Oak Human Rights Fellowship

Deadline: 01/11/2011 (nomination), 15/12/2011 (application)
Open to: human rights professionals
Fund: $32,000 stipend, plus medical insurance, transportation, housing and utilities

The Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights at Colby College in Waterville, Maine (USA) announces a call for nominations and applications for the 2012 Oak Children, Youth and Human Rights Fellowship. They seek a frontline human rights activist who works on problems faced by children or youth outside of the United States to take up residence at Colby in the fall of 2012 (September trough mid December).

The fellowship is a one-semester appointment for a scholar-in-residence. It brings a fellow to teach and conduct research while residing at the College. The Institute organizes lectures and other events centered around the fellow’s area of expertise. The purpose of the fellowship is to offer an opportunity for prominent practitioners in international human rights to take a sabbatical leave from their work and spend as long as a semester as a scholar-in-residence at the College. This provides the Fellow time for reflection, research, and writing.

In this call, the concern about the most vulnerable among us – children and youth is highlighted. The next Oak Fellow will work to protect the human rights of emerging generations. Such rights include but are not limited to: the right of young people to the most basic human needs such as shelter and nutrition; access to healthcare and medical attention for children and pregnant women; access to education; enforcement of fair child labor standards; protection from youth and/or gang violence; efforts to curb or stop the recruitment of child soldiers; special care for orphans and refugee children; protection against sexual exploitation of minors; enforcement of fair juvenile justice laws and standards.

Applications from those who are currently or were recently involved in on-the-ground work at some level of personal risk and are in need of respite are especially encouraged.

To identify candidates for the annual search, the Oak Institute relies heavily on nominations from NGOs,  journalists, human rights lawyers, and academics — who are most likely to know of the work of on-the-ground professionals. The Oak Institute would like to solicit nominations for the fellowship. (Self-nomination is perfectly acceptable. A candidate can nominate her/himself simply by completing the application. No other paperwork is required.)

For more information check the brochure

Eligibility
* a frontline human rights activist who works on problems faced by children or youth outside of the United States.
* the Fellow must have a functional level of verbal ability in English;
* the Fellow is required to lead a seminar class that meets once a week and the discussion will take place in English.

Application procedure
Instructions for Electronic Application:
1. Download the 2012 application form
2. Complete the downloaded application and save to your computer
3. Fill in your name and email in the yellow box below
4. Upload your COMPLETED Oak Application below
5. Upload your RESUME or C.V. below
6. Click APPLY NOW
7. All recommendations should be sent directly to the Director or Associate Director of the program at: oakhr@colby.edu or via fax at 207-859-5229 or via postal mail to:

Associate Director,
Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights,
Colby College, Waterville,
ME 04901.

A complete application includes:
*A completed application form (all questions answered, sections I through III).
*A copy of your resume, biography or curriculum vitae (please give dates for all activities).
*Two references from people familiar with your work. These references must be submitted directly from the recommender either online, by email to oakhr@colby.edu or via post to  Professor Walter Hatch.
*Answers to all personal statement questions in section IV.
*Recommended: Printed information on your human rights organization (e.g., brochures, reports, newspaper stories, articles on your work and the work of your organization). These can be emailed directly to oakhr@colby.edu Remember to put your name in the subject line of your email (last name, first name, OAK 2012 application).

Nominations for the 2012 Fellowship  are due by November 1, 2011.

**VERY IMPORTANT** You will not be able to make any changes to your application once you have clicked Apply Now. Please double check all information and files before you apply. Please use only one email address for all Oak Application correspondence.

For those applicants who prefer to send a printed application, please mail your complete application to:

Professor Walter Hatch
Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights
Colby College
5319 Mayflower Hill
Waterville ME 04901 USA.

Recommendations may arrive either electronically or in printed form.

The deadline for applications for the 2012 Fellowship is December 15, 2011.

More detailed info

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