Apply to attend the 2014 UNAOC-EF Summer School in New York

Deadline: April 22, 2014

Be one of 75 youth for positive social change who will spend one week in New York learning and addressing global issues this summer! It is an exciting week-long summer program that will bring together youth from across the globe to address pressing global challenges within the context of cultural and religious diversity. The 2014 Summer School hosted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and Education First (EF), takes place from 16 August 2014 to 23 August 2014 on the campus of the EF International Language Center in Tarrytown, New York.

One highlight of this year’s Summer School will be a guided tour of the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Participants will tour the General Assembly Hall and explore a variety of exhibits detailing the history of the UN and learn about how the UN addresses issues such as disarmament, peace and security.

Summer School Curriculum Content

The curriculum delivered as part of the UNAOC – EF Summer School helps address issues at the core of United Nations’ mandate: peace and security, development, human rights, humanitarian affairs, international law.

More precisely, given the specific mandate of the UNAOC and EF’s mission, the focus will be on issues related to global challenges with links to cultural and religious diversity, such as:

• Understanding and fostering responsible global citizenship
• Reducing stereotypes and promoting intercultural harmony through the use of concrete tools such as media and information literacy; education about diversity; inclusive policy making
• Building alliances through negotiation, peacebuilding and reconciliation
• Growing and sustaining our impact on positive social change with specific skills and attitudes (resilience, communications, social media, advocacy, social entrepreneurship)

Eligibility

In order to be considered eligible to apply, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old on 16 August 2014 — the start of the UNAOC – EF Summer School.
• be linked to an organization or a network (e.g. youth council, youth NGO, not-profit organization, youth-led organization, community organization, faith-based organization, youth network or platform, college, university), or be a social entrepreneur, blogger, intern or volunteer.
• hold a passport valid until at least March 2015 (for a visa to be issued, a passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months after the expected date of entry into the country).
• possess upper-intermediate English proficiency. Read a detailed explanation in the previous FAQ.

Selection Criteria

The selection of the 75 participants will be based on the following;

• responses to essay questions regarding motivation as well as past and future involvement in issues to be tackled during the Summer School.
• your professional and/or educational and/or volunteering background and how it positions you in a way that would help them disseminate what you will learn.
• applicants’ level of English proficiency
• balance in terms of region and gender will be respected in the final selection

NOTE

The selected participants will be announced in May 2014. All applicants will receive an email announcing the results of the selection process.

For more information, click here.