MINELRES: CfA: Summer Program on Human and Minority Rights, 2005

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Rainer Ohliger <rohliger@sowi.hu-berlin.de>


Scholarships for Human and Minority Rights Summer Program

Amsterdam - Berlin - Copenhagen - New York/Washington D.C.
3 June to 6 July 2005, 24 September to 2 October 2005


Call for application to students in Central and Eastern Europe

Countries eligible: 

Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania,
Ukraine

Deadline for Application: 20 March 2005



Call for Applications

Humanity in Action (HiA) is an international organization that brings
together European (Danish, Dutch, German and for the first time Central
and Eastern European) and American students with an active interest in
human and minority rights and the exchange of experiences in defending
and enhancing them. The organization is devoted to the study and
betterment of human rights and specifically the relationship between
majority and minority populations. We invite applications from students
with not only an eager interest in analysis and discussion but also in
grass roots project work. The summer program is designed to provide a
starting point with regard to issues of human and minority rights. 

The three summer programs are run simultaneously in Berlin, Copenhagen,
and Amsterdam with a joint opening and closing session of all 68
fellows. Ten Americans and eight Central and Eastern European students
are distributed among the three summer programs, with an additional ten
German students in Berlin, ten Danes in Copenhagen and ten Dutch
students in Amsterdam. The summer programs will be followed by a 10-day
seminar in the United States at the end of September 2005, bringing
together the Fellows from all European participating countries (see
schedule below).

During the Summer Programs in Amsterdam, Berlin and Copenhagen, the
participants will be offered two weeks of lectures and site visits on
the topic of how societies deal with their various minorities, e.g.
religious, ethnic, etc. The focus will be historic as well as
contemporary. For another two weeks, the Fellows are expected to work in
teams on specific issues within the framework of the summer school (oral
and written reports) and make substantial contributions to the success
of the program. To get a detailed insight into the programs of recent
years, see personal testimonials by Senior Fellows and read the papers
of the Fellows, please check our website: www.humanityinaction.org.

HIA does NOT provide "how-to" training for human rights activists. It
does provide input so that people's volunteer work and professional
careers can be directed by a well-informed awareness of minority issues.
Previous Fellows have used the knowledge and experiences gained on the
HIA program in their community work, their further education and their
career paths in government, the non-profit sector, media and the private
sector.

For our program in June 2005 (June 3rd to July 6th 2005) we invite
university students from Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia,
Latvia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine to submit their applications. You
either need to be permanently based in one of these countries or hold
its citizenship. Good active and passive command of English is
mandatory. Humanity in Action looks for students who are flexible,
mature and self-reliant. At the same time students need to be at ease
with intense, constant group activities and interaction. Students in
their first semester as well as post-graduates or Ph.D. candidates
cannot be considered.

Participation of students from Central and Eastern Europe is made
possible by support from the Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und
Zukunft (www.zukunftsfonds.de). Costs and expenses for accommodation,
food and travel will be covered. 

Schedule
- 3 June: Meeting of the German and Central/East European Fellows in
Berlin
- 4 June: Travel to Amsterdam: International opening session in the
Netherlands: Meeting of ten Danish, ten Dutch, ten German and eight
Fellows from Central and Eastern European countries with 30 American
Fellows.
- 8 June: The American, Danish, and Central and Eastern European Fellows
in the Danish program travel to Copenhagen; the American, German, and
Central and Eastern European Fellows in the German program travel to
Berlin. 
- 8 June-3 July: For the remainder of the program, the Fellows in
Denmark, Germany, and The Netherlands follow approximately the same
program: 10 days of seminars focused on the host country's culture,
economy, religions, current tensions between its majority and minority
populations, history during the Second World War and subsequent human
rights policies; 10 days of research, writing and presenting reports by
international teams of Fellows on subjects relating to contemporary
minority issues, human rights, and the war period. HIA publishes and
distributes these reports.
- 3 July: The 68 HIA Fellows meet jointly in Denmark and share their
experiences and discuss their reports.
- 6 July: Fellows return to their native countries or place of
residence.
- 24 September-2 October: European Fellows attend weeklong seminars in
Washington, DC and New York. 


Application Requirements - HiA Summer Program 2005

Application Package: 

Return all required information via email to: 	

Rainer Ohliger
Humanity in Action
Email: r.ohliger@humanityinaction.org
www.humanityinaction.org


Applications must be submitted by 20 March 2005

The following information is required from each applicant for the
Humanity in Action fellowship. It must be submitted in one package by 20
March. An incomplete application will not be considered. 
1) application form (see below)
2) curriculum vitae (no more than two pages)
3) one essay of no more than 500 words in which you state your
motivation and qualification to participate in the program
4) one essay of no more than 700 words in which you discuss a human
rights or minority issue in your native country and describe a practical
action plan by which you would propose to address it in your local
community, indicating why you are well-qualified to take the lead in
implementing it.

Short-listed applicants will be interviewed by phone or in person at the
beginning of April 2005.


Humanity in Action
Application Form for Summer Program 2005

Name:


Address:


Telephone/Cell Phone/ Fax:



Email-Address:


Age:						        Gender:


Special needs (e.g. vegetarian, allergies etc.):


Academic Background
Field of Studies:

University:				     No of Semesters:


Level of English Proficiency:

Speaking:		Fair		Medium		Excellent
Understanding: 	        Fair		Medium		Excellent
Writing: 		Fair		Medium		Excellent

Other foreign languages spoken:


Personal Interests:


Extra-Curricular Activities (on a separate sheet, if needed):


Membership in organizations etc.: