Call for Applications

← Global Debate and Public Policy Challenge 2013 – 2014

Call for Applications: Community Solutions Program (CSP) Fellowship 2014

Posted on August 29, 2013

AboutThe Community Solutions Program (CSP) is a professional development program for the best and brightest global community leaders working in Transparency and Accountability, Tolerance and Conflict Resolution, Environmental Issues, and Women and Gender Issues. CSP is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and implemented by IREX.
Goals
The goal of CSP is for global community leaders to improve their capacity for local community development and serve as ambassadors for increased mutual understanding. CSP leaders:

• Build and strengthen sustainable professional networks with international colleagues and institutions
• Increase their understanding of strategies to address challenges in their community
• Strengthen their management, leadership, and problem-solving skills

BackgroundWhile solutions to many problems worldwide can be found on the global stage, the unique challenges faced by diverse communities can only truly be addressed from the inside. Successfully tackling the economic, social, environmental, and political challenges communities face requires community leaders who have the skills, knowledge, networks and attitudes to motivate and inspire others to action. With this in mind, Community Solutions was developed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and IREX in 2010 to strengthen leadership that already exists in communities in need. Over the last two years, the CSP team has brought more than 120 leaders to the U.S. for intensive training and has partnered with nearly 100 U.S.-based organizations to position leaders for successful development in their home countries.
Project Activities

• Four-month practical U.S. fellowship: CSP leaders are matched with non-profit organizations and government offices across the United States where they work with peer community leaders on initiatives related to Transparency and Accountability, Tolerance and Conflict Resolution, Environmental Issues, and Women and Gender Issues.
• Community Leadership Institute (CLI): CSP leaders spend up to 500 hours developing leadership and organizational management skills through online and in-person trainings.
• Community Action Projects: CSP leaders develop and implement innovative projects in their home communities in collaboration with their new U.S. partners.

Eligibility
Technical Eligibility:
Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, national origin, or gender. Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. Competition for the Community Solutions Program is merit-based and open to community leaders, ages 25-38 at the time of application, who meet the following criteria:

• From a participating country (U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the U.S., and individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years are not eligible for this program)
• Currently living and working in his/her home country (Individuals participating in academic, training or research programs in the United States at the time of application and individuals residing or working outside their home countries at the time of application are not eligible for this program)
• Currently working on a community project or initiative in his/her home country; and, has at least 2 years of professional experience in this capacity at the time of application
• Able to begin the program in the United States in 2014, and is committed to returning to his/her home country after completion of the program
• Able to receive a U.S. J-1 visa (Individuals who have participated in an exchange visitor program sponsored or funded by the U.S. Government who have not fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement by the time of application are not eligible for this program)
• Proficient in spoken and written English at the time of application

Eligible Countries

• Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
• East Asia and the Pacific: Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
• Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey
• South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
• Near East & North Africa: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and West Bank/Gaza
• Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago

Deadline: September 20, 2013 (11:59 p.m. EST)
For Details: Write to communitysolutions@irex.org