Are you a Palestinian or Israeli social entrepreneur with a proven track record of making a positive difference in your community and a passion to both improve your respective societies and the region as a whole?

Conducted in partnership between Search for Common Ground and Outward Bound (see descriptions of organizations, below), The Israeli-Palestinian Young Social Entrepreneurs Program offers you an exciting and rewarding experience of professional guidance, training, and mentoring to advance your skills to excel as a leader in your field.

The program includes:
*       One nine-day outdoor wilderness expedition overseas (early 2009)
*       Two four-day retreats overseas (late spring and early summer 2009)
*       Leadership, conflict resolution, and communication training and mentoring
*       Opportunities for professional networking and project building

To be eligible applicants must:
*       Be between 25 to 40 years old
*       Be Israeli or Palestinian and currently living in the region
*       Be of average fitness (example: walking for 30 minutes three times per week)
*       Have a valid passport and be able to travel abroad
*       Speak English
*       Be willing to share experiences with other participants
*       Commit to the entire program (be able to take necessary time off from work/school)
*       Be open and willing to take risks, learn, and develop
*       Have a strong personal vision that can inspire others
*       Be creative, persistent, and committed to social change on a large scale
*       Have minimum of 2-3 years of demonstrated experience implementing innovative solutions to social challenges.

To apply:
*       Download application here
*       Deadline for submission: October 31, 2008.  Late applications will not be accepted.
*       Potential candidates will be contacted for further interviews.
*       Send applications and/or questions to: ysep@sfcg.org

All applications are treated with complete confidentiality. Applications will not be returned at the end of the selection process and no further use will be made of them. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

Program Partners
Search for Common Ground
Founded in 1982, Search for Common Ground works to transform the way the world deals with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving.  We have been working in the region since 1991 with local partners to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to deal with conflicts constructively: to understand the differences and act on the commonalities.  For more information, visit www.sfcg.org.

Outward Bound Peacebuilding
Outward Bound Peacebuilding applies the principles and methodology of experiential education to the work of conflict mitigation and reconciliation. By applying a proven technique and pedagogy employed by Outward Bound to develop outstanding leaders and teams for over 60 years and in more than 30 countries around the world, Outward Bound Peacebuilding programs bring together individuals of diverse ethnic, religious and political backgrounds to develop leadership, forge positive relationships, build trust and understanding, and address the causes of instability and conflict with respect and empathy in a safe, structured environment. The successful transference of the Outward Bound experience to the participants' everyday world is addressed by providing a long-term context for relationship-building to occur over time with the support of a local partner, and within a framework that encourages and allows meaningful cross-conflict cooperation to develop and yield positive results.  For more information, visit www.outwardboundpeace.org.

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship support social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale influence on critical challenges of our time: environmental sustainability, health, tolerance and human rights, institutional responsibility, economic and social equity, and peace and security. These issues are at the heart of the foundation’s vision of empowering people to create a peaceful, prosperous, sustainable world. Within these issues, we are particularly interested in applications from social entrepreneurs working in five critical sub-issue areas that threaten the survival of humanity – climate change, nuclear proliferation, global pandemics, conflict in the Middle East and water scarcity.

Skoll social entrepreneurs are innovators who have tested and proved their approach, are poised to replicate or scale up their work to create equilibrium change and engage others with a message that resonates with individuals whose resources are crucial to advancing these solutions. The Skoll Awards are designed for leaders who contribute value to a peer network committed to continuous learning. By telling their stories, they join in the foundation’s ongoing celebration of the power of social entrepreneurs.

The Skoll Awards provide later-stage, or mezzanine, funding, which is generally structured as a $1 million award paid out over three years, subject to payment limitations described below under Budget Guidance. In most cases, the grant is provided for core support to help organizations expand their programs and capacity to deliver long-term, sustainable equilibrium change. The Skoll Awards are not intended for new or early-stage programs or initiatives. Programs submitted for consideration should have a track record of no less than three years. In addition to core support, the Skoll Foundation supports the participation of Award recipients in the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship.

