A Network of Students Collaborating and Advocating for Youth Health and Development Worldwide
To Apply:
Send a short statement of purpose and your CV to akili@akiliinitiative.org
The Akili Initiative is a student movementadvocating for improved health and development of youth worldwide. By fostering innovation and collaboration among students, the Akili Initiative is constantly seeking to further its reach and engage with a more diverse group of youth interested in global health. After an exciting initial period of success – including publishing dozens of articles, being named a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment, and gaining recognition as an Ashoka Youth Venture – Akili plans to further build upon this vision through instituting a new Fellows Program.
Akili Fellows will be the next generation of advocates for youth health and development. We will select highly motivated and dynamic global health leaders atuniversities around the country and around the world. Fellows should have a strong commitment to global health issues, particularly child and youth issues,and be deeply engaged with initiatives on his or her campus.
Fellows will have many opportunities to contribute to the growth of Akili. At a minimum, each Fellow must be able to commit to the following responsibilities:
- Identify student projects, research, and initiatives on campus and connect them to the Akili network
- Organize at least one advocacy event on their campus and/or a nearby high school raising awareness about the year’s youth-related theme
- Conduct one survey on campus related to the year’s theme as part of Akili’s‘Youth Pulse’ initiative
- Disseminate knowledge about Akili’sglobal health resources, opportunities, and competitions
- Solicit at leastfive articles to publish on the Akili site relevant to the year’s theme
In addition, while not required, fellows are highly encouraged to attend Akili’s annual summit, which includes the following (location TBD):
- Participation in youth advocacy training workshops
- Close interaction with guest speakers and leaders in youth advocacy
- Engagement in team-building and leadership activities
- Having fun and networking with other fellows
In addition to benefiting from being recognized as an Akili Fellow, each individual chosen for this role will be given the opportunity to engage with the Fellow Network through webinar sessions. These conversations will allow the future leaders of global health to interface with each other to challenge, inspire, and teach their peers about their work and research.
The Akili Fellows will enjoy unique access to key stakeholder partners in global health. As a recognized block of leaders, the feedback and ideas of the Fellow Network will be sought by organizations committed to developing curricula and research opportunities for youth.
Finally, the Fellows will also play a critical role in visioning work regarding the future of Akili. In addition to webinar and networking sessions, Akili will host quarterly conference calls where Fellows come together to discuss Akili’s progress and how the Initiative could better serve to help develop the future generation of global health leaders.
Target Populations and Goal Outcomes
Target:
- Undergraduate or graduate-level students on campuses
- Preference given to participants outside of the United States and Canada
- Strong background in global health
- Demonstrated leadership skills
- Demonstrated enthusiasm for youth work and collaboration
Required Time Commitment:
- Six-month commitment required, with strong preference for fellows who can commit to one full year.
- 2-5 hours of work per week.
- Participation in the quarterly fellows meetings via phone or Skype
- Weekly check-in with Fellow Program Director
Goal Outcomes for Participants
- Build core competencies to become a leader in youth advocacy
- Learn how to leverage social media to share projects and ideas and to keep abreast of cutting edge developments in the field
- Network with a diverse Fellow Network to create opportunities to collaborate on current and future projects
