United Nations Academic Impact Student Essay Contest

Posted on October 23, 2013 by RedFoxx

Deadline: February 21, 2014
Open to: students, 18 years and older, who are enrolled in a course of study at a college or university
Prize: Winners will be invited to New York for an International AcademicImpact Youth Forum, June 25-29, 2014. They will present theirwork in a Conference at the United Nations Headquarters on June 27, 2014. Airfare, room and board provided.

United Nations Academic Impact Student Essay Contest Rules

The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), in collaboration with ELS Educational Services, Inc., (ELS) invites students, 18 years and older, who are enrolled in a course of study at a college or university, to participate in an essay contest on the theme “Many Languages, One World.”

The essay should relate to ideas of global citizenship and understanding and to the role that linguistic abilities and felicity can play in fostering these. Entries, of up to 2000 words in length should be in an official language of the United Nations that is not the mother tongue of the entrant or the principal medium of instruction in his or her education. The official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Entries should be uploaded to the website ManyLanguagesOneWorld.ELS.edu by 21 February 2014. An institutional representative will have to attest that the entrant is a student of the institution, in good standing, and that the essay is written in a language that is not the institution’s primary language of instruction and is the original, unaided work of the entrant.

A panel of judges will decide upon a total of sixty student winners of the competition—ten in each of the six languages. The winners will be invited to New York in 2014 to participate in a series of events between June 25 and June 29, 2014. These events will include a youth forum on the 10 principles of the United Nations Academic Impact, multilingualism and global citizenship at United Nations Headquarters, preceded by a preparatory students’ conference at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York. Programmes of touristic sightseeing and recreation will also be arranged by ELS Educational Services.

ELS will pay for roundtrip economy class fares in carriers of its choosing between the entrants’ home city and New York, and be responsible for the entrants’ travel, room and meals from their arrival on June 25th until their departure on June 29th, 2014. No extensions of stay or early arrivals will be possible. Entrants are responsible for all documentation relating to their journey, including passports and visas and the costs related to these, as well as appropriate medical insurance for their journey and stay in the United States.

All winners will be given certificates of participation by ELS, signifying they have won the Student Essay Contest arranged in cooperation with the United Nations Academic Impact.

While the entrants shall retain the rights to their essays, by participating in the contest they grant ELS and the UN a worldwide, exclusive, royalty-free, and irrevocable license to use the content of the essays in whole or in part. In addition, the entrants grant ELS permission to photograph, record, and videotape all activities during the conference. These recordings and photographs will become the property of ELS for didactic use at their discretion, in all media, in perpetuity, to promote multilingualism and global understanding. The entrants also grant the United Nations permission to photograph, record, and videotape all activities during the conference. These recordings and photographs will become the property of the United Nations.

June 25-29, 2014
Winners participate in a 5 day International Youth Forum in New York and present at United Nations Headquarters on June 27th

Submit an essay (2000 words or less) exploring how multilingual ability advances global citizenship and understanding. Your essay should reflect your academic, cultural, and national context.

Entries must be in one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations that is not the entrant’s mother tongue or language of instruction. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.

Essay Submission Deadline: February 21, 2014

Submission Form

The International Youth Forum, Ukraine

Posted on October 19, 2013 by RedFoxx

Deadline: 19 November 2013
Open to: all NGOs around the world
Venue: 30 November- 1 December in Lutsk (Ukraine)

Description

The International Youth Forum in Lutsk (Ukraine) will take place on 30 November- 1 December . The Forum organizers aim to create the conditions necessary for the exchange of experience and cooperation between youth organizations around the world. Within two days of the Forum various presentations, discussions, trainings and tours around the ancient city of Lutsk will be held. The organizers will provide participants of the Youth Forum with meals and accommodation, as well as interpreters and a guide for each delegation.
The Forum agenda is quite rich, consisting of the Forum events and competitions among the participants. The program will determine the winners in the following categories : “Best presentation of the NGO” , “Best Video Clip of the NGO” , ” Best Poster of the Event “and others. The winners will receive gifts or financial rewards .

The program of the Forum is a series of round tables with the guests of honor of the event. Together with the participants of the forum they will discuss current issues that apply to young people and common European future.
Special attention will be paid to the discussion of the European integration processes and Association Agreement with the EU. These topics are to increase the competence of the youth in relations between the EU and Ukraine. We understand the importance of them and fully support initiatives that contribute to the convergence of Ukraine with the EU.

Official languages are Ukrainian and English. The International Youth Forum in Lutsk is an opportunity to gain new experience and learn about new solutions for the development of your organization and establish necessary contacts for the future cooperation with other organizations. In addition, it is a good opportunity to visit the ancient Ukrainian city with nearly a thousand years of history.

So, we invite youth organizations of various orientations to join the International Youth Forum in Lutsk and present your organization internationally.

The Lutsk Forum will be a kind of XXI-century congress of young monarchs like back in 1429 when Lutsk hosted a congress of European monarchs.

The International Youth Forum organizer is the “Youth Platform ” NGO .

Costs

Participation in the Forum is free and voluntary. The organizers will provide meals and accommodation.

