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Sudanese and South Sudanese Youth Leaders Program

The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is launching a program in which Sudanese and South Sudanese youth leaders come to Washington D.C. to be in residence at USIP for approximately four months.  The program is designed to contribute to their leadership development by giving them opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, and confidence that youth leaders can leverage upon their return to Sudan or South Sudan.  USIP believes that investing in Sudanese and South Sudanese youth and exposing them to new political contexts is critical to supporting the next generation of leaders that will help secure and sustain peace, security, and democracy in Sudan and South Sudan.  During their time at USIP, youth leaders will focus primarily on a self-led research project relevant to conflict prevention, conflict management, peacebuilding and/or democratization in Sudan and/or South Sudan.  This will also be an opportunity for U.S. audiences to hear fresh perspectives on Sudanese and South Sudanese affairs and for Sudanese and South Sudanese youth leaders to gain more exposure to the U.S. and its institutions. For each iteration of this program, USIP will select one youth leader. 

 

THIS ROUND OF THE PROGRAM IS OPEN ONLY TO SOUTH SUDANESE CANDIDATES.

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION HERE.

Submissions must be made via email and will be accepted no later than June 28, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  All applications and inquiries should be sent to youthleaders@usip.org. 

Goal

USIP intends for this program to provide youth leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to grow as leaders and contribute to their communities. During their time at USIP, youth leaders will:

1)    Acquire new information and perspectives on a research topic of their choice,
2)    Serve as a resource on South Sudan in the Washington D.C. community,
3)    Gain an understanding of U.S. political culture, policy, and institutions, and
4)    Build skills for successful leadership in a South Sudanese contexts.

Requirements

By the end of their time at USIP, youth leaders will be expected to:

1)    Gain at least two certificates demonstrating successful completion of USIP Academy courses,
2)    Produce at least one publishable product on a research topic of their choice, and
3)    Develop a “Leadership Action Plan” for leveraging their new knowledge, skills, and confidence as leaders in Sudan or South Sudan.

Candidate Eligibility

Please review all eligibility requirements before you apply.  In order to be eligible to participate in the program, candidates must:

  • Be of South Sudanese nationality and living in South Sudan at the time of application
  • Be 35 years of age or younger at the time of application
  • Be fluent in English
  • Have excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Have demonstrated leadership skills 
  • Possess a willingness to participate and learn within and beyond the walls of USIP
  • By the stipulations of the J1 visa, candidates must also be able to secure health insurance by the time they arrive in the United State

USIP’s Mission

The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan institution established and funded by Congress to increase the nation's capacity to manage international conflict without violence.  USIP aims to “think, act, teach, and train” across the spectrum of international conflict prevention, management, and resolution and to help societies in the period of post-conflict stabilization.  Learn more about USIP at http://www.usip.org/about-us.

Instructions

Please submit all materials together as one submission packet.  All materials must be submitted in English.  Submission should include a completed application form and all attachments, as listed in section IV (“Attachments”) of this document.  Submissions that are incomplete or missing materials will not be considered.  Submissions must be made via email and will be accepted no later than June 28, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. All applications and inquiries should be sent to youthleaders@usip.org. 

All finalists will be notified by email by July 31, 2013.  If you are not notified by this time, you have not been selected.  All new information about the Youth Leaders Program will be posted to our website:  http://www.usip.org/sudanese-south-sudanese-youth-leaders-program.