U.S. Office of Palestinian
Affairs

2023 Community Engagement Exchange

The U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem Announces

2023 Community Engagement Exchange

 

 

Deadline: November 30, 2022

The Community Solutions Program (CSP), sponsored by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and implemented by IREX, is a fully-funded program that supports emerging community leaders, ages 21-28 from around the world working at nexus of public, private, and non-profit sectors to address issues of public concern and improve the quality of community. Through a three-month exchange in the United States, follow-on community engagement projects and robust alumni programming, CEE equips the next generation of civil society leaders to develop sustainable, multisector solutions to community challenges in 100 countries.

 

Program activities:

• Fully-funded professional practicums at U.S. community-based organizations for three months;
• Comprehensive civic engagement and leadership curriculum Service-learning opportunities in U.S. host communities;
• Mentorship from global civil society experts and support with a follow-on community engagement project;
• Sustained collaboration with global civil society and alumni network.

 

Candidate Qualifications:

• Applicants must be between the ages of 21-28 as of November 30, 2022;
• Applicants must have at least two years of professional or volunteer experience at the time of application;
• Applicants must be living and working in their home country at the time of application;
• Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration);
• Applicants must be working on a community project in their home country, either in a professional or volunteer capacity, with a vision to pursue a career working to support civil society;
• Applicants must have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application
• Semifinalists will be required to take or submit previous scores from a TOEFL or IELTS English language exam and must receive or show proof of a minimum TOEFL score of 68, IELTS score of 6.0, or a Duolingo English Test score of 95;

UNCLASSIFIED

• Applicants must be available to travel to the U.S. for three months from approximately January to April 2024; • Applicants must not be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and not applied for U.S. permanent residency within the past three years; • Applicants who have participated in an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Government must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement; • Applicants must be committed to returning to their home country to apply their experience and complete a Community Engagement Project (CEP).

 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT The program covers the costs associated with: • J-1 visa application• • Round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the United States • Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals, and other living expenses while in the United States • Accident and sickness insurance

 

Application Guidelines and Deadlines:

Applications must be submitted online at https://cee.irex.org by November 30, 2022.

 

For questions or other inquiries:

Jerusalem and West Bank Applicants should contact JerusalemExchanges@state.gov for more information. Gaza Applicants should send an email to Jrsgazaexchanges@state.gov for more information.