25 Scholarships for Muslim American Students to Intern in Washington D.C. – Summer 2011

Center for Global Understanding “Bringing People Together”

25 Scholarships for Muslim American Students to Intern in Washington D.C. – Summer 2011

Students MUST COMPLETE THEIR APPLICATION BY FEBRUARY 28, 2011 (deadline extended) 

to be eligible for the CFGU scholarships.

   

The Center for Global Understanding (CFGU) is a non-profit and non-advocacy organization designed to bring people together. We believe that the only way to bring people together is through educating everyone about different cultures, religions and their values. One of our main goals is to help cultivate future Muslim American leaders through our Washington D. C. Internship program. It is very important that these future leaders have a firsthand understanding, knowledge and experience of how our democracy works and functions. 

Program Overview:

1.   Placement: Tailored toward students’ interest. We work with students of all majors. Past placements include the Department of the Treasury, The White House, Voice of America, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, National Institutes of Health, American Civil Liberties Union, National Endowment for the Arts, Congressional offices, law firms, corporations, think tanks, lobbying firms, and many more!

2.   Academic Credits: Students will take a seminar-style class for about 3 hours one evening per week. Students may get academic credit from their college or university.

3.   Housing:  We have housing arrangements in an apartment setting.

4.   Financial Aid:  25 scholarships are available to qualified students for the summer of 2011. StudentsMUST COMPLETE THEIR APPLICATION BY FEBRUARY 28, 2011 (deadline extended) to be eligible for the CFGU scholarships.

5.   Public Affairs Series: Lectures and discussions with Muslim American Leaders from Congress, Business, Public Health and other fields. This year’s activities included visits to the State Department, USAID, USIP, Egyptian and Indonesian embassies and the White House.

6.   Eligibility: Must be an American citizen and at least a College sophomore at an accredited college with a minimum of a 2.75 GPA. We encourage Muslim American students to visit our website for details regarding requirements, eligibility, cost, deadline etc.

Why Intern in Washington:    http://www.centerforglobalunderstanding.org/why_Intern_4.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BREJ3E6CuxE

How to Apply:                     http://centerforglobalunderstanding.org/how_to_apply.php

CFGU Alumni Profile:          http://www.centerforglobalunderstanding.org/class_of_2010.php

 Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BREJ3E6CuxE&feature=player_embedded

If you need any further information, please feel free to contact our Internship Coordinator, Fatimeh, at 727-215-9128 orFatimeh@cfgu.us.

Thank you.

Atif Moon

Co-Founder

The Center for Global Understanding

640 Maple Avenue, Torrance, Ca 90503 • Tel: (727) 215-9128 • Fax: (310) 787-7350 • Email: info@cfgu.us; www.cfgu.us

Peace Corps: Informal Recruiting Event September 22nd

The Russian and East European Institute hosts:

Peace Corps

For an informal information session on:

Wednesday, September 22nd
11 am – 1 pm
Ballantine Hall 565

Stop by and speak to a recruiter and returned volunteer about Peace Corps’ mission, where volunteers serve, what they do, and what opportunities are currently available. This event is open to all area studies students.

Apply now and you could be serving overseas in 2011!

Contact Laura Fonseca with questions:
800.424.8580 or lfonseca2@peacecorps.gov

Looking for Real World Language Practice?

Mondokio is an international news website based out of Columbus, Ohio and the Ohio State University. Mondokio addresses the problem that one cannot properly understand an international news story through one culturally-specific perspective. In response to this, the site has introduced an innovative way of presenting international news whereby the same stories are covered by multiple perspectives from all over the world. These news articles—the primary content for the site—are translated from the native language into English. At the moment, these translations are performed by bilingual and/or 3rd - 4th year language students at OSU. The students receive credit from OSU’s Office of International Studies and the Department of Communication. We would like to introduce this internship at Indiana University Bloomington.*

Details of Internship
Students would be assigned a particular country (or countries), which corresponds to their language competency. They would translate ONE article per day, 5 days a week. On average this takes 2-3 hours per day, 10-15 hours per week. This content is then emailed to the site administrators and uploaded on a daily basis. The students’ work, therefore, can take place from anywhere there is an internet connection. That being said, Eric Wittke, the IUB coordinator, would usually hold a meeting once a week to discuss various components to the site such as media analysis, cultural aspects of the countries covered, site growth, etc.** The internship would last the entirety of Fall 2010 Semester. This is an unpaid position. We take great pride in attempting to integrate our interns goals/interests with our own, and considering our size and flexibility, we are usually able to accommodate this. To apply, students should contact Mr. Wittke with proof of their ability to receive internship credit, as well as proof of proficiency in their foreign language.

