Name of the Event: Hurford Youth Fellows Program

Date: March 1 – May 31, 2025

Place: Washington D.C.

Working language: English

Last Date of Application: 31 July 2024

Link to Apply:

The Hurford Youth Fellows Program seeks to build leadership skills, enhance organizational talents and harness the potential of emerging democracy leaders from around the world. Through the Fellowship program, youth activists spend three months in Washington D.C., during which they expand their global network, learn lessons from activists from democracy movements around the world, and contribute to the development of the World Movement for Democracy. Fellows will be expected to organize online discussions to generate active engagement among youth activists around the world. Hurford Youth Fellows will engage in strategic meetings, conduct research, and organize and lead presentations, and information-sharing sessions on the following specific areas outlined in the “What’s Next? Youth Declaration:”

• Expanding Civic Space for Young People

• Countering Disinformation

• Building Citizen-Centric Accountability

• Delivering Democracy

Each fellow will also make at least one formal presentation of their work during their fellowship. Presentations may be open to the public or geared to a more select audience and will typically focus on the fellow’s project topic.

Upon the successful completion of each fellowship at NED, the fellow will serve as a regional/country focal point, working with the Hurford Youth Fellowship Alumni Network to remain involved and take the lead in facilitating World Movement for Democracy youth initiatives.

Eligibility:

• Applicants interested in the Hurford Youth Fellows Program must be no older than 30 years of age.

• They must demonstrate a strong interest in democratic activism and in the advancement of democracy in their respective communities, as well as worldwide.

• Youth affiliated with civil society organizations are especially encouraged to apply.

Fellowship Support and Services:

• Each fellow will receive a monthly stipend for living expenses, plus basic health insurance and roundtrip travel to and from Washington, D.C..

• Stipends take into account the cost of living in Washington, D.C.. Fellows are provided with fully equipped office space, including internet and email access, and a limited budget for fellowship-related long-distance phone calls.

• The World Movement Secretariat staff plays a vital role in helping fellows realize their fellowship objectives by collaborating with them on their fellowship projects and engaging them in ongoing discussions about their work.

• NED houses a Democracy Resource Center (DRC), which includes a library with some 20,000 works, including books, journals, grantee reports, and other publications on democracy. The DRC’s expert staff
  members assist fellows with their research interests. Fellows may enjoy access to other local libraries as needed.

We are not the official organisers of the program. If you have any queries regarding it, kindly contact the organisers at – youthfellows@ned.org