Prague Civil Society Centre Internship Programme 2018/2019 for Eastern Europe & Central Asia

Deadline: June 14, 2018

The Prague Civil Society Centre is pleased to announce a call for applications for its 2018-2019 Internship Programme. Internships provide the opportunity for members of civil society organisations, activists, experts and journalists to spend one to two months at a relevant host organisation in Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, Balkans, and Central Asia and allow the Centre to invest in capacity of civic organisations, movements or networks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and to develop cross-country and regional collaboration between organisations and initiatives.

Interns will be able to use the time and funding to gain new skills or knowledge from the host organisation, develop relations between civil organisations in different countries, conduct research, write a report or paper, and expand their networks of contacts. All interns are expected to produce a concrete output (article, paper, comparative study, policy recommendation, seminar or training curriculum, infographic or some other type of presentation), agreed to in advance, and which can be distributed electronically.

Benefits

• Applicants are entitled to submit grant requests for €3,000 – €4,000 to support their internship. A portion of the grant (€1,000) will go to the host organisation. The remaining amount, which varies depending on the length and place of the internship, will cover travel, accommodation, food, local transportation, and telecommunication costs.

Eligibility

• Open to citizens of the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
• Host organisations can be from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan as well as countries from Central Europe and the Baltics (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia) and the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia)
• In addition to the nationality requirement you will be a:

• Member of a civil society organization
• Human rights defender
• Activist
• Think tank expert
• Researcher
• Social entrepreneur
• Journalist
• IT expert or technology specialist engaged in social causes

Selection Criteria

When selecting applicants, the PCSC will look into following:

• Proven track record of the applicant: Applicants should be affiliated with organizations that have a clear track-record of work. They do not select applicants who are not already established in their organisation, movement or network
• Proven track-record of host organisation: Likewise, the host organisations should have a proven track-record of expertise and know-how in the field requested by the intern
• Quality of proposed internship project: Only applicants that have clear and well thought out idea of what they want to do and achieve through the internship will be considered. This includes how the applicant can gain from the expertise and experience of the host organization, and how they can apply new knowledge and skills after returning to their home organizations
• Compatibility with the Prague Civil Society Centre’s priority themes: The Centre prioritises projects that align with its priority themes as detailed here. PCSC are still open to proposals that do not correspond to these themes. They recommend such applications stress how their project has a specific relevance for their country and how internship can contribute to the work of civil society in their country.

Application

To qualify for the programme, interested individuals should contact potential host organisations themselves to arrange the terms of the internship before applying to the Prague Civil Society Centre. The PCSC strongly recommend to applicants and host organization to have a proper discussion about the purpose and plan of the internship in advance, so that both sides are sure that their expectations, expertise and needs match.

If you are an organisation who would like to find out more about the programme, you have been contacted by a potential applicant or you would like help finding an intern, please get in touch with the Centre.

Once you have an internship agreed you should apply to PCSC:

• First complete the survey
• Email the following documents to internships@praguecivilsociety.org:

• Completed application form
• Your CV
• Proposed budget form
• Letter of acceptance from the host organisation

Upon receipt of the applications, the Centre will undertake a selection process with interviews of shortlisted candidates to discuss the applicant’s project ideas and availability.