Are you a field-based emergency and resilience food security implementer eager to enhance gender and youth inclusion in your programs? The Gender and Youth Activity (GAYA) is thrilled to announce the recruitment for the 2nd Cohort of the Cultivate Fellowship! This transformative opportunity, brought to you by GAYA, aims to strengthen the capacity of implementers using qualitative methods over three months.
What is the Cultivate Fellowship?
The Cultivate Fellowship, facilitated by GAYA, is a unique capacity-strengthening initiative designed for field-based emergency and resilience food security implementers. This fellowship focuses on leveraging qualitative methods to enhance gender and youth inclusion in programs. Over three months, a cohort of 16-20 members will engage in an in-person workshop, regular online meetings, and independent work to develop innovative solutions. The fellowship empowers participants to design and implement qualitative methods addressing program-specific questions and deepen their contextual understanding of social inclusion and resilience dynamics.
Fellowship Highlights:
- Collaborate with peers using systems thinking tools to understand inclusive resilience dynamics.
- Design learning questions, qualitative inquiry processes, and tools tailored to address program-specific questions.
- Conduct qualitative inquiries within your program, including data collection, analysis, team application of learning, and tool refinement for broader use.
- Join a robust Alumni Network committed to creative, collaborative, and critical innovation in inclusive resilience-focused qualitative inquiry.
Who Should Apply?
Pairs working within the same program are encouraged to apply:
- Applicant 1: Focus on gender, youth, and/or social inclusion components.
- Applicant 2: Specialization in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and/or Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA).
The cohort is targeted at implementers working on Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)-funded Emergency Programs and Resilience Food Security Activities (RFSAs) in Africa.
What is Expected of Participants?
Fellows’ programs will fund travel costs associated with attending the in-person workshop in Zimbabwe. Engage in three months of activities, including virtual preparatory meetings, a 5-day in-person workshop, biweekly virtual meetings, mentorship calls, and a virtual learning event. Complete an inclusive resilience-focused qualitative inquiry within your program.
Time Commitment:
- Virtual Preparatory Meetings: 2-3 Weeks, 2.5 hours per week
- In-Person Workshop in Zimbabwe: 5 Days, 8 hours per day
- Virtual Follow-Up Meetings: 6-8 Weeks, 1.5 hours per week + time for a qualitative inquiry project
Fellowship Timeline:
- Application Launch: December 6, 2023.
- Application Deadline: January 12, 2024.
- Pre-selection calls with leadership: January 15-25, 2024.
- Fellows notified: January 26, 2024.
- Virtual preparatory sessions: March 4-22, 2024.
- In-person workshop in Zimbabwe: March 18-22, 2024 (Dates subject to change).
- Bi-weekly online meetings post-workshop.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can programs outside of Africa apply? The fellowship is currently for African implementers in English-speaking cohorts. Future cohorts will expand to other regions and languages.
Can I apply as a single applicant? Applications are only accepted from pairs working within the same program.
Can non-BHA funded programs apply? USAID-funded programs outside of BHA may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Can I apply as a group of three? Group applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply:
Download the application form, complete it with your co-applicant and senior leadership team12, and submit it to gayacultivatefellowship@gmail.com by January 12, 2024, at 5 pm Eastern Time.
For any questions, reach out to gayacultivatefellowship@gmail.com.
Don’t miss this opportunity to cultivate inclusion for food security and make a lasting impact in your community! Apply for the Cultivate Fellowship today.