2027 United States Senate Youth Program Mentor Solicitation and Application Process

1.  This MARADMIN solicits applications from First
Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, and Lieutenant Colonels to serve as 
military mentors for the 2027 United States Senate Youth Program 
(USSYP) Washington Week to be held in person in Washington, DC 
from 6-13 March 2027 (event dates).  Military mentors must be 
available for training and program participation from March 1-13.  
2.  Background: The USSYP is an annual educational program 
sponsored by the United States Senate and funded by the 
William Randolph Hearst Foundation.  The program provides 
104 high school students from across the country an opportunity 
to learn firsthand about the functions of government and encourages
those considering a future in public service.  The Armed Forces
support for the USSYP includes seventeen (17) Military Officer
Mentors.  Two (2) of these officers will be selected to serve as the
Senior Military Mentor (SMM) and the Assistant Senior Military
Mentor (ASMM).  USSYP military mentors represent their individual
Service components and serve as role models for the 104 student
delegates, two from each state, the District of Columbia, and the
Department of War (DoW) Education Activity.  They exemplify the
highest standards of decorum and protocol, facilitate inclusive and
insightful debate and discussion among the students, and assist
USSYP staff with implementation of the program agenda.  Each
military mentor is assigned a group of student delegates for the
duration of the program, presenting a unique opportunity for these
bright and influential young Americans to gain a better
understanding of DoW's mission, people, and inter-relationships with
the other branches of federal government. 
3.  Funding and Travel Requirement: If selected to be a USSYP 
military mentor, the service member's command is responsible to 
fund travel to and from Washington, DC and must place the service 
member on official orders.
4.  Nominee Per DoW Component: The Marine Corps will nominate from
Active Duty and Active Reserve, ten (10) officers total to the 
Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs for final 
selection.  Prior USSYP military mentors (02-05) are encouraged to 
re-apply.  Applicants must meet Marine Corps height and waist 
standards and must secure command endorsement for participation. 
Lieutenant Colonels must have served previously as a military mentor
for this program.  Lieutenant Colonel submissions that do not meet
this pre-requisite will be automatically excluded.  Submissions do
not guarantee selection.  
5.  Mentor Availability: Officers selected as the SMM and ASMM are 
required to report to the USSYP program site in Washington DC on 
Monday, 1 March 2027 for advanced preparation training.  The rest of
the mentor team will report on Thursday, 4 March 2027.  All mentors 
should plan for the event to conclude no earlier than 1200 on 
Saturday, 13 March 2027.  For those selected as a mentor officer, 
military duties must not conflict with continuous assignment and 
responsibilities associated with this program.  Supervisor letter of
recommendation must state that, if selected, the nominee will be 
available to participate in the total duration of program, to 
include pre-program training.  USSYP is a fully immersive
experience.  Program days are long and structured.  There is no
available "down time" for other work projects or diversions during 
Washington Week.  If Washington Week unexpectedly transitions from
an in-person experience to a completely online format in 2027, all 
military mentors will be required to obtain dedicated access to a 
personal computer with high-speed internet, webcam, and microphone 
in an appropriate area free of distraction.
6.   Additional Requirements: Military mentors should have the 
following attributes:
(a) Be willing and able to put in consecutive 18-hour days. 
(b) Be able to accurately receive, convey, and execute detailed
instructions.
(c) Be skillful at facilitating operational logistics and movements.
(d) Be extremely flexible and able to accept changes in schedule or 
direction on very short notice without complaint or visible negative 
reaction. 
(e) Have a successful history of working with high school students 
and youth-oriented programs.
(f) Be well versed in the history and current missions of their
Service and Department.
(g) Be sociable, verbally confident, and proficient at facilitating 
group discussions.
(h) Be a model of professional comport and discretion in behavior 
and language.
(i) Be comfortable working with all levels of private sector and 
government officials.
(j) Be willing to both lead and participate in all aspects of the 
USSYP team mission.
(k) Be able to deal fairly and firmly with student delegates without 
becoming dictatorial.
(l) Be adept as both a leader and an action officer on a 
multi-Service team.
(m) Be able to suppress their personal desires for the good of the 
mission.
(n) Be able to show respect to all age groups and types of audiences.
(o) Be enthusiastic and highly motivated during the entire week.
(p) Be healthy, not on a medical or fitness profile, and have good 
stamina.
(q) Be in compliance with physical fitness, body composition, and 
grooming standards.
(r) Have at least two complete and appropriate sets of Service 
dress uniforms.