Deadline for Applying:
Applications are accepted and reviewed on a year-round basis, with successful applicants receiving initial funding installments shortly after decisions are made. Regular deadlines (listed below and updated regularly) assist us in managing the internal review process for these applications, a process that takes a minimum of six months to be completed. Awards will be presented publicly at a ceremony at the Skoll World Forum, which occurs at the end of every March in Oxford, England.

Please note the following application deadlines:

• November 4, 2008
• February 10, 2009

Click here to read the award guidelines, or download them in PDF format.


Eligibility Criteria
How to Apply
Eligibility Quiz
Online Application and Instructions

The Skoll Foundation’s mission is to advance systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs are proven leaders whose approaches and solutions to social problems are helping to better the lives and circumstances of countless underserved or disadvantaged individuals. By identifying the people and programs already bringing positive changes to communities throughout the world, the Skoll Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact and fundamentally improve society.

Americans for Informed Democracy, the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship and GOOD magazine cordially invite you to The Social Innovators Awards.

Date & Time
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
6:30pm Cocktail reception
7:15pm Awards program
8:45pm Dessert and coffee

Location
One Pace Plaza, Lower Manhattan, New York, NY

Innovator in Smart Investing
Bill Drayton, Founder and CEO, Ashoka
Presented by Justin Rockefeller, Co-Founder of Generation Engage

Innovator in International Development
Helene Gayle, President and CEO, CARE USA

Innovator in Global Understanding
Judith McHale, Managing Partner, GEF/Africa Growth Fund
Presented by Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair, Ernst & Young
 
TO LEARN MORE AND PURCHASE TICKETS:
www.aidemocracy.org/Innovators2008.php

More on the Awards
The Social Innovator Awards celebrates leaders who are taking entrepreneurial approaches toward social change and thereby making our world a better, safer place. This year's honorees are business executives and non-profit leaders whose leadership offers a fresh and innovative approach to solving today's most pressing global challenges. The awards night will also honor two young innovators in social responsibility. These young leaders symbolize the promise of the next generation to build on today's social innovation.
 
The awards night is hosted by Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), in partnership with the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and GOOD magazine. AID empowers young people in the United States to address global challenges such as poverty, disease, climate change, and conflict through awareness and action. We promote just and sustainable solutions at the campus, community and national level.

The Skoll Foundation announces that November 4, 2008 is the next deadline for receipt of applications for the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship.

As always, we are looking for social entrepreneurs whose work has the potential for large-scale positive change in the areas of tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and economic and social equity. 

Within these issues, we are particularly interested in applications from social entrepreneurs working in five critical sub-issue areas that threaten the survival of humanity – climate change, nuclear proliferation, global pandemics, conflict in the Middle East and water scarcity.

Award winners are celebrated at the annual Skoll World Forum following their selection, at the end of March in Oxford, England.
 
You can read the Award Guidelines, take our eligibility quiz and fill out an application on our Web site.
 
Future deadlines will be posted to the Skoll Foundation website as they become available.

The Women PeaceMakers Program (at the University of San Diego Joan B Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice) is an annual selective program that allows four women on the frontlines of efforts to end violence and secure human rights to have their stories documented. For details on becoming a peacemaker in residence or a peace writer that will document a peacemaker's story please visit the Women PeaceMakers page.

Now Accepting Applications for the 2008 Women PeaceMakers Program 

Becoming a Woman PeaceMaker

• 2008 Women PeaceMakers Application (Word Document)
• 2008 Women PeaceMakers Application (PDF)

Becoming a Peace Writer

• 2008 Peace Writer Application (Word Document)
  
• 2008 Peace Writer Application (PDF)

WorldLink offers specialized high school internship programs during the fall, spring, and summer semesters at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (IPJ). WorldLink interns have the opportunity to explore WorldLink topics in a more in-depth manner than other student conference delegates. Interns take a regional or topical approach on pressing issues that will be further explored at the Youth Town Meeting (YTM), which is held annually in January at the University of San Diego (USD). More information.

Summer Internship

Unlike the Fall and Spring semester internship program, the Summer program offers high school youth the unique opportunity to research and create the WORLDLINK READER, a classroom tool that provides youth with the important background knowledge regarding YTM topics. The Reader is distributed to over 30 classrooms in San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico.