Eligibility

Participation in the Forum is open to non-governmental organizations around the world, initiative groups, some public figures. Documentary papers of the organization are not required to participate. Further information is here (The Forum Regulations)

Application

The International Youth Forum in Lutsk (Ukraine) is open until 19 November 2013. Participation in the Forum is open to non-governmental organizations around the world, initiative groups, public figures. You don’t necessarily have to be a registered institution, but you can be a group of social activists etc.

Please complete the application form AVAILABLE HERE and attach essay ( “Your event within the Forum” , ” Link to the video ” and ” Presentation of the NGO ” ).

1. “Your event within the Forum” should contain the following information:

– Description of the event that will be held as part of the competition. Please indicate the requirements from the organizing committee for its implementation.

“Link to the video” should contain the following information:

– Link to the video that represents your organization or to the project video of your organisation (preferably include a link to the Youtube service)

3. “Presentation of the NGO” should contain the following information:

– Description of your presentation (up to 5 min ) or presenting it in an electronic format for viewing by the organizing committee.

Further information can be found on the application form AVAILABLE HERE

For any additional questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Oleksandr Shvets e-mail: olek-shvets@ukr.net , tel: +380953805092

Thiel Fellowship Program Invites Applications From Young Entrepreneurs – “20 under 20”

Posted on October 18, 2013 by RedFoxx

Thiel Fellowship Program Invites Applications From Young Entrepreneurs

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel has announced that his Thiel Foundation is accepting applications for a new class of “20 Under 20” Thiel Fellows.

Thiel Fellowships provide two-year grants of $100,000 to twenty people under 20 years of age so that they can leave the classroom and pursue innovation.

Since the Thiel Fellowship began in 2011, more than sixty young people have been awarded fellowships for project ideas in fields ranging from nuclear and alternative energy, to robotics and biotechnology, to finance, 3-D printing, gaming, and software.

During the two-year fellowship, the Thiel Foundation and its network of mentors provide guidance and support to help fellows build their scientific, technical, and entrepreneurial ideas. While fellows are expected to work on their innovative ideas full-time, they determine their own specific paths; this might mean starting a company but could also mean doing freelance work, developing a social movement, interning at another company, or pursuing research and development independently.

Although applicants may already have an idea for a scientific, technical, or nonprofit innovation, Thiel Fellowships are not limited to those with established companies or developed innovations. Teams of up to four may also apply.

To be eligible, candidates must be 19 years old or younger as of December 31. Candidates from around the world are encouraged to apply.

Fellows are encouraged to move to the San Francisco Bay Area for the opportunities and resources that the area provides. However, fellows are welcome to work on their projects from any location. Fellows are asked to take two years off from college so that they can fully focus on their projects without the time and expense of college.

Complete program guidelines, application procedures, and information on previous fellows’ projects are available at the Thiel Fellowship Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program for high school seniors

Posted on October 18, 2013 by RedFoxx

DEADLINE: Midnight CST, January 9, 2014

Honoring the legacy and character of our nation’s 40th President, the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program rewards college-bound students who demonstrate exemplary leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship with financial assistance to pursue higher education.

Each year, the Program selects numerous recipients to receive a $10,000 scholarship renewable for up to an additional three years – up to $40,000 total per recipient. Awards are for undergraduate study only, and may be used for education-related expenses, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, and board. In addition, Scholars are invited to participate in a special awards program.
To be eligible for this award, applicants must:
• demonstrate at school, at the workplace, and within the community the attributes of leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship;

• demonstrate strong academic performance (minimum 3.0 grade point average/4.0 scale or equivalent);

• demonstrate financial need;

• be citizens of the United States of America;

• be high school seniors attending high school in the United States, or any of the U.S. territories and commonwealths and graduating in winter 2013 or spring 2014. Applicants living on a U.S. Armed Forces base and attending high school outside the U.S. are eligible. Home-schooled students who are graduating in winter 2013 or spring 2014 are also eligible.

• plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate course of study toward a bachelor’s degree at an accredited four-year college or university in the United States for the entire 2014-2015 academic year.
In addition, semifinalists must be nominated by an eligible community leader, such as a high school principal, elected official or executive director of a nonprofit organization, and must provide documentation to certify academic performance and financial need. Finalists will be interviewed via Skype or telephone by a member of the selection committee. Learn more about the qualifications of a GE-Reagan Foundation Scholar or download a GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program flyer here.

Qualified candidates may apply online starting October 15, 2013 through January 9, 2014 or until 25,000 applications are submitted, whichever comes first. To be considered for this award, candidates must complete the secure online application and all of its components prior to the deadline. Deadline extensions will not be granted, and incomplete applications will be disqualified. Materials submitted in hard copy prior to the semifinalist stage will not be considered and will be discarded. Only the first 25,000 completed applications will be considered.
Applicants who have questions about the application process may contact the program’s administrator, Scholarship Management Services, at 1-507-931-1682 and ask for the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program or email
ge-reagan@scholarshipamerica.org . Applicants should anticipate a response to inquiries within one business day. Personnel at GE and The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation cannot address applicant questions.