AUCA Fellowship Program for Rights and Justice Practitioners

AUCA Fellowship Program for Rights and Justice Practitioners

Call for applications

Deadline: 12 December 2022

Description:

The Development Office of the American University of Central Asia is pleased to announce the call for “AUCA Fellowship Program for Rights and Justice Practitioners”. The Fellowship builds a platform for cross-sectoral, global, and interdisciplinary collaboration between civil society actors, human rights activists, journalists, artists, scholars, policymakers, grassroots community leaders, and others working in the field of human rights and justice promotion. The project is funded by the Open Society Foundations and implemented in cooperation with the LAS Human Rights Concentration.

The Fellowship aims to support scholars, practitioners, and activists who are persecuted or may potentially be persecuted by oppressive regimes or violent non-state actors. It aims to create a platform where fellows, human rights activists, and AUCA students may share information and experience, in addition to providing a secure environment for these persons to grow their networks and update their knowledge and practices.

The Fellowship for Rights and Justice Practitioners provides fellowship at AUCA for scholars who have lost their academic positions and practitioners, activists who are unable to continue their work and to reside in their home countries due to authoritarian regime threats, acts of persecution for their opinions or identities, or other threats. Teaching, research, writing, and other intellectual activities are instances of fellowship activities, as is participation in the intellectual and cultural life at AUCA. The fellowship’s working language is English.

The goal of the Fellowship is to re-integrate exceptional, early-career at-risk scholars and practitioners into research through a fellowship program developed and led by AUCA. These 5 fellows will be chosen from among the individuals active in the fields of advocacy for human rights, justice, democracy, and equality, particularly women's and children’s rights, minorities' rights, LGBTQI rights, environmental activists, migration, forced labor, and freedom of speech and political prisoners' rights defenders. The fellowship will allow scholars and practitioners who experience threats and related stress to work and live in an atmosphere of cultural diversity and academic rigor in the liberal arts tradition.

The Fellowship for Rights and Justice Practitioners will occur in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from February 2023 until January 31, 2024.

The Fellowship is based on a three-pronged approach:

Sponsorship: Providing financial support so that Fellows will have the time and resources to carry out their individual work and a collaborative project.
- In the scope of this project, the fellows (possible family support may be available/subject to consideration) will be provided with financial support, health insurance, legal, professional psychological, language, and visa support.
Networking: Offering networking opportunities with professors, researchers of AUCA, and local NGO representatives, as well as bringing Fellows together to begin a collaborative project to be undertaken during their Fellowship year.
Dissemination: Creating opportunities for Fellows to publicly share their work and ideas – through platforms such as work-in-progress discussions, round-tables, conferences, and summer schools.

Eligibility criteria

For the year 2023, a total of 5 Fellows will be selected.

Applicants should have a background in any of the following fields: human rights and justice; journalism and media; activism; advocacy and community mobilization; community leaders (religious, cultural, and youth leaders); academia (researchers, consultants, and scholars working in the field of human rights and justice), human rights practitioners working directly with affected communities, scholars who have lost their academic positions or are unable to reside in their home countries due to authoritarian regime threats, acts of persecution for their opinions or identities, or other threats. The Fellowship aims to particularly support scholars, practitioners, and activists who are persecuted or may potentially be persecuted by oppressive regimes or violent non-state actors.
The Fellowship welcomes applications from people of any gender, ethnicity, age, religion or any other defining factor, who work in communities affected by human rights violations. The overall makeup of the 5 Fellows will be diverse and will reflect an equitable geographic and gender balance.
Participants should have knowledge or work towards protecting and promoting human rights and justice.
Strong interest and background knowledge on the study of human rights and justice is required.
Specific experience in the fields of advocacy for human rights, justice, democracy, and equality, particularly women's and children’s rights, minorities rights, LGBTQI rights, environmental activists, migration, forced labor, and freedom of speech and political prisoners' rights defenders would be an asset.
Good written and spoken language skills in English.
Strong interest in research, ideally proven through international publications and/or collaboration in research projects.
Ability to work effectively, both independently and collaboratively, in an international team.

Expectations:

The Fellows are expected to reside in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from February 2023 until January 31, 2024.
The Fellows are expected to attend any in person meeting related to the Fellowship.
The Fellows are expected to submit quarterly reports to the program coordinator on activities undertaken during the fellowship.
To serve, to the best of their abilities, as an Ambassador of AUCA Fellowship Program for Rights and Justice Practitioners, advocating for the shared principles and objectives of the fellowship.
To implement an individual research project (in the fields of advocacy for human rights, justice, democracy, and equality, particularly women's and children’s rights, minorities' rights, LGBTQI rights, environmental activists, migration, forced labor, and freedom of speech and political prisoners' rights defenders) and use the Fellowship`s in-house communication tool to post updates following a reporting calendar previously established.
To implement a collaborative project with other Fellows.
Fellows will be expected to present interim findings of their research during the progress sessions of the Summer School in the summer 2023.
In the scope of this fellowship, fellows and two AUCA professors will develop a new module on human rights concentration to be presented to AUCA students, civil society leaders, and academia.

How to apply

Applicants need to submit:

an up-to-date CV
motivation letter explaining how your background, research profile and interests relate to the fellowship and what could be your contribution to the AUCA fellowship. Feel free to include information with regard to the prior persecution or threats or similar risks.
a short research proposal
names and contact details of two scholars/ professionals who could confirm submitted information and/or supply recommendation letters if needed

Package of documents must be sent to Project Coordinator Dr. Saniia Toktogazieva at toktogazieva_s@auca.kg by December 12, 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact: toktogazieva_s@auca.kg

Key dates

November 10, 2022: Call for applications opens.

December 12, 2022: End of the call for applications. The AUCA Fellowship Program for Rights and Justice Practitioners Grants Committee will start reviewing applications.

December 20, 2022: Decisions on the status of applications will be communicated to applicants. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified via email. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted to request further information and/or be interviewed.

December 30, 2022: Accepted candidates will be contacted directly about their successful application, with further information about next steps.

The Fellowship for Rights and Justice Practitioners will start on 1 February 2023 and end on 31 January 2023.