Gordon Global Fellowships
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Background and purpose:
In 2005, the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation launched a new programme of grant making called Global Citizenship. One objective of this programme is "to build the capacity of youth-driven initiatives (1) to understand key development, governance and security challenges and relevant policies and (2) to engage in the pursuit of practical, just and sustainable solutions."
In 2006, as a complement to its grant making activities, the Foundation initiated the Gordon Global Fellowship programme. The fellowship programme is targeted towards young and emerging leaders in Canada who have demonstrated a commitment to international issues. The fellowship provides financial as well as other forms of support that enable recipients to deepen their understanding of global policy issues.
Bios and projects of current and past fellows can be found here.
Fellowship objectives:
- To celebrate the commitment of young Canadians to global issues;
- To identify emerging Canadian leaders with the potential to make a constructive contribution to Canada's role in the world;
- To enable emerging leaders to further and deepen their understanding of a specific global policy issue;
- To support and encourage emerging leaders to develop and advance creative and innovative approaches to global challenges.
A long term goal of the fellowship is to develop a cadre of Canadians with a deep understanding of global policy issues who will exercise leadership roles whether in non-governmental organizations or the private or public sectors.
Components of the fellowship:A. Financial support:
- A cash award of $20,000 will be provided
to each fellow and paid in
installments.
B. Matching with a mentor:
- Each fellow will identify and be matched
with a mentor who has deep
and extensive
experience in the policy field chosen by the fellow.
C. Networking opportunities:
- Fellows will be provided with opportunities
to network with other
fellows, mentors,
policy-makers and Foundation advisors and associates.
D. Charitable grant:
- A grant of $5,000 will be provided
to a fellow's employer if the
organization is
a registered Canadian charity.
Criteria and Fellowship Activities
Applicants must meet the following conditions at a minimum.
Eligibility criteria:- Canadian citizens or permanent residents between 24 - 35 years of age ;
- At the minimum, an undergraduate degree;
- At the minimum, one year of full-time work experience;
- Previous international experience whether on a paid or volunteer basis. This criteria will also be met by applicants who were born and raised abroad;
- Not pursuing full-time studies during the course of the fellowship (September 2009 to August 2010).
Selection criteria:
In addition, successful candidates are selected based on the following:
- A sustained commitment to global issues as evidenced by a blend of formal studies, career choices and volunteer activities;
- A proven track record in participating in collaborative projects and in seeking creative solutions to identified problems;
- An interest in public policy-making as an effective and concrete way to affect positive global change;
- A statement of intent that identifies a relevant global issue and describes the applicant's learning objective(s), the kind of activities that would be undertaken during the course of the fellowship, a proposed budget and expected outcomes;
- An ability to communicate effectively the relevance and importance of the proposed project;
- The strength of the two letters of reference.