Deadline: 15-May-23
Are you ready to lead the next generation committed to inclusive civic engagement? Then apply for the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement to discuss and plan inclusive civic engagement projects with other emerging leaders from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and the US.
The Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement is a professional program funded by the US Department of State for emerging leaders in Africa to exchange and implement best practices for inclusive civic engagement. The program will support approximately 12 mid-career disability rights professionals (Fellows) from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia to participate in a five-week Fellowship Program in Spring 2024 in the US.
As a Fellow, you will learn approaches to inform your efforts to build and strengthen fully inclusive civic societies for people with disabilities in your country. The core of the program is an individual Fellowship with a US host organization. As a Fellow, you will select a key policy or practice issue related to disability and civic engagement in your country. This policy or practice issue will provide a focus for your individual Fellowship placement training and will inform the project that you will develop and implement upon returning home. This is called the follow-on project. The Fellowship training will also include weekly seminars, mentorship, and community service.
- Begin your US Fellowship: Attend virtual sessions with program staff to prepare for your Fellowship experience and travel to the US.
- Engage in your Fellowship: Work with your US host organization during your customized Fellowship placement. Exchange knowledge and best practices on disability inclusion across cultural contexts.
- Develop a plan: Collaborate with US colleagues to develop an action plan for your follow-on project that you will implement upon returning home.
- Attend the Professional Fellows Congress: Join and network with over one hundred Professional Fellows from around the world at a four-day conference in Washington D.C.
- Sustain your project: After your Fellowship in the US, your US host mentor might visit you in your country to provide additional support with the implementation of your follow-on project.
Benefits
As a Fellow, you will receive funding and support for:
- Round-trip travel between home country and the US.
- Fellowship-related travel within the US.
- Travel interruption insurance.
- Accident and health insurance for the duration of the Fellowship in the US.
- Living accommodations in the US.
- Living allowance to cover meals, local transportation, and incidental expenses.
- Cultural allowance to spend on books and attending cultural events.
- Disability-related arrangements, if needed.
- An Internet hotspot.
Fellowship
The Fellowship Program will begin on approximately May 8, 2024, and end on approximately June 13, 2024. Note that Fellowship start and end dates may be subject to slight changes.
The Fellowship training will be in-person in the US, unless otherwise specified. If COVID-19 or related travel restrictions occur, they will conduct the program virtually.
Eligibility Criteria
This is a merit-based competition open to candidates in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
To apply, you must meet the following eligibility criteria. You must:
- Be between the ages of 25 and 40, meaning at least 25 years old and no older than 40 years old, as of the first day of the Fellowship Program (May 8, 2024).
- Be a citizen and resident of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, or Ethiopia.
- Be eligible to receive a US J-1 visa, as far as you know. (Visit the US Department of State website for information about J-1 visas.)
- Be proficient in spoken English.
- Be proficient in reading and writing English.
- Have at least two or more years of professional work experience.
- Be able to travel to the US for the duration of the five-week Fellowship Program.
For more information, visit US Department of State.