Deadline: 29 October 2021
The Indigenous Fellowship Programme, as launched in 2021 by the South African hub of Natural Justice, aims to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge of the system and mechanisms dealing with human and environmental rights in general, and indigenous issues in particular.
The Indigenous Fellowship Program focuses on supporting indigenous peoples and elevating their voices in the dialogue around climate resilience and conservation. The fellowship offers individualized support to fellows, in an effort to enhance and expand leadership potential, as well as to provide learning opportunities and connections for personal and professional development – including community activism.
The objective of this training program is to enhance the knowledge of indigenous peoples on existing international, regional and national human and environmental rights instruments and mechanisms, so they can use them to more effectively to advocate for the rights of their communities and raise their concerns at the international, regional and national level. At the end of the program, trained fellows are also in a better position to share their knowledge with their indigenous communities and organizations.
Through this fellowship, they are creating opportunities for indigenous leaders to explore solutions to the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss using the traditional knowledge of people. The fellowship program will last at least a year and will take place at Natural Justice’s South African hub in Cape Town or at one of NJ’s partner organizations.
Trained participants are better equipped to assist their organizations and communities in protecting and promoting their rights. This training program is available in English.
What does the Indigenous Fellowship offer?
The Indigenous Fellowship offers an exciting opportunity to a young indigenous person who is passionate about supporting communities in securing rights to their lands, resources and knowledge. The indigenous fellow will be introduced to a broad spectrum of issues within environmental and human rights law and provided hands-on experience and training in research, legal empowerment, data collection and analysis, public interest litigation, analysis on laws and regulations, and advocacy. Over the duration of the Fellowship, the Fellow will have the opportunity to spend time and work directly with communities, community-based organizations and Community Environmental Legal Officers.
The Indigenous Fellowship Program will be for a period of 12 months full-time. Participants of the Indigenous Fellowship Program are entitled to the modest salary and travel allowance provided by the Natural Justice. NJ will not cover any additional expenses such as relocation costs.
- Practical financial and administrative skills running a civil society organization – such as budgeting, organizing meetings, communications, etc.
- The principles of environmental and human rights law and citizenry participation in environmental decision-making;
- The realities of communities facing environmental injustices;
- Community-centered legal empowerment methodologies;
- The policy and governance decision-making processes of key institutions and bodies;
- Analyzing and evaluating environmental and human rights laws, regulations and policies;
- Analyzing and commenting on policy and legislative frameworks;
- Campaigning and advocacy for rights;
- Evidence based environmental justice advocacy and research; and
- The civil society organizations and individuals in Southern Africa working towards environmental justice.
- The candidate must be indigenous (non-indigenous persons will not be taken into consideration, even if they have close links with indigenous communities and / or organizations).
- Age between 18 – 25.
- Formal education is an advantage, but will not be a limitation to participation in the Indigenous Fellowship Program given the socio-economic barriers confronted by many indigenous peoples that limit access to formal educational institutions.
- Candidates are expected to train other indigenous persons after the return to their respective communities / organizations.
- The candidate should be proposed and his / her candidacy supported by his / her indigenous organization and / or community. It is desirable that the collaborating organization or community has a firm constituency or membership and that it is representative.
- The candidate should have a good working knowledge of the language in which the program is imparted.
- The candidate should display an awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations.
- The candidate should be committed to continuous learning and to self-development with a focus on professionally promoting organizational interests, objectives and values.
For more information, visit https://naturaljustice.org/job/call-for-applications-indigenous-fellow-southern-africa/