APPLY TO THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM (CSP) | Deadline extended to Tomorrow 1st Nov 2023 (November 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET (Washington, DC time). )
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM (CSP)
The Community Solutions Program (CSP), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and implemented by IREX, provides the best and brightest community leaders, ages 25 to 38, from around the world with an intensive, professional development exchange program that includes a substantive hands-on learning experience in the United States from August to December 2019. Community Solutions Fellows get important experience in community work and increase their potential for leadership and development in their home countries.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- Applicants must be between the ages of 25-38 as of January 1, 2019 • Applicants must have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a full-time or part-time employee or volunteer
- • Applicants must be living and working in their home country (individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration)
- • Applicants must have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES - Four-month U.S.-based fellowship: CSP fellows are connected with non-profit organizations, business enterprises, and government offices around the United States where they work with U.S. colleagues on initiatives relating to issues they experience in their home areas. Community Solutions leaders work in one of four technical areas: Environmental Issues, Tolerance and Conflict Resolution, Transparency and Accountability, and Women and Gender Issues. For example: A gender-rights activist from Vietnam focusing on decreasing human trafficking works with YWCA on human trafficking in Houston, Texas.
- Community Leadership Institute: The Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is a leadership academy that provides customized learning and coaching to each CSP Leader. The CLI offers a blended-learning strategy, where leaders participate in online sessions and in-person workshops, receive professional coaching, engage in experiential learning, and interact with other professionals in their area.
- Community-based initiatives: CSP fellows design innovative community action projects in conjunction with their U.S. host institutions and implement these projects after they return to their home countries to integrate their new skills and knowledge into their community work at home. Project summaries are made available online, allowing fellows to share their work with other community leaders around the world. International network of community development professionals: CSP fellows continue to network and collaborate with like-minded leaders from around the world on global development issues through alumni activities and opportunities offered through the Community Leadership Institute online platform.
ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES BY REGION
Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey, and Ukraine
Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories
South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
Western Hemisphere: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, and Uruguay
PROJECT IMPACT TO DATE
- Over 300 U.S. organizations in 90 U.S. cities have hosted CSP fellows, making life-long international connections.
- • 559 grassroots leaders from 79 countries have participated in the Community Solutions Program since 2011. •
- Over the past six years, CSP alumni have impacted over 260,000 individuals with their community development initiatives. •
- 100% of CSP hosts provide in-kind contributions to the program, including staff time and expertise and office space and support that has resulted in over two million dollars since the program began.
To Apply TO THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM (CSP) Visit their official Website
CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM
- For queries, email IREX at: csp@irex.org
- For additional information about the program and application details,
- To Apply Visit website: www.irex.org/csp; https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/community-solutions
- For updates on program activities and alumni, follow us on social media:
Facebook: @CommunitySolutionsProgram and @ExchangeProgramsAtState
Twitter: @cspecairex and @ECAatState
