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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

2017 Call for New Members

The Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) is an international organization of young people (ages 18-29 years) committed to promoting adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights at the national, regional and international levels. We are students, researchers, lawyers, health care professionals, educators, development workers, and most importantly, we are all dedicated activists.
Together, we work to ensure that the sexual and reproductive rights of all young people are respected, guaranteed and promoted, and strive to secure the meaningful participation of young people in decision-making that affects the lives of young people and adolescents. We do this through advocating, generating knowledge, sharing information, building partnerships and training young activists.
Youth Coalition is excited to open its 2017 call for applications for new members!
We are looking for young people who are passionate about sexual and reproductive health and rights and are eager to further their experience through international advocacy work.
The YCSRR relies on an active volunteer membership. Most of our work is done virtually and takes place via an interactive online platform called Podio, as well as through email and Skype. In order to be a member, you must be between the ages of 18 and 29 and support and promote our principles and values.
On the whole, the work that we do is focused on advocacy at the international level. Specifically, our members attend international conferences and meetings where they advocate for youth sexual and reproductive rights. We also develop advocacy strategies, create publications and organize trainings on specific issues such as abortion rights and youth participation.
YCSRR accepts members from different backgrounds, with varying skills and experiences. We accept up to two members per country. As our working language is English, members must possess sufficient listening, speaking, reading and writing English language skills. In addition to supporting our principles and values, we look for members who have enough time to meaningfully contribute to the work that we do (members are required to devote a minimum of 7 hours per week to YC activities, which includes responding to emails, contributing to online discussions and taking part in our planned activities). Previous knowledge of international-level advocacy and policy instruments (e.g. the International Conference on Population and Development’s Programme of Action, the Sustainable Development Goals, etc.) is considered an asset.
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights recognizes the contributions and crucial perspectives that individuals from marginalized communities bring to our team. People including, but not limited to, those from the following groups are encouraged to apply: indigenous peoples; women; mothers; single parents; immigrants; protected persons/refugees; people of colour; lesbian, bisexual, gay, two spirit, transgender, gender non-conforming, gender fluid, non-binary, agender, gender queer, and questioning people; intersex people; people with disabilities; and those marginalized on the basis of class or caste.
We especially encourage applications from young people in the following regions: Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, South Asia, the Caribbean and East Asia.
Desirable skills and competencies include:
·         Strong leadership skills;
·         Facilitation and public speaking skills;
·         Experience in public health;
·         A human rights background (gender justice or feminist background preferred);
·         Experience in the field of development;
·         Research and writing experience;
·         Experience with policy analysis;
·         Communications skills (social media, graphic design, etc.);
·         Experience in organizing advocacy campaigns; and
·         Experience and/or involvement with local/regional/international volunteer and/or youth organizations
If you believe that you meet the above criteria, please follow these steps to apply:
1.      Submit all documents to membershipcommittee@youthcoalition.org by 23:59 EST/NYT March 13, 2017. No late applications will be considered.
2.      Once your application is submitted, the membership committee will review it. Applicants who move on to the next level will be invited to participate in a Skype interview. Please note that due to the high volume of applications only applicants invited to the next stage of the recruitment process will be notified. Thank you for your understanding.
Documents to be included:
1.      A completed application form (Download 2017 Membership Application Form);
2.      Your resumé or curriculum vitae; and
3.      One letter of reference from a teacher, colleague, friend, etc. (letter can be in English, French, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog or Urdu) describing your involvement in sexual and reproductive rights work, your work in youth advocacy, and your English proficiency (if applicable).
If you have any questions about YCSRR or the membership application process, feel free to contact us at membershipcommittee@youthcoalition.org.


