Background
The Human Rights Center [1] encourages residents of the Upper
Midwest, including students, teachers, lawyers, other professionals, community
activists, and newly emerging leaders, to undertake opportunities for practical
experience related to international human rights. In early April 2010, the Human
Rights Center will award approximately twenty grants for transportation, lodging,
and food expenses while working with a human rights organization relevant to
the purposes of the Center as described below. In principle, placements will
average at least ten weeks, although this period will vary according to the
individual needs of participants and host organizations.
The Human Rights Center was established in 1988 at the University
of Minnesota. The Center fosters study, applied research, curriculum development,
practical training, documentation, dissemination, and outreach on many aspects
of international human rights. The term "international human rights" describes
those civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights guaranteed by
the International Bill of Human Rights [2] and other international instruments.
[3]
The Fellowship Program is designed to promote those rights
by providing practical training, on the one hand, and assistance to host organizations,
on the other. Fellowships will also foster links between communities in the
Upper Midwest and human rights concerns and activities throughout the world.
Participants are expected to return with a deeper commitment to a lifetime of
work in human rights as professionals, community leaders and activists, teachers,
and volunteers. Grant recipients should also plan to bring these international
human rights experiences home through creative presentations and outreach initiatives
in their local communities in the Upper Midwest.
The human rights movement itself
can benefit greatly from collaboration among individuals from different social,
economic, and cultural origins, and those persons with both rural and urban
backgrounds. The Center has received generous support from the Otto Bremer Foundation,
the Ford Foundation, the Mansfield Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the
Medtronic Foundation, the John Merck Fund, the Laura Jane Musser Fund, the Open
Society Institute, and other donors.
Awards
Awards will ordinarily range from $1,000 to $4,500, with grants averaging
about $3,200. Fellowship money will help pay transportation, lodging, and
food expenses incurred during the fellowship
period, but will not support the family of the grantee. Grants may be used
for the summer or during a similar period of the fall, winter, or spring.
Applicants are encouraged to apply to other funders for additional support,
if needed. If you are a university student, check what other programs your university
may sponsor.
Eligibility
Applications are encouraged from residents of the Upper Midwest with a particular
focus on Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Applicants
must submit with their application a written commitment from the proposed sponsoring
organization indicating that the organization will accept the fellow if funding
can be arranged. The placement must relate to the purposes of the Human Rights
Center, to the applicant's experience and training, and to the applicant's future
goals. Applicants must have adequate proficiency in the relevant languages.
Types of Placements
Applicants are encouraged to arrange placements outside the United States, but
placements with local, regional, or national organizations will be considered,
so long as there is a significant human rights aspect to the organization's
work. In writing to any organization, the applicant should make clear that the
funding has not yet been decided. The applicant should ask if the organization
would be willing to accept them if funding can be arranged by the University
of Minnesota Human Rights Center.
Individuals who receive fellowships should be integrated into the regular work
of the host organization, so that the applicant learns how the organization
functions and assists in their work. This program does not provide an institutional
setting to pursue academic projects or papers. Fellowships constitute a subsidy
to the receiving organization. Hence, the Human Rights Center will consider,
inter alia, the nature of the work pursued by the proposed host organization.
Past projects [5] have focused on many aspects of human rights
work, including providing direct assistance to survivors of human rights abuses
and their families, documenting human rights abuses, assisting asylum applicants,
lodging complaints with international bodies, providing medical care to refugees
and torture survivors, and organizing public awareness campaigns.
The Human Rights Center will organize an orientation session for participants
undertaking international placements before their departure. This preparatory
training will address such issues as witnessing human rights abuses, interviewing
survivors, adjusting to new living conditions and cultural situations, and issues
related to re-entry.
The Selection Process
A primary criterion for selection is a demonstrated interest in, and commitment
to, the promotion of international human rights. One goal of the program
is to deepen the understanding of international human rights in US communities. To further this goal,
applicants will be required to propose how they plan to bring their human rights
experiences home, whether through teaching, volunteer projects, public speaking,
slide shows, or other community activities.
A subcommittee of the Human Rights Center's Advisory Board
will select the grant recipients. Awards will be determined by considering an
individual's qualifications and interests together with the needs of the supervising
organization. Announcements of fellowship grants will be made the beginning
of April 2010.
Application Procedures
Applications must be received by Friday, February 27, 2010 by 4:00 pm CST. Click here to access the application. Please contact the Human Rights
Center (612-626-2226) or email hrfellow@umn.edu if you have any questions.
Reporting Requirements
Within a month of completing the project, the grant-recipient will submit a
report to the Human Rights Center. The report will describe the activities
undertaken, an assessment of the value of the experience for the individual's
training, and a brief accounting of how the grant monies were spent. Participants
should also request a letter from their supervisor in the host organization
evaluating their work.
For More Information
You are welcome to contact the University of Minnesota Human Rights Center
at any time. You may also stop by the office, located
in
room N120 of the University of MN Law School. The Human Rights Center
Office is open
Monday - Friday (9 am - 5 pm).
Phone: (612) 626-2226 or (1-800) HREDUC8
E-mail: hrfellow@umn.edu
Postal Address:
U of M Human Rights Center
Fellowship Program
Mondale Hall, Suite N120
229 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