7.  Evaluation Criteria: The competitive selection process is 
designed to provide the program with officers who, as a group,
represent the broadest range of military skills, geographic
assignments, and leadership experiences.  As part of the selection 
process, all nominees will be evaluated by the Office of the 
Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs on:
(a) Maturity and leadership skills as expressed by their 
supervisor's recommendation.
(b) Military career (variety of assignments, awards, recognitions, 
and duty stations).
(c) Educational background (honors, student government, 
fellowships, leadership roles).
(d) Professional appearance based on the photograph supplied with 
the nomination packet.
(e) History of leading/coaching/working with high school students 
and youth programs.
(f) Total professional/personal experience relevant to USSYP 
objectives.
(g) Motivations for wanting to be a USSYP military mentor.
(h) Previous military mentors may apply but are not guaranteed 
selection.
8.  DoW will select two officers - typically prior USSYP military 
mentors – to serve as SMM and ASMM.  Selectees must adhere to the
published military-civilian leadership protocol in order to ensure a
successful program.
9.  Nomination Package: Nomination packages that do not comply 
with the required format and submission order will be disqualified 
automatically.  Do not consolidate and submit the entire package in
a .pdf format.  Address packages and letters to the USSYP Military 
Mentor Selection Panel.  Verify compliance with all instructions 
and templates prior to submission. Additional documentation is not 
required and discouraged.
10.  Page One Instructions: Submit Contact Information as page 1 of 
the nomination package.  Use a plain sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, do not 
use letterhead or graphics.  Use 1 inch margins on all sides top, 
bottom, left, right).  Use 12 point Times New Roman font.  Follow
the template below, delete the brackets after providing the
requested information.  Include the disclosure statement.  Save as
a Microsoft Word format.  Name the file in all caps: LAST NAME,
FIRST NAME_PAGE 1.  Must be addressed to the 2027 United States 
Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Military Mentor Selection Panel.  Due
to the Privacy Act Laws, all personal information must be submitted 
using electronic encryption.  Each nomination package must include 
the following in this order and format (where stated).
Page One Format: 
Contact Information (Centered)
{Space}
{Rank}{First Name}{Middle Initial}. {Last Name}
{U.S. Marine Corps}
          Nominee Information
               Work Mailing Address: {Unit Name}, {Street Address},
               {City}, {State}, {Zip Code}
               Work E-Mail Address:
               Work Phone Number(s): {###-###-####}
               Home Mailing Address: {Street Address},
               {City}, {State}, {Zip Code}
               Home E-mail Address:
               Home Phone Number:{###-###-####}
               Mobile Phone Number (s): {###-###-####}
          First O-5 in Chain of Command
               {Rank}{First Name}{Middle Initial}. {Last Name}
               {Title}
               Work Mailing Address:
               Work E-Mail Address:
               Work Phone Number (s): {###-###-####}
          First General Officer in Chain of Command
               {Rank}{First Name}{Middle Initial}. {Last Name}
               {Title}
               {Work Mailing Address: {Street Address}, {City},
               {State}, {Zip Code}
               Work E-Mail Address:
               Work Phone Number(s): {###-###-####}
(a)  Include the disclosure statement: "I authorize the release of 
information enclosed in this information package only to those 
persons involved in the selection process. If selected, I further 
authorize the release of limited information to the U.S. Senate 
Youth Program to administer my participation."
11.  Page Two Instructions: Submit biography as page 2 of the
nomination package. Use a plain sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper: Do not use 
letterhead or graphics.  Use 1 inch margins on all sides (top,
bottom, left, right).  Use 12 point Times New Roman font.  Single
space text, double space between paragraphs.  Align left, do not
indent paragraphs. Limit to one page.  Write the biography as a
third-person narrative, not a bulleted Q and A list.  Use plain
language.  Use plain language for audiences with little to no
familiarity with the Armed Forces. Spell out terms at first mention
before using abbreviations or acronyms. Save as a Microsoft Word
format.  Name the file in all caps: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME_PAGE 2.
Page Two Format:
Biography: (Centered)
{Space}
{Rank}{First Name}{Middle Initial}. {Last Name}
{U.S. Marine Corps}
Please address the following in your biography, along with any 
other pertinent details:
(a)  High School: name, location, student leadership positions, 
awards, honors, scholarships, exchange programs, extracurriculars.
(b)  College: name, location, degree(s), major(s), leadership 
positions, fellowships, publications, awards, honors,
extracurriculars.
(c)  Commissioning source: Service Academy, ROTC, OCS, etc.
(d)  Total years of military service:
(e)  Why did you choose to serve in the military?
