The Pleasure Fellow Scheme 2023

Deadline: 5-Jun-23

The Pleasure Project is looking for people who are passionate about promoting sexual pleasure and pleasure inclusive sexual health.

This fellowship opportunity aims to provide more tools and skills for their selected fellows so that they can actively and effectively promote pleasure inclusive sexual health initiatives in their communities and around the world.

The Pleasure Fellow Scheme is a fellowship opportunity for anyone interested in advocating for pleasure in the sexual and reproductive health world. It consists of a series of online sessions where you’ll be given different tools and skills that are relevant to promote pleasure inclusive sexual health in your communities and/or at a global scale. These sessions will include speakers from their team at The Pleasure Project and external speakers.

Benefits

• For that reason, they are also providing their fellows the opportunity to be awarded up to USD 1,000 to develop a project (this could be anything from writing blog posts, developing a podcast, doing research, to interviewing their own organization about pleasure inclusion).

What kind of projects can they pitch for the scheme once accepted as fellows?

• Projects of all kinds are welcome. They encourage applicants to think of projects that are clear, impactful and can be sustainable.
• Other projects include: a digital campaign on anal sexual health for gay and other queer men to experience safe and pleasureable anal sexual practices by their former fellow Jaime Romaní; a podcast on sexuality and disability by their former fellow Damian Weatherald; training sessions for health workers and midwives on sexual pleasure in rural settings by their former fellow Jovian Linda; a research project on the knowledge, attitudes and practices on sexual pleasure as well as potential barriers to access among young girls in the Kathmandu Valley by their former fellow Riju Dhakal; a series of training sessions on pleasure for sex educators by their former fellow Shira Natenda; a short citizen documentary on the experiences of pleasure among young disabled queer people in Botswana by their former fellow Dumiso Gatsha.
• Projects can be developed on a global or local scale. For that reason, your project can be developed in your native language. However, keep in mind that just how the entirety of the scheme will be provided in English, the pitch and deliverables for The Pleasure Project team must all be presented in English by the fellow.

Eligibility Criteria

• They welcome applications from all backgrounds and groups. They want to reach out to as many regions, identities and communities as possible and provide as many opportunities as they can to those who have been traditionally marginalized from initiatives and projects revolving around pleasure. They strongly encourage applicants from the Middle East and North African, South East Asia, Oceania and Latin American regions to apply.
• They also invite anyone with a keen interest in promoting sexual pleasure regardless of their professional or advocacy background on sexual and reproductive health.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of the English language, as all sessions and documentation will be presented in English.
• Availability to participate in online sessions which will take place 2 times per month (with a duration of 2h per session). Fellows will be asked to sign a document agreeing to assist for a minimum of sessions. Sessions will start in July and last until December.
• Internet accessibility.
• Access to a bank account. Since fellows can be awarded up to USD 1,000 for their projects, they need to have a bank account that can receive TransferWise funding in dollars.
• Respect the deadlines and turn in deliverables.

For more information, visit The Pleasure Fellow Scheme.