The Fellowship Programme aims to shape emerging creative leaders through in-depth learning, tailored as far as possible to the needs, aspirations and circumstances of about 25 individuals a year. The structure of the programme includes residential courses, an extended placement, individually-selected training, mentoring and coaching. Fellows have unparalleled access to senior cultural leaders and to extensive networks.

Fellows are selected from across the UK, Ireland and beyond. International Fellows in previous years have been from Canada, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iran, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The impact of the Programme has been wide-ranging and Fellows have found many different contexts in which to be leaders. Some, for example, have gone on to take significant leadership roles within organisations, heading up museums, theatres, orchestras and library services; some have returned to their jobs with renewed confidence, more extensive networks and advanced skills. Some Fellows are working independently, and are actively engaged in creative activity, whilst others have set up ground-breaking new charities or independent businesses. Many Fellows are members of the Boards of cultural organisations, they are advocates for their sector and are influencing thinking about culture.

Applications for 2012/13 Fellowships close on February 24^th 2012.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cloreleadership.org/page.php?id=48

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The self-immolations in Rabat yesterday cannot fail to evoke memories of Mohammed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian trader who set not only himself alight while protesting the lack opportunities he as a graduate faced; but the match he lit set Tunisia ablaze triggering mass unrest that spread to neighbouring countries emerging into what history books will call the Arab Spring.

Self-immolation is not just a pervasive protest action in the Middle East, but has been also used widely in other parts of the world to significant effect. The earliest were over the Vietnam war in the 1960s. More recently, Buddhist monks protesting China’s rule of Tibet as well as in Burma against the military junta. Though the results of these protests have not made any remarkable changes to the rule of these regimes, they have served to bring the mainstream media spotlight to these protest movements.

Unemployed graduates

According to Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) which works in poverty alleviation in Morocco, unemployment amongst graduates is 17% while for those without tertiary qualifications it is 4%.

Morocco’s major income earners are agriculture and tourism, both sectors that do not have wide demand for highly skilled knowledge based workers, leaving a significant number of university graduates without jobs. Other large employers are the construction, factories and call-centres who again do not require specific focussed graduate workers. The youths who have been taking part in the country’s protests since early January are members of an informal association of unemployed graduates who in the ‘occupy spirit’ had taken over the administrative building block of the Ministry of Higher Education. These young people, some with master’s degrees have been decrying the lack of jobs available in the public sector saying that the only work available tends to fit only those with high school and vocational training qualifications. Even government initiatives to provide public sector job opportunities such as giving golden handshake early retirement opportunities to older civil servants so that young people can replace them have only go so far.

The situation has also been exacerbated by an education system that mainly equips students for work in the public sector.

Though the Arab Spring has caused leaders to institute reforms, such as Morocco’s King Mohamed VI who pledged to cut the youth unemployment rate, persistent and growing youth unemployment will continue to contribute to the spread of unrest in the Middle East, where according to the IMF youth unemployment in the region is 25% which exceeds any other region in the world.

However, we also need to ask whether in an economic climate which cannot mop up the number of highly educated workers into the job market, whether university education and not vocational qualifications is really required? What use is a theoretically based worker in a country that needs practical hands-on workers with work-ready skills? It’s about time that governments placed more emphasis on equipping the youth with high-quality vocational qualifications.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is partnering with Foreign Policy magazine to commission a series of reports on borderlands, culminating in the publication of three e-books on the topic. The Foreign Policy reports and e-books will be a core part of a broader Pulitzer Center initiative addressing this topic on multiple media platforms and with a variety of approaches. The Pulitzer Center is offering a $5,000 stipend plus travel expenses for each of the three e-book projects, which will be selected and edited by Foreign Policy. The Pulitzer Center will serve as consultant and will promote further discussion of these topics through our Campus Consortium and Global Gateway outreach programs.

For the e-books project, the Pulitzer Center are looking for experienced writers who can deliver rich narrative and thoughtful analysis on how borders shape the way people in various parts of the world experience their lives. The reporting should focus on one border or one region. Proposals of no more than 500 words and a travel budget should be submitted online to travelgrants@pulitzercenter.org or editor@foreignpolicy.com by Feb. 6^th.

