Swedish Institute Leader Lab 2020 for Civil Society Leaders in South Asia and the MENA region (Funded to Sweden)

 

Deadline: December 4, 2019

Are you a civil society leader in South Asia or the MENA region? Are you working for a more gender equal world? SI Leader Lab is a programme for advocates of gender equality who wish to grow in their role while exploring new tools and forms for collaboration. Apply to SI Leader Lab if you want to grow as a leader, develop your advocacy skills and share knowledge in a network of inspirational peers.

The SI Leader Lab will bring together 50 young influential civil society leaders in South Asia, the MENA region and Sweden who are active advocates of gender equality. The overarching objective is to strengthen leaders who are working for gender equality. The programme is an opportunity for you to develop your advocacy skills and work on strategic outreach within your focus area. It’s also an opportunity to grow as a leader, exchange experiences, form new connections and to try out innovative tools and methods with peers working in a similar context.

Program Details

SI Leader Lab is a blended learning programme that runs over eight months, mixing online meetings with two separate assemblies in Sweden. Work in smaller learning groups will be combined with sessions that include all participants. The training is founded on experience-based and collaborative learning and will allow you to explore real challenges and areas of development for your own organisation in an innovative and supportive environment.

The programme is as much about personal as professional development. It is about growing as a person with renewed confidence and insights, and growing as a leader with new tools, methods and perspectives. The particular expertise and experience of the participants will largely determine the topics that we work on. The following broader issues, however, will be central: value-based leadership and group development; effective advocacy methods; and, how to work efficiently with and within networks. The training will be conducted with a rights-based approach.

SI Leader Lab will give you:

• Personal insights as a leader: how to lead yourself and others through increased self-awareness and increased understanding of group development.
• An opportunity to explore effective advocacy methods that will help you shape and reach out with a message to intended audiences.
• The possibility to share and build knowledge in a network of experts, to inspire each other and share experiences on common challenges.
• Insights on how to expand your networks – and how to use networks as support in your work.

Cost

• Costs covered and arranged by Swedish Institute

• Training and content
• Accommodation, food and domestic transport during the programme
• Flight tickets to and from module 2 and 3 in Sweden
• Insurance covering acute illness and accident when in Sweden
• Visa expenses exceeding 500 SEK (approx 50 USD)

• Costs covered and arranged by you

• Domestic travel/airport transfer in your home country
• Visa expenses below 500 SEK (approx 50 USD)

Eligibility

You can apply to SI Leader Lab if you:

• Have a leading position (formal or informal) in a civil society organisation or network working for gender equality.
• Work in a collaborative setting, where you have a leadership role (formal or informal).
• Are between 22 and 32 years old (born 1987–1998).
• Have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
• Are a citizen of Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia or Yemen.
• Are available to take part in all parts of the programme.
• Are prepared to forward competences and knowledge you gain from the programme to your team, organisation or other relevant actors.

Evaluation Criteria

Each application is evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Drive and motivation
• Awareness and analytical skills
• To what extent the applicant has impact on strategic decisions within his/her organisation or network
• To what extent the applicant’s organisation/network is driving change in the field of gender equality
• The candidate’s possibility to both benefit from and contribute to the programme.

In the final selection, the evaluation committee will also consider group composition and will strive to put together participants with greatest possibilities for dynamic exchange and learning, as well as for continued collaboration and networking.

Application

Only applicants who have submitted a complete application will be considered for the programme. These are the steps in the application process:

• Download and fill out the SI Leader Lab application form
• Go to the application portal
• Upload the completed application form in English
• Upload an updated CV in English
• Upload a letter of recommendation
• Upload a photo (not compulsory).

The letter of recommendation (no more than 500 words) should be from a person who knows your work in the field of gender equality. The letter should motivate your participation in the programme with reference to the selection criteria; the letter should preferably be in English but could also be submitted in French or Arabic. Organisers prefer that you use their template for the letter of recommendation, but it’s not compulsory. Templates are available in English, French and Arabic. They may contact the reference persons of the applicants who are selected for an interview