Deadline: 17 February 2020
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut has announced the 2020 Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Leadership Development Fellowship (LDF) program.
Since 2007, the program has provided early and mid-career professionals from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the opportunity to complete training in leadership, civic engagement, participatory governance, conflict transformation, and effective communication.
In stage one of the program, fellows begin with two weeks of in-person workshops at Duke University, to enhance their knowledge on building effective partnerships for social change, and then spend three weeks in the United States (for high-proficiency English speakers) or in Lebanon (for high-proficiency Arabic speakers) to gain academic insights. Over six months, fellows apply their acquired knowledge on civic and social entrepreneurial activities, then finally reconvene for three days to network and share their LDF experience.
Project Overview
LDF is an advanced fellowship program for community and civic leaders (age 28-35) who are provided academic training on leadership, civic engagement, participatory governance, conflict transformation, and effective communication.
As with all U.S. Embassy-sponsored programs, the U.S. Government pays for all major expenses, including roundtrip airfare, accommodation, and health insurance. Competition is merit-based, and Lebanese citizens or long-term Palestinian residents in Lebanon from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, religion, sex, age, and/or physical disability.
Eligibility Criteria
- Age: Applicants must be between 28 and 35 years of age.
- Professional Experience: Applicants must have at least five years of professional work experience in a relevant field.
- Civic Engagement and/or Social Entrepreneurship Experience: Applicants must have a minimum of five years of relevant civic engagement and/or social entrepreneurship experience.
- Academic Background: Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree.
- English Fluency for the English Track: All eligible applicants wishing to apply for the English track must have strong written and oral English proficiency. All U.S.-based activities are conducted in English.
- Arabic Fluency: All eligible applicants must have strong written and oral Arabic proficiency.
- Full Participation: Applicants must be willing and able to participate fully in all five stages of the LDF Fellowship. Fellows will travel out of the MENA region for two weeks at the beginning of the fellowship, later for three weeks to either the U.S. or Lebanon, and again for three days at the end of the fellowship.
- Application: All eligible applicants must have the capacity and ability to immediately apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout the LDF Fellowship.
- Eligible Countries: Be from Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel.
For more information, visit https://lb.usembassy.gov/2020-leadership-development-fellowships/