Saturday, February 18, 2017

Zawadi Africa Education Fund-Applications Now Open

Providing Scholarships to Academically Gifted Girls in Kenya, Uganda & Mozambique
Deadline: 31 March 2017

The Zawadi Africa Education Fund is a program designed to provide scholarships to academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds from Africa to pursue higher education.
The Zawadi Africa Education Fund is based on the highly successful Kennedy/Mboya Student airlifts of the 1960s, through a partnership with individuals and institutions with an interest.
Eligibility Criteria
§  A girl who has completed her secondary school examination e.g. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE)
§  Has demonstrated academic excellence (A Plain or A Minus)
§  Has demonstrated leadership qualities e.g. in school as a prefect, in the community, church, leadership in peer related activities etc.)
§  Has overcome insurmountable odds such as serious financial challenges, oppressive social-cultural practices such as early marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) etc. in order to attain academic excellence.
§  Come from a financially disadvantaged background
§  Has demonstrated clear financial need
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted via postal mail at the address given on the website.
Eligible Countries: Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique.
For more information, please visit Zawadi Africa Education Fund.



Thursday, February 16, 2017

Ambassador Corps

This summer, you can be a part of new and growing markets of social enterprise in key communities around the world.
            
Ambassador Corps 2017 will send cohorts of students to Rwanda, Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru, India, and Jordan for 8- to 10-week professional internships. 


Applications are due on March 1, 2017.

Internship
Each participant is matched with an emerging social enterprise for a professional internship lasting up to 10 weeks. Internships are fast-paced and entrepreneurial, and provide an excellent foundation for a global career in social impact. You will have the responsibility and support to make a lasting difference for the organization. Some language expertise may be required in certain sites.

Don’t miss a great opportunity to do something meaningful this summer—and jump-start an international career in the social impact field. We’re excited to meet you!



Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Open Mainframe Project Summer 2017 Intern Program Now Accepting Applications



Open Mainframe Project is accepting eight student interns during the summer of 2017 to work in the Open Mainframe Project development community. Each intern will work closely with a mentor for the duration of his/her internship. For a list of suggested intern development projects, please see our Project Ideas Page. Internship development projects do not need to be limited to ideas on this wiki page. If you have a great idea for a development activity for Open Mainframe Project, you can submit the idea as part of your application and, if chosen, the Open Mainframe Project Internship Administrator will find a suitable mentor for you.
Each intern will work remotely from his/her location of choice. There is no physical work facility provided or required.
The Open Mainframe Project will also give the ability for each intern successfully completing the program to present their project at an industry conference. The Open Mainframe Project will provide a stipend for travel for each student. To help support the student for presenting, the project will provide professional resources and training to help build their presentation skills.
Click here  for more details and to apply!

About the Open Mainframe Project 
The Open Mainframe Project is intended to serve as a focal point for deployment and use of the Linux OS in a mainframe computing environment. The Project intends to increase collaboration across the mainframe community and to developed shared tool sets and resources. Furthermore, the Project seeks to involve the participation of academic institutions to assist in teaching and educating the mainframe Linux engineers and developers of tomorrow. Through our internship program, students can expand their knowledge of mainframe technology, while at the same time helping contribute to open source projects that will make it easier for these infrastructure applications to run on Linux on System Z.


Friday, February 10, 2017

African Women Ambassador Internship Programme Now Open

Apply! African Women Ambassador Internship programme in Geneva, Switzerland
Are you interested in women’s rights, economic empowerment, women’s health, peace and security? Do you come from Mali, Djibouti, Namibia, Sierra Leone or Swaziland? Then you might be the right person to join our African Women Ambassador Internship programme in Geneva this spring.
This is a three month internship mentored by African Women Ambassadors in Geneva and organised in collaboration with the World YWCA.
Who can apply? Young Women from Mali, Djibouti, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Swaziland between 22-29 with good written and oral English or French, a Bachelor or Master’s degree in international relations or similar studies.
How do you apply? Fill in the application form below, send your CV, motivation letter and degree specialization by email to the Human Resources Officer at: 
hresources@worldywca.org
DEADLINE 23 February 2017  
Application form English French


Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Ashinaga Africa Initiative 2017

