The Aspen Institute seeks nominations for one-year non-resident media and advocacy coaching program for development leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America
The Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship today announced a call for nominations for the 2020 Fellowship class to recruit a cadre of global leaders who are ready to change the narrative around international development and bring fresh perspectives towards tackling the world’s most pressing challenges.
The New Voices Fellowship offers development experts from across Africa, Asia and Latin America a year-long program of media support, advocacy training, research and writing coaching under the guidance of experienced mentors and trainers.
The fellowship seeks exceptional leaders from countries that are underrepresented in global development conversations. The strongest candidates are people who live and work in the communities they serve, and who are prepared to amplify their public voice to advocate for changes they want to see at home and abroad.
New Voices will select a total of 25 Fellows. We are looking for 15 Fellows who are experts in fields such as infectious and non-infectious disease, food security, mental health, development economics, health and human rights, and climate change.
We are also looking for 10 additional Fellows who are experts working on the front-lines of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Application to the Fellowship is by nomination only through the program website atwww.aspennewvoices.org/nominations/. The nomination period will close on October 15, 2019 and the incoming class will be announced in January 2020.
As the world faces deepening challenges, such as mass migration, food insecurity, and the spread of Ebola, experts with on-the-ground understanding of the roots of these problems can provide fresh ideas for how to solve them.
“We need to elevate stories and ideas from people who live and work in communities directly affected by these challenges so that we can all learn from that lived experience,” said New Voices Director Andrew Quinn. “These issues are not ‘developing world’ problems. They affect every country. We cannot hope to solve them without listening and learning from those in closest proximity to the challenges.”
Over the course of a year, New Voices prepares Fellows to become recognized thought leaders, helping amplify their insights and advocacy rooted in experience on the ground. They receive training and support to speak at major events; write conversation-starting op-eds and think pieces for major outlets; and build their social media platforms. The Fellowship is non-resident, but includes travel to training workshops as well as opportunities for travel to select international conferences.
Current Fellows have had their work featured in media sites ranging from the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and Al Jazeera to the Huffington Post, Africa Report, andAllAfrica.com. Fellows have been interviewed by news organizations including the BBC,CNBC, and National Public Radio (NPR), appeared in a host of influential media outlets throughout Africa and South Asia, and been invited to speak at events including TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival.
The New Voices Fellowship
The New Voices Fellowship at the Aspen Institute is a groundbreaking initiative designed to bring more expert voices from the developing world into the global development discussion. Launched in 2013, and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Open Society Foundations and other funders, the New Voices Fellowship is part of the Aspen Global Innovators Group. For more information, visit www.aspennewvoices.org.
The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, CO; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
