Deadline: January 1, 2016
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) invites applications for the 2016 Youth Leaders Program. The Sudanese and South Sudanese Youth Leader program brings Sudanese and South Sudanese peacebuilders between ages 18 and 35 to Washington, DC to be in residence at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) for four months. The goal of the project is to support youth to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to further their peacebuilding work and position themselves as stronger peacebuilding agents in their communities.
USIP will bring one Sudanese and one South Sudanese leader in the spring of 2016 and another two leaders in the fall of 2016.
Benefits
There is no fee to apply to the Sudanese and South Sudanese Youth Leaders program. If you are selected for the program, the U.S. Institute of Peace will cover the following costs:
- J-1 Visa expenses (including any travel expenses associated with obtaining the visa)
- Round-trip travel from youth leader’s home to the U.S.
- Housing costs in the U.S.
- Stipend that will also cover health insurance, local travel, phone and internet, and any other living expenses.
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to participate in the program, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Are of Sudanese or South Sudanese nationality and living Sudan or South Sudan at the time of application;
- Are between 18 and 35 years of age at the time of application;
- Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.;
- Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa.
Requirements
Youth leaders are expected to:
- Complete at least two (2) USIP Academy courses; youth leaders may take as many courses as they like, time-permitting
- Write a short paper or blog post for the USIP website on a topic of his/her choice, based on the intersection of professional interests and USIP’s work
- Meet with professionals at USIP, on Capitol Hill, and at other organizations in order to develop his/her professional network
- Complete leadership development training
- Plan and conduct a joint activity or meeting with the other youth leader in residence at USIP
- Identify and participate in an activity related to his/her interests outside his/her work at the Institute. Previous activities have included joining church committees, working with the diaspora, and taking English classes.
- Develop a leadership action plan, including a project that he/she designs to be implemented when he/she returns to his/her community, that he/she will present to either USIP staff or the Sudan and South Sudan Working Groups
Selection Criteria
The selection committee will use the following criteria to evaluate applications (not in order of importance):
- Demonstrated leadership skills;
- Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English;
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
- Willingness to participate and learn within and beyond USIP;
- Ability to self-motivate/work independently;
- Strong connection to his/her local community in Sudan or South Sudan;
- Background or strong demonstrated interest in peacebuilding-related work;
- A commitment to return to Sudan or South Sudan to apply leadership skills and knowledge to benefit applicant’s community when he/she returns home.
For more information, visit USIP Youth Leaders Program.
