and November 21, 2026. Finalists will be notified of their selection or non-selection by November 24, 2026.