To qualify for a grant, the project must be led by young people aged 15-32, and be based in cities or towns in developing countries.

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Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant : 50% loan basis through a competitive application process once a year in June or July. The Foundation gives priority to requests for Master’s level courses but is also willing to consider applications for PhD programmes, when doctoral degrees are necessary for the career objectives of the student.

Requests will also be considered for travel and study awards for PhD students doing their research in Third World countries on topics judged to be of interest to the Aga Khan Development Network.

These scholarships are available in countries including:

• Bangladesh,
• India,
• Pakistan,
• Afghanistan,
• Tajikistan,
• Syria,
• Egypt,
• Kenya,
• Tanzania,
• Uganda,
• Mozambique,
• Madagascar,
• France,
• Portugal,
• UK,
• USA and Canada where the Foundation has branches.

The main criteria for selecting award winners are:

• excellent academic records,
• genuine financial need,
• admission to a reputable institution of higher learning and
• thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans.

Preference is given to students under 30 years of age.

The Foundation assists students with tuition fees and living expenses only. The cost of travel is not included in AKF scholarships. Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain funding from other sources as well, so that the amount requested from the Foundation can be reduced to a minimum. Preference is given to those who have been able to secure some funding from alternative sources.

Half of the scholarship amount is considered as a loan, which must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%.

Students may obtain application forms as of January 1st each year from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services / Boards in their countries of current residence.

The deadline for submission of applications is March 31^st.For more information visit

http://www.akdn.org/akf_scholarships.asp

Find fellowship opportunities for 2012 by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm

• Poverty and breaking the circle of inequality
• Empowerment and progress of women and girls
• Young people
• Reproductive health and rights
• Healthy environmental and healthy people
• Aging
• Urbanization-planning for growth.

The deadline for submissions is 9pm GMT on February 15^th 2012. Winners will be announced on 8^th March, 2012, which is International Women’s Day.

Submission Requirements:

• Films must be in digital form.
• Films should be from 1 to 10 minutes in length, including credits.
• Entries must have English subtitles if presented in another language.
• The author of the piece will be responsible for the originality of the work.
• Each entry must focus on one or more of the 7 key issues of the 7 Billion Actions campaign.
• Each team or individual may submit up to two short films.
• Films must be accompanied by an online entry form.

For more information visit http://www.7billionactions.org/film

The Global Health & Innovation Conference is the world’s largest global health conference and social entrepreneurship conference. This must-attend, thought-leading conference annually convenes 2,200 leaders, changemakers, students, and professionals from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship. Register during January to secure the lowest registration rate.

The conference’s confirmed speakers include:

Keynote Addresses

• Sasha Dichter, Chief Innovation Officer, Acumen Fund
• Seth Goldman, President and TeaEO of Honest Tea
• Jeffrey Sachs, PhD, Director of Earth Institute at Columbia University; Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University; Special Advisor to Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon
• Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, MD, MPH, Director of Health, Millennium Village Project, Earth Institute at Columbia University

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Businesses around the world are finding innovative ways to work with low-income people living at the base of the pyramid (BOP), working with them as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or consumers. These firms are called inclusive businesses.

Developing an inclusive business model that addresses the particular needs of people living at the base of the pyramid is an accomplishment. Scaling or replicating that model to expand into new markets is a challenge.

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Rising Voices has announced the 2012 open call for microgrant proposals, and are currently accepting project proposals for funding up to $4,000 USD for global projects.

Who is Eligible to Apply?

This funding opportunity is open to private individuals, groups, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Partnerships between individuals and organisations are encouraged. For example, if an NGO does not have experienced citizen media trainers on staff, it would be extremely important that it seeks collaboration with the local blogging community to find the right trainer(s) with the necessary skills. Individual applicants might also find it highly beneficial to partner with organizations from the communities they plan to serve in order to strengthen the project’s impact and to have access to potential project participants.

There is no requirement for an organization to be legally registered, but we do require selected projects to have access to a bank account that is able to receive international bank transfers.

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