Applications are invited for the Humanity in Action (HIA) Fellowship programs, which will be conducted for five weeks in the summer of 2012 in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lyon, and Warsaw. Each program will be implemented simultaneously from June 1 through July 1, 2012.
The HIA Fellowship programs aim to establish a social network between international groups of college students and recent graduates, by bringing them together. The students are expected find out more about national histories of discrimination and resistance. They are also expected to discuss the various issues that affect the minority communities in the present time.
The main purpose of the HIA programs is to bring together students of different countries to collectively discuss the root causes of discrimination and to find viable solutions to meet the problem. The HIA fellows are expected to develop a feeling of universal brotherhood, by protecting the rights of the minorities and human rights.
The HIA programs take place in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. Though the programs are concerned with human rights activities, but their primary focus is on the relations between majority and minority populations in these countries.
All undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors, and seniors), or recent graduates (classes of 2010 and 2011) from accredited, four-year undergraduate colleges or universities in the United States are eligible to apply for the HIA Fellowship. American students who are studying at foreign universities can also apply to the Fellowship through the U.S. office. American students studying at a university in Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands or Poland can also apply through HIA offices in those countries.
The applications have to pass through an extensive and highly competitive process. In 2010, HIA received 510 applications, out of which only 44 Fellows were selected. The main criterion for admission is the demonstration of serious commitment to minority rights and social justice, leadership potential, outstanding academic achievement, and social maturity.
All costs pertaining to participation and accommodation are born by the HIA. However, the participants are expected to pay for their own airfare to participate in the program. Though a stipend for food is also allocated by the HIA, yet fellows should have approximately $500 for food and social activities.
Approximately 10 Fellows will be selected from American universities for each program. The same number of students will be selected from each European country. Students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Sweden will also be selected to participate in certain programs.
The last date for submitting the applications for the HIA programs is January 9, 2012. For more information, visit this link.
