The U.S. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, are pleased to announce year three of their Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program (LDF).

This annual program provides young civic activists and democratic reform leaders from the Middle East and North Africa with academic coursework at Syracuse and professional experience in Washington, D.C. The fellowship will cover international and domestic travel, health insurance, housing, and a moderate living stipend.

The program is open to applicants between the ages of 25 and 40 with a bachelor's degree and English language fluency to function successfully in an American academic and professional environment.

Applicants also should have roughly five years of work experience and the capacity to apply the opportunities presented by the fellowship in a way that would benefit an organization, sector, or specific community in their home country.

The program will run from March 15 to June 13, 2009, and Fellows are expected to travel to the United States unaccompanied.

An alumni conference will be held in the region in the last quarter of 2009.

The LDF program begins with six weeks of academic coursework that includes subjects on leadership, democracy, democratic transitions around the globe, comparative politics, civil society, communication, conflict resolution, and change management, among others.

Fellows are expected to be active participants in all seminars and workshops that address theoretical debates as well as active skills building sessions. Participants are also expected to lead discussions and make presentations to the Fellows and the broader Maxwell School community.

After completing the academic portion of the program, participants will engage in a six-week professional assignment with political, non-governmental, or public policy organizations of interest in Washington, D.C . Through this component of the program, participants will gain practical experience about the ways that such institutions interact with government and civil society while also gaining valuable knowledge, experience, skills, and further professional contacts to benefit their respective professional pursuits back home.

Prospective applicants should email an updated resume and an essay of no more than 1,000 words, written in English, which answers the following questions: "How will a MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship enable you to better lead your community or country towards greater democracy and citizen participation in the institutions and activities of government? Specifically, what do you hope to gain from this program and what are your plans to apply the experience it offers? What changes do you hope to bring about in your country during the next 10 years?"

Application Deadline

Applications should be submitted by e-mail to both Ms. Zeba Reyazuddin at ReyazuddinZ@state.gov and Ms. Manal Haddad at HaddadMM@state.gov by the closing date of October 26, 2008.

For more details please check:
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/exed/news/news-2158.asp