The National Democratic Institute (NDI)'s Civic Tech Leadership Program is a three-stage intensive mentorship virtual exchange program dedicated to using innovative technology to promote good governance.

NDI’s Civic Tech Leadership Program is a three-stage program, beginning with a Technology for Accountability Lab through Stanford University Online. The Lab, which is an English-Arabic open online course, provides 21st century skills on using technology to promote good governance, with techniques like mobile surveys and open data analysis. Within the Lab, NDI will select 200 applicants for a special track that offers hands-on mentorship and peer-to-peer collaboration. Mentees will enter the track with a ‘civic tech’ project idea for advancing a specific social goal using digital skills, and they will work in cross-cultural teams to create bilingual videos describing the most innovative project ideas. The teams responsible for the top video submissions will be selected for a study trip to Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley in April 2017 for additional skills-building. The trip will help translate their learning experience into real-world change by connecting with technologists, policymakers, elected officials, and civic innovators.

• Number of Participants: 200
• Participant Age Group: University/Young Adult
• Partners in the United States: Institute for Representative Government; Stanford University Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
• Project Duration: 14 Months (March 2016 – April 2017)