In 2022, the Mandela Washington Fellowship program was hosted by the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. CU Denver was selected as an institute partner for the first time, making it the first higher education institution in Colorado to participate in the 12-year-old program.

During the summer of 2022, CU Denver’s School of Public Affairs hosted a six-week leadership institute for 25 Mandela Fellows. As part of the program, 19 Mandela Fellows recorded audio versions of children’s books from their respective countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This initiative aimed to benefit ESL (English as a Second Language) kids who could use the audio as a learning tool to improve their English proficiency by following along while reading the associated book.