(f)  Military Career (describe in civilian terms): current 
assignment, also note your primary career field (e.g. pilot, 
attorney, engineer, etc.) if currently detailed to a special duty 
assignment (e.g. executive officer, legislative fellow, etc.) duty 
description assignments, deployments, ability to lead troops and 
facilitate logistics.
(g)  Special recognitions, achievements, annual/quarterly awards, 
personal decorations (meritorious service medal or higher).
(h)  History working with high school students or teenage youth 
programs.
(i)  Off duty activities and interests.
(j)  Why do you want to be a military mentor?
(k)  What can you offer the USSYP program?
(l)  If you are a former USSYP student delegate and/or military 
mentor, mention the year(s) and your impression of the program or 
its impact on you.
12.  Page Three Instructions: Submit a one-paragraph proposed 
introduction as page 3 of the nomination package.  Use a plain sheet
of 8.5 x 11 paper: Do not use letterhead or graphics.  Use 1 inch 
margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, right).  Use 12 point Times
New Roman font.  Double space.  Align left, do not indent paragraph. 
Follow the template below, delete the brackets after providing the 
requested information.  Limit to 100-150 words.  Additional content
will not be considered, and points will be deducted.  Use plain 
language for audiences with little to no familiarity with the
military.  Save as Microsoft Word format.  Name the file in all 
caps: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME_PAGE 3.
Page Three Format:
Proposed Introduction: (Centered)
{Space}
{Rank}{First Name}{Middle Initial}. {Last Name}
{U.S. Marine Corps}
A one paragraph proposed introduction, utilizing the following 
template:
{Name} is currently serving as {duty position} where {he/she} 
{explain duties in one sentence}. {He/she} grew up in 
{city, state}, and received {his/her} {college degree title(s)/ 
major(s)} from {school name}. {Next, mention any notable 
extracurricular activities that would resonate with the USSYP 
delegates.} {He/she} has had assignments in {list countries and/or 
states only} and served in {note deployments and cite 
responsibilities}. {Close with one or two notable hobbies and or 
interesting fact(s) you would like the students to know.}
13.  Page Four Instructions: Submit endorsement from supervisor as
page 4 of the nomination package.  Use official letterhead. Address
the letter to the USSYP Military Mentor Selection Panel.  The
applicant's immediate supervisor is encouraged to provide comments
focused on leadership and action officer skills, event logistics
acumen, comportment, communication skills, maturity, mentorship,
professional appearance, and community service involvement.  At a
minimum, the final endorsement should be provided by the nominees 
Battalion or Squadron Commander (first O-5 in Chain of Command).
The endorsement must include the following statement: "If 
{nominee name} is selected, {he/she} will be available to 
participate in all activities for the duration of the USSYP, 4 
through 13 March 2027."  Majors and Lieutenant Colonels should 
modify this statement to indicate their availability from 1 to 4 
March 2027, in the event they are selected as the SMM or ASMM.
Limit to one page.  Save in .PDF format.  Name the file in all
caps: LAST NAME, FIRST NAME_PAGE 4.
14.  Page Five Instructions: Full-Length Photograph: Submit a 
full-length photograph in Service 'C' Uniform as page 5 of the 
nomination package.  The photo does not need to be an "official" 
military photo, but must be detailed and large enough to determine 
professional military appearance.  Standing posture may be at a 
45-degree angle or straight on.  Natural face expression, with or 
without smile, is appropriate.  If selected, a headshot from this 
photo will be used for your bio in the student handbook.  Photo may 
also be used by USSYP for their security requirements.  Save in .jpg
format, at least 300 dpi resolution. Name the file in all caps: LAST
NAME, FIRST NAME_PAGE 5.
15.  Applications must be sent electronically to the HQMC Community 
Relations Organizational Mailbox to the following address: 
hqmc.comrel@usmc.mil with a subject line of "2027 U.S. Senate Youth 
Military Mentor Selection Panel ICO rank name."
16.  Deadline:  The Communication Directorate must receive 
applications no later than Monday 0800 EDT 16 November 2026.  
Applications that do not meet the required due date will be 
disqualified automatically.  Addressees will be notified of 
selection mid-January 2027.  For additional information on the
nomination application process and criteria, please visit the 
DoW-hosted USSYP Military Mentor Candidate site (CAC required) at: 
https:(slash)(slash)dod365.sharepoint-mil.us/sites/
OSDPA-Senate-Youth.  For information on the USSYP, please visit 
www.ussenateyouth.org.
17.  Release authorized by Colonel John O. Caldwell, Director, 
Communication Directorate, Headquarters Marine Corps.