Contribute to Sub-Saharan Africa’s development through higher education abroad
Ashinaga is a Japan-based nonprofit organization, which provides educational and emotional support to orphaned students. The organization has supported over 95,000 orphans in the last 45 years, and many of its graduates are actively contributing to society in a variety of fields across the world.
The Ashinaga Africa Initiative began in 2014. Its mission is to contribute to Sub-Saharan Africa’s expanding role in global development through increasing access to higher education abroad. We support orphaned students who are committed to returning home and initiating change by providing access to full financial support to study at university abroad (equivalent to undergraduate degree), including tuition, room, travel cost and other necessary fees.
Requirements
The application is open to those who:
1.      Have lost one or both parents.
2.      Have completed 12 years of education (primary and secondary school) within the last two years, or those who will complete 12 years of education by December 31, 2016.
3.      Have citizenship and completed/are completing high school in one of the following countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mauritius, Somalia, Nigeria, The Gambia.
4.      Were born after 1st October 1994.
5.      Do not have the financial means to attend university.
6.      Are proficient in English.
7.      Have an outstanding academic performance at high school.
8.      Are able to participate in the two Ashinaga preparatory programs, over the course of one year, before attending university.
9.      Are willing to return home, or to Sub-Saharan Africa, and contribute to society in Sub-Saharan Africa after graduating from university.
10.  Have no dependents who could interfere with academic progress.
11.  Are in good health condition and capable of studying abroad.
Application Documents to Submit
This application form.
One passport photo.
Copy of term reports / high school transcripts (the last 2 years).
Academic transcripts or diplomas from university/post-secondary institution, if applicable.
Copy of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE).
Completion of essay 1 and essay 2. 
§  Essay 1:  Please describe how you grew up and experienced losing your parent(s). What challenges have you faced after the loss and what and how did you do in order to overcome them? Please write in detail especially the action you took to continue further education. (Maximum 500 words)
§  Essay 2:  Please write a “personal statement” in English describing why and what you want to study at university abroad. Also, please mention whether you have any future plans of how you want to use the knowledge and experience that you gain after graduating from university. (Maximum 500 words)
Copy of death certificate of deceased parent(s) or alternative official document.
Copy of birth certificate.
Recommendation letter from a principal or a class teacher.
Copy of national ID card or passport.
Awards or activity certificates, if any.
Final Deadline: February 28th 2017*
**We’ll only accept “Copy of General Certificate of Secondary Education”, if students are graduating in 2016. Please send the copy via email to admissions.en@ashingaga.org as soon as you receive the result (at latest by March 31, 2017).
If you have any problems during the course of the online application, please send an email to admissions.en@ashinaga.org
Please also note that ONLY Successful candidates will be contacted via email in late March 2017 to be invited to attend an interview in their home country, which will take place in April 2017.

This application and selection process is free for students, and anyone asking for payment at any stage of this process is doing so against the will of Ashinaga, and should not be paid.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Youth Peace Camp 2017


Aim 
The Youth Peace Camp engages young people and youth organisations from conflict affected regions in dialogue and conflict transformation activities based on human rights education and intercultural learning during and after the camp.
Objectives:  
The main objectives (personal, organisational and institutional) of the Youth Peace Camp are:
·         To develop awareness and basic competences (knowledge, skills and attitude) of participants in human rights education, conflict transformation, intercultural learning and dialogue, including a critical understanding of personal and collective identities and their role in conflicts.
·         To enable participants to share personal experiences of conflict and violence and coping strategies in a positive and safe atmosphere of living and learning together.
·         To introduce and share existing youth work practices and experiences of young people working on dialogue and conflict transformation in their home communities.
·         To motivate and support participants in their role as multipliers and peer leaders in peace building activities with young people encouraging them to implement follow-up initiatives.
·         To associate the participants and their organisations with the mission and activities of the Council of Europe, in particular its youth sector, regarding youth work in the field of conflict transformation and intercultural dialogue.
In 2017, the camp will bring together groups of young people from the following countries and communities: Cyprus (Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots), Kosovo*, Serbia, South Caucasus region and Ukraine (in particular the Luhansk and Donetsk regions) during its eight day programme. Each group should include an average of 6 participants.
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.