The student-chosen 2008-2009 WorldLink theme is "On the Brink: Responding to Underlying Causes of Conflict." Youth will discuss the embers fanned in the fires of violent conflict and actions which need to be taken on the ground to address these. The 2008 summer interns will research five main topics to create the WorldLink Reader: gender inequality, global racism and religious intolerance, lack of economic development, xenophobic nationalism.

WorldLink interns will work closely with the program coordinator in weekly mandatory meetings at the institute. Most research will be done at the student’s home and all interns will come together once a week to review research progress, discuss current events, and watch theme-related movies.

WorldLink summer internships are highly competitive research opportunities for youth interested in international relations. Small scholarships will now be awarded to accepted interns. All high school students are strongly encouraged to apply. Internships will begin the week of June 16 and end August 14 with a formal research presentation to institute staff, parents, and WorldLink donors. The corrected deadline is Friday, May 23, 2008.

• Download an application form
• Review other materials

Established in 2003 the International Peace and Development Training Centre specializes in providing advanced and expert training programs for governments, UN staff, policy makers, conflict parties and leadership, field workers, local and national organisations, and staff of international agencies.

Systemic Peacebuilding
Trainers: Kai Frithjof Brand Jacobsen
Date: August 26th – 28th, 2008
Location: London, UK
Deadline for Applications: Friday, August 15th, 2008

Read the full program outline
Apply Now!

Systemic Peacebuilding: Enhancing Effectiveness and Impact in Crisis Management and Prevention, Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding is one of the new three-day Executive Leadership Programs (ELP) jointly designed by the Department of Peace Operations of PATRIR and the International Peace and Development Training Centre for government policy and decision-makers, EU and UN agencies, international organizations, analysts and field organizations.

The program will:

• Provide a concise overview and Policy and Practice Framework of Systemic Peacebuilding designed for policy makers and practitioners;
• Provide a forum for exchange of best practices and dealing with current conflicts and crisis amongst a highly experienced group of practitioners and policy makers;
• Explore best practices and lessons learned in applied peacebuilding and conflict transformation together with senior staff and practitioners from around the world;
• Deal with current global conflicts and crisis facing your organization and policy makers internationally;
• Improve the effectiveness and quality of your programs and policies;
• Present an integrated approach to peacebuilding and conflict transformation with tools used by the Department of Peace Operations in its Systemic Peacebuilding methodology;
• Develop effective conflict and peacebuilding strategic planning, mapping and integrated approaches skills;
• Develop tools to assist your organization/institution/agency for short, medium, and long term engagement in peacebuilding and conflict transformation programmes.

For online registration, please access www.patrir.ro/training
Or contact Zsuzsanna Kacso at zsuzsa@patrir.ro

Established in 2003 the International Peace and Development Training Centre specializes in providing advanced and expert training programs for governments, UN staff, policy makers, conflict parties and leadership, field workers, local and national organisations, and staff of international agencies.

Transformative Mediation
Trainers: Kai Frithjof Brand Jacobsen
Date: August 29th – 30th, 2008
Location: London, UK
Deadline for Applications: Friday, August 15th, 2008

Transformative Mediation is a two-day program designed for senior policy makers, mediators and practitioners from governments, EU and UN agencies and international organizations, and international and national organizations facilitating mediation and peacemaking processes.

The program will:

• Provide a confidential high-level forum for discussing real challenges and issues facing mediators and those involved in complex negotiations and peace processes, including both formal, official processes and back channel negotiations
• Present an Integrated Framework and Applied Methodology for Transformative Mediation in current complex and protracted conflicts developing more effective and practical applied mediation skills
• Address the links, gaps and opportunities in multi-track peacemaking, peacebuilding and mediation
• Deal with concrete experiences of applying mediation in practice addressing current conflicts/crises
• Tackle shortcomings in national and international interventions in conflicts
• Propose methods for improving practice and addressing conceptual and practical gaps in current mediation and peacemaking practice

For online registration, please access www.patrir.ro/training
Or contact Zsuzsanna Kacso at zsuzsa@patrir.ro