(Offre en anglais) The NEA/AC announce the MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship عودة إلى الفرص

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) is pleased to announce the tenth year of its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF). This program advances leadership capacities in the Middle East and North Africa by providing emerging civic leaders the opportunity to spend over three months in the United States (for high-proficiency English speakers) or Lebanon (for Arabic speakers) to gain academic skills and practical experience as well as networking opportunities with like-minded peers and professionals.

The Arabic Language program will take place in Lebanon from July 16 to October 15, 2016, and the LDF English will take place in the United States from September 5 to December 9, 2016. Fellows chosen to participate in the English language program will travel to the United States to first attend a five-week academic component at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia while the Fellows chosen to participate in the Arabic Language program will travel to Lebanon to first attend their academic component at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Program participants will subsequently be placed in host organizations aligned with their professional interests for a nine-week practicum experience in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. participants and Beirut for the Lebanon participants. The fellowship will cover the cost of international and domestic travel, health and accident coverage, housing, and a moderate living stipend to cover meals and incidental expenses in either the United States or Lebanon for all Fellows. All Fellows will travel to and from the United States or Lebanon in unaccompanied status. 

This program is an exciting, selective fourteen-week program for early- to mid-career civic activists and democratic reform leaders from the Middle East and North Africa. The LDF begins with five weeks of academic training on leadership, peace and conflict mitigation, comparative politics, civic engagement, advocacy, communication, and change management, among other topics. Fellows are expected to be active participants in all seminars, workshops and activities including theoretical debates and active skills-building sessions. Fellows are also expected to participate in group work, lead discussions and make presentations to the other Fellows in their cohort and to the broader UVA/AUB communities. 

After completing the academic portion of the program, each participant will engage in a nine-week practicum placement within a relevant non-governmental or public policy organization in Washington, D.C. or Beirut. Through this component participants will gain practical work experience and learn about the ways that such organizations interact with government and civil society. Fellows will also gain valuable knowledge, experience, skills and further professional contacts to benefit their respective professional pursuits back home. For each Fellow, the internship component will culminate in the development and finalization of a project or deliverable of benefit to both the Fellow and the organization. These will be presented and shared with the rest of the cohort at the end of the component.

To promote program sustainability and create a multiplier effect, participants will create and implement follow-on projects in their home communities. Actions plans for the follow-on projects will be developed and finalized throughout the course of the program. Lebanon Program participants will also have the opportunity to participate in a one-week long study tour in the United States in the summer of 2017.

1. To select the best candidates, we will review applications based on clearly defined criteria, including:
2. Demonstrated a strong commitment to being a leader of positive change in your community
3. Demonstrated tolerance and a desire to work collaboratively with a diverse cohort of peers irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, religion, political views and socioeconomic status;
4. Interest in participating in the program and sharing the experience with others; and
5. Commitment to the implementation of a follow-on project

IMPORTANT DATES:

Lebanon Arabic program

• April 29 – Pre-arrival program preparations begin
• July 16 – Start of the academic component
• August 8 – Start of the professional practicum component
• October 15 – program completion

U.S. English program

• June 10  – Pre-arrival program preparations begin
• September 5 – Start of the academic component
• October 10 – Start of the professional practicum component
• December 9 – program completion