Deadline: 15 May 2020
Applications are now open for “A Digital Path to Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Latin America” which is a part of the Professional Fellows Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Exchange and Cultural Affairs.
A Digital Path to Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Latin America is creating a network of journalists, technologists and media entrepreneurs across the region.
This network is harnessing the power of digital tools to create sustainable news businesses that provide news and information in the public interest.
Since 2015, ICFJ, with funding from the U.S. Department of State, has brought more than 80 Latin American journalists, entrepreneurs, technologists and digital media experts to train and work at media organizations throughout the United States. Nearly 30 U.S. media hosts have visited Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia and Brazil to expand their cross-border collaborations.
During the program, participants have launched or improved projects including:
- An online investigative outlet in Colombia
- A popular personal finance blog in Nicaragua
- An LGBT community network which was founded in collaboration with multiple fellows in Colombia
- A new platform, called Floods Alerts, which sends messages to citizens endangered by floods in the Amazonian cities of Brazil.
The Fellowship
In 2020, ICFJ is bringing 36 new Professional Fellows from 12 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. ICFJ is also sending 12 additional U.S. hosts to Latin America for two-week study tours.
Fellows participate in a six-week U.S. program anchored by four full weeks of professional attachments at the host institutions. The program pairs participants with U.S. hosts across the country at digital communications firms, startup incubators and cutting-edge digital newsrooms that are good matches for the visiting journalists’ backgrounds and skills. The program begins with ICFJ-led orientation in Washington, D.C., where fellows visit digital media organizations, receive hands-on training on digital tools and techniques and workshop their digital media project proposals with media entrepreneurs.
During the final week of the U.S. visit, fellows participate in the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington, D.C. The Congress connects the participants with other Professional Fellows from around the globe while helping them continue to hone their leadership and entrepreneurial skill sets.
This program will also spotlight the United States’ diversity and culture by immersing the fellows in their host communities through homestay experiences.
What are the costs to participate in this program?
Selected fellows will have all program costs covered by ICFJ and the Department of State, including travel, housing, and emergency travel insurance. Fellows will also receive a stipend to cover living costs during the program. There are no costs to participate in the program.
Program Eligibility
Only applications from Panama and Honduras will be considered.
- The program is open to young professionals and emerging leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 who meet the following criteria:
- Is a citizen, national or permanent resident of their home country;
- Is living and working in his/her home country at the time of application;
- Has at least two (2) years of professional experience at the time of application;
- Submits a complete application, with all required documents, by the application deadline;
- Is able to begin the Professional Fellows Program in the United States in 2018;
- Is able to receive a U.S. J-1 visa;
- Is committed to returning to his/her home country after completion of the program;
- Is proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application.
- Individuals in the following circumstances are NOT eligible for the Professional Fellows Program:
- U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents of the United States;
- Spouses of U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents of the United States;
- Individuals participating in academic, training or research programs in the United States at the time of application;
- Individuals residing or working outside their home countries at the time of application;
- Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the U.S. Government (e.g., U.S. Department of State, Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies or other U.S. government agencies) who have not fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the time of application;
- Individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years;
- Employees and their families of non-profit organizations who administer the Professional Fellows Program on behalf of the U. S. Department of State. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting members of families who live apart from their parents;
- Local employees of the U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development are ineligible during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment;
- Immediate families (i.e., spouses and dependent children) of U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development employees for a period of one year following the termination of such employment. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting members of families who live apart from their parents.
Participants should have very strong English reading, writing, and speaking skills. The application should be filled out in English, and the interview will be in conducted in English.
For more information, visit https://www.icfj.org/our-work/digital-path-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-latin-america