Deadline: 18 November 2016
The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) is inviting applicants for its Community Solutions Program (CSP) 2017–2018 with an aim to improve their communities by addressing issues related to the environment, tolerance and conflict resolution, transparency and accountability, and women and gender.
For 2017–2018, up to 100 community activists will be selected to participate in the program, which includes:
- Fellowship in the United States
- Community Leadership Institute
- Community-based initiatives
Benefits
- J-1 visa support
- Round-trip travel from participant’s home city to the U.S
- Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals and other living expenses while in the US
- Accident and sickness insurance
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants are between the ages of 25 and 38 as of January 1, 2017;
- Applicants are a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below;
- Applicants are living and working in their home country;
- Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration.
- Applicants have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a full-time or part-time employee or volunteer;
- Applicants have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application;
- Semifinalists will be required to take or submit recent scores for a TOEFL or IELTS English language test.
- Applicants are available to travel to the US for four months from August to December 2017;
- Applicants are not a citizen or permanent resident of the US and have not applied for US permanent residency within the past three years;
- Applicants are eligible to receive a US J-1 visa;
- Applicants who have participated in an exchange program sponsored by the US Government must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement.
- Applicants are not currently participating in an academic, training, or research program in the US;
- Applicants are committed to returning to your home country for a minimum of two years after completing the program; and
- Applicants are not a current IREX employee or consultant, or their immediate family member.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must apply online via given website.
Eligible Countries
- Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- East Asia and the Pacific: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
- Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
- Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories.
- South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Burma, Maldives, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.
For more information, please visit Community Solutions Program.