Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Leadership for Democracy Fellows Program 2016

Application Deadline:
IMPORTANT DATES:

• The LDF Lebanon Program runs from July 16 – October 15, 2016.
• The LDF U.S. Program runs from September 5 – December 9, 2016.

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Office of Assistance Coordination (NEA/AC) is pleased to announce the tenth year of its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Leaders for Democracy Fellowship (LDF).

This program advances leadership capacities in the Middle East and North Africa by providing emerging civic leaders the opportunity to spend over three months in the United States (for high-proficiency English speakers) or Lebanon (for Arabic speakers) to gain academic skills and practical experience as well as networking opportunities with like-minded peers and professionals.  

This program is an exciting, selective fourteen-week program for early- to mid-career civic activists and democratic reform leaders from the Middle East and North Africa. The LDF begins with five weeks of academic training on leadership, peace and conflict mitigation, comparative politics, civic engagement, advocacy, communication, and change management, among other topics.

Fellows are expected to be active participants in all seminars, workshops and activities including theoretical debates and active skills-building sessions. Fellows are also expected to participate in group work, lead discussions and make presentations to the other Fellows in their cohort and to the broader UVA/AUB communities. 

Eligibility Requirements:

• The program is open to applicants between the ages of 25 and 40 with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and sufficient English or Arabic language fluency to successfully function in a U.S. or Arabic-language university and in a professional working environment.
• Applicants also should have at least five years of professional work experience and both the capacity and commitment to apply the experience gained through the Fellowship in developing and implementing a project that will benefit an organization, specific community and/or sector in their home countries.  

Application Details:

Algeria: http://algiers.usembassy.gov/mepi.html
Egypt: http://egypt.usembassy.gov/mepi_education_exchange.html
Libya: http://libya.usembassy.gov/public_diplomacy_programs/ldf-arabic-program.html
Morocco: http://morocco.usembassy.gov/exchange_programs/professional-exchanges.html#LDFE
Tunisia: http://tunisia.usembassy.gov/mepi-leadership-for-democracy-fellows-program.html

Application Deadlines:

Morocco:

Sunday, March 20, 2016 at midnight, GMT. 

DEADLINE March 31, 2016 at 23:59:59 for the Arabic program
DEADLINE May 13, 2016 at 23:59:59 for the English program

Details:

• The program runs from September until December 2016.
• It begins with five weeks of academic coursework at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia, where fellows focus on the concepts of leadership, peace and conflict mitigation, comparative politics, civic engagement, advocacy, communication, and change management among other topics.
• Fellows complete relevant seminars and workshops that include theoretical debates as well as active, practical skills-building sessions

How to Apply:

For English program applicants:

A completed and signed copy of the LDF Application Form – U.S. Program

A completed and signed copy of the LDF Application Annex A: A Professional Reference Form – US program

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the MEPI Leadership for Democracy Fellows Program 2016