Deadline: February 28, 2023
Applications are open for the FSC-IF Indigenous Fellowship Programme 2023. FSC Indigenous Foundation is accepting applications from Indigenous Peoples passionate about creating meaningful changes for their communities around the world.
In partnership with USAID and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the FSC-IF invites applications from Indigenous Peoples to enable them to strengthen their skills, knowledge, capacities, and networks through fellowship opportunities with the aim to facilitate the implementation of a project at the sub-national, national, regional, or global level and to share their experience and learning process with their Indigenous peers. The critical topic areas of this fellowship opportunity are Environment/Climate Change, Land Rights, and Indigenous Economies.
The fellowship aims to bring opportunities to link traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples with practices in areas related to management, finance, business development and economies, sustainable resource management, leadership, and other important topics to support long-term Indigenous self-development, self-governance, and self-reliance. It is their belief that the outcome of this support goes beyond training of participants and translates into real involvement and sharing of experiences for Indigenous communities all around the world.
Programme Details
Applicants may apply to one of the four subprogrammes outlined below. If you would like to apply to more than one subprogramme, you must submit a separate application for each.
- Young Indigenous Practitioners: The FSC-IF with headquarters in Panama is opening opportunities to work for a period of 2.5 months side by side with the Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD) Programme Leads. A specific emphasis in one area of the Programme does not exclude the participation and learning opportunities of the fellows in other areas of the FSC-IF, taking advantage of the FSC-IF multi-sectoral crosscutting strategies. To participate in this programme, candidates need to have a university-level degree. English skills are desirable. This programme is designed for professionals under 35.
- Indigenous Leadership and Networking: In coordination with the FSC family, opportunities to engage and partner with businesses and organizations linked to the FSC certification process will be identified. Participants for this opportunity could be individuals of any age who will spend 2-3 months interacting with forest-related businesses and learning about the FPIC process, economic viability tools, Indigenous Cultural Landscapes, and family and community forest approaches.
- Indigenous Capacity: This opportunity is open to fulfil the capacity needs presented by the candidates linked to Environment/Climate Change, Land Rights, and/or Indigenous Economies for short training opportunities (up to 4 months) in their own country or in another country.
- Business Development Fellowship: This opportunity is open to Indigenous youth entrepreneurs to promote the economic, social, and cultural development in support of the long-term self-development and self-reliance objectives of their communities they live in, based on their traditions, culture, cosmovision, Indigenous-cultural landscape management.
Benefits
- Some fellows will be received in the FSC-IF office in Panama City, Panama, or in IPARD´s partner organizations in other countries such as communities, community enterprises, private companies, and FSC national offices. The organizations that receive the selected candidates will transfer knowledge and experience to develop their capacities as well as to help them identify sources of funding for the implementation of their project ideas.
- FSC-IF will assist the selected candidates with the living costs (round trip flights, accommodation in the city or community, health insurance, lump sum for food, transportation, and visa).
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all the following eligibility criteria to be considered for fellowship. Approval of training is up to the discretion of the FSC-IF.
- Self-identify as Indigenous;
- Be a resident of a developing country in Latin America, Asia, and Africa;
- Have experience leading/supporting Indigenous Peoples’ organizations;
- Have experience developing and implementing projects or initiatives with Indigenous Peoples’ communities;
- Have demonstrated engagement with Indigenous Peoples rights and in areas related to Indigenous self-development, self-governance, and self-reliance;
- Have interest in projects aligned with IPARD’s three objectives;
- Have a good working knowledge of the language spoken in the organization in which the programme will take place (English, Spanish, French or Portuguese).
Application
Applicants may apply in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. The application deadline is 11:59 ET on February 28, 2023. Applicants will be notified of the results within two months after the application deadline.
Potential start date of fellowships: May and June 2023.
Interested candidates must prepare the following documents. If you have any issues accessing the form or submitting documents through the form, send the information in this link over email.
- A video, pdf or word document, slide presentation, canvas, among others describing (1) the motivation to participate including the interest in one of the three areas mentioned above, and (2) how the program will help the candidate to achieve her/his goals, a description of the project to be implemented after her/his fellowship is completed, and any other information relevant to this application.
- 2 supporting letters by Indigenous Peoples’ organizations that include the name, address, and phone number of the organization providing the reference (references cannot be provided by members of candidates’ immediate family i.e. parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparents).
For more information, visit FSC-IF Indigenous Fellowship.