Execution
Management of the internship would be divided between Brady Calestro, the founder of Mondokio, and Eric Wittke, a Senior at IUB. However, Mr. Calestro would take full responsibility to ensure the quality of the internship experience is comparable to the organization’s successes at OSU. The initial training and introduction of Mondokio would be performed by Mr. Calestro, and Mr. Wittke will then manage the program for the remainder of the Fall 2010 Semester. For the past 3 Quarters at OSU, Mondokio has been student-run in this manner and has not encountered any major difficulties.

We strive to make this internship an enriching experience for all, and look forward to having you on board!


*For legal reasons students must receive internship credit from Indiana University to be eligible for this opportunity.
**Time and location of meetings will be arranged according to students’ schedules.

Sharek Youth Forum is Looking for Volunteers!

A leading Palestinian youth organization with the primary goal of creating the space and capacity for youth to engage as active participants in all sectors of civil society and to participate in the development of local communities. Originally launched as a program of the UNDP in 1996, Sharek became an independent NGO in 2004. As a youth organization for youth, run by youth, Sharek tackles development issues from a unique perspective which directly reflects youth needs and visions.

Sharek’s work includes economic empowerment initiatives, providing services to connect youth mentors with underserved children to ensure the realization of children’s right to play and provide complimentary education services; building capacities of other youth organizations, especially small community based youth organizations; and arming youth with knowledge of their human rights and the capacity to articulate, effectively communicate, and persuasively advocate for change on the issues that most affect them, as active individuals and engaged citizens in the process of building a culture of reciprocal respect and democracy in Palestine. Sharek designs and carries out its youth development programs with hundreds of motivated youth volunteers involved in project design and implementation.

Step Forward: the Center for Youth Economic Empowerment
http://www.stepforward.ps/

With 4 years of experience implementing careers and business services for youth, Sharek Youth Forum decided in 2009 to target its efforts into a new center focusing on economic empowerment: Step Forward. The center is now leading the way in addressing key challenges set out by Sharek Youth Forum in its August 2009 white paper: a Youth Employment Action Plan (see http://www.stepforward.ps/en/knowledge/yeap/). Step Forward’s strategy is to develop knowledge and advocacy as fundamental building blocks upon which high quality services can be provided. It aims to get all Palestinian youth actively participating in the economy.

Based on this strategy, Step Forward works on three programmes: School-to-Work, Youth Enterprise and Welcomed to Work. Each works on research, advocacy and services to address the challenges faced by youth trying to become economically active. School-to-Work addresses the gap between education and employment. Youth Enterprise addresses the barriers to youth establishing micro and small businesses. Welcomed to Work addresses particular issues facing marginalized groups.
 
Programme Information
Target Group Young people (21-25) with an interest in working with Palestinian youth in the field of economic empowerment and with a skill or experience to contribute.

Programme Structure

Length of Internship 3-6 months
Start Dates 01/07/2010; 15/09/2010; 01/01/2011; 01/04/2011
Costs No fee is currently applied; you will require approximately $400 per month to cover rent and living costs
Benefits Work-related West Bank travel expenses are paid

Fields of Work (2010-11)
Office-based:

• A1 Research & reporting
• A2 Resource development
• A3 Training (including English teaching)
• A4 Website Development
• A5 Fundraising & PR

Field-based:*

• B1 Field research
• B2 Business coaching
• B3 Training

* requires excellent spoken Palestinian Arabic Notes

You can select up to three fields of work and work on up to two during your internship. If you complete your work early, you can select a new fields of work You must commit to the work and normally you would be expected to work full-time. Part-time arrangements are possible. If you have an idea for a placement, please let us know by submitting your proposal using the same approach as below.

Applications Applicants should complete the associated application form and return it to maha.smoom@sharek.ps at least 1 month before their proposed start-date. Following the application, a skype interview will be arranged.

 
Please visit the Sharek website to download an information packet with detailed information and an application.
Thanks Kasia for bringing this to our attention!