Entries open for IREX Community Solutions Program

CSP includes a four-month hands-on U.S. practicum, personalized leadership coaching and training through a graduate level leadership curriculum, and a six-month follow-on community project fellows implement in their home country.

Benefits

• Community leaders will be selected to participate in the program that includes:
  • Four-month fellowship in the United States: Community Solutions fellows are matched with host organizations throughout the U.S. where they complete a four-month, hands-on professional practicum to advance their technical skills and expertise
  • Community Leadership Institute: Community Solutions fellows participate in the Community Leadership Institute, a graduate-level leadership curriculum designed to strengthen their leadership and management skills. The Institute includes face-to-face trainings, online courses, professional coaching, and networking
  • Community-based initiatives: While in the U.S. and with the support of their U.S. host organization, Community Solutions fellows design and plan a community development initiative or project to carry out after they return home. Once the fellows depart the U.S., they implement a six-month follow-on project in their home communities

Cost Covered

• The program covers the cost of most expenses associated with:
  • J-1 visa support
  • Round-trip travel from participants’ home city to the U.S.
  • Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals, and other living expenses while in the U.S.
  • Accident and sickness health coverage
  • Accessibility accommodations, such as ADA accessible rooms for in-person training, software such as JAWS, and community assistance and community training

Eligibility Criteria

• In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the applicant will immediately be disqualified.
• You are between the ages of 26 and 39
• You are a citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below
  • You are living and working in your home country
• Individuals with refugee status working on behalf of their home community may be given special consideration
• You have at least two years of experience working on community development, either as a fulltime or part-time employee or volunteer
• You are not currently participating in an academic, training, or research program in the U.S.
  • You have a high level of proficiency in spoken and written English at the time of application
• Finalists and alternates will be required to take an English Language exam or submit recent scores for TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo language exams.
• You are not a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and have not applied for U.S. permanent residency within the past three years
• You are eligible to receive a U.S. J-1 visa
  • Applicants who have participated in an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Government must have fulfilled their two-year home residency requirement
• You are committed to returning to your current home country for a minimum of two years after completing the program
• You are not a current IREX employee or consultant, or their immediate family member

Eligible Countries 

• Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
•  East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, and Vietnam
• Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Türkiye, and Ukraine
• Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and West Bank/Palestinian Territories
• South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
• Western Hemisphere: Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Uruguay

Selection Criteria

• After the deadline, all eligible applications will receive a preliminary review by CSP staff before being shared with a selection panel that consists of CSP alumni (not from the applicant’s country of citizenship), representatives from CSP U.S. partner organizations, and technical experts.
• Applicants who pass the preliminary and reading review stage and meet the criteria listed in the application materials will be identified as semi-finalists and invited to complete a recorded interview and submit a CV.
• Finalists and alternates will then be selected.
• Final acceptance into the program will depend on the individual’s (or applicant’s) performance on an English exam unless finalists meet certain exemption requirements.

For more information, visit IREX.