We are pleased to issue this call for applications for the 2019 Oak Human Rights Fellowship, sponsored by the Oak Institute for Human Rights at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. The Oak Institute for Human Rights Fellowship provides a one-semester activist-in-residence opportunity for a human rights activist operating in difficult or dangerous circumstances to come to Colby College, one of America’s outstanding liberal arts colleges, for respite from front-line duties and reflection. In doing so, Oak strives to educate the campus and extended community about the work being done by our Fellow. Thus, we are writing to ask your help in identifying the Oak Fellow for the fall of 2019 whose work falls within the theme of Water and Human Rights.
Each year, we target our search for a human rights activist either regionally or functionally. The focus of this year’s search is water and human rights. In this call, we are looking for a human rights activist who is committed to exposing and/or addressing human rights violations or abuses in relation to water. These might include, for example: the privatization of water for profit; the destruction, contamination, and pollution of water resources; the denial of sanitation infrastructure, supporting the spread of disease; environmental racism; and the legal or illegal violation of communities’ water sovereignty.
The Oak Fellow will receive a stipend of $33,000, plus round-trip transportation from the Fellow’s home, housing, transportation, and meals on campus. In the period from mid-August to mid-December, the responsibilities of the Fellow include regular meetings with students through a one credit, non-graded discussion class. Additionally, the Fellow works with Colby faculty to shape a lecture series or symposium on their human rights interest. The Fellow participates in the intellectual life of the campus, providing Colby students the opportunity to work with an internationally recognized human rights practitioner.
In conducting our annual search, we rely heavily on nominations from NGOs, journalists, human rights lawyers, and academics – you are most likely to know of the work of on-the-ground professionals. Since your organization has been active in the field of human rights, we would like to solicit your help. Please submit nominations to us as soon as possible. We will contact your nominee(s) and suggest that he or she apply; but we also hope you will encourage your nominee to apply directly. Your nomination letter(s) will become part of the applicant’s file, underscoring your recognition of this person’s important contributions to human rights activism. The deadline for completed applications is November 30th, 2018.
Please feel free to forward this announcement to individuals or groups that might be interested or might help us locate excellent candidates. If you have any questions, you can reach us at (207) 859-5304 or at oakhr@colby.edu. For more information, you can access our website; we call your attention to the frequently asked questions section to clarify terms and eligibility. We underscore that the fellowship is for an individual who needs a break from the intensity of front line work. It is not a training program for someone at the earlier stages of human rights work; nor is it a traditional academic sabbatical. Final selection will be announced no later than April 12, 2019.
Oak Institute for Human Rights | Colby College
5300 Mayflower Hill
Waterville, Maine 04901 U.S.A.
Contact:
oakhr@colby.edu | +1- 207-859-5304
Website: https://www.colby.edu/oakinstitute/