[KROC] IPJ WPM Fellowship Application 2022-2023

Key Information

Applications will be accepted until June 24, 2022 at 11:59pm PST.

The health of our partners and community is our top priority, and the dates and format of the Fellowship are subject to change as COVID-19 conditions change around the world. The intention is to welcome Fellows to San Diego as part of this Fellowship, but it is possible that the Fellowship will be conducted entirely online if it is not possible to travel and gather safely. We will communicate with the selected Fellows to assess health and safety risks.

For twenty years, the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (Kroc IPJ) at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School has hosted the Women PeaceMakers Fellowship program. The Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for women peacebuilders to engage in a cycle of learning, practice, research, and strengthening peacebuilding partnerships through participation. The Women PeaceMakers Fellowship facilitates impactful collaborations between women peacebuilders from conflict-affected communities and international partner organizations. The Fellows also co-create research intended to shape the peacebuilding field and highlight good practices for peacebuilding design and implementation.

Throughout the Fellowship with the Kroc IPJ, selected Fellows will:

Learn from and with other Fellows and the Kroc School team;
- Learn about the Fellowship and past Fellows
Gain new skills, perspectives, and innovative approaches to peacebuilding
Expand their professional peacebuilding networks
Drive forward vital peacebuilding research that focuses on shaping practice and policy
- Read past research from the Fellowship

Fellowship Dates: September 2022 - July 2023

Date of Residency at the University of San Diego in the United States: November 30 - December 14, 2022. These dates are subject to change depending on the COVID-19 pandemic and Fellows’ travel requirements.

Fellows will receive a stipend of USD $5,000 plus expenses for their participation in the program.

2022-2023 Theme

Women working to address chronic violence at the national level

This year the Kroc IPJ will select four Fellows who are addressing chronic violence with a focus on national-level action.

For the purpose of this Fellowship, the Kroc IPJ hopes to recruit Fellows who work to address the intersection of multiple forms of violence, with a focus on national-level policy and action.

Chronic violence is a long-term phenomenon, and efforts to reduce violence should be interdisciplinary and holistic in nature. Contexts of chronic violence can exist everywhere, even in communities not considered to be experiencing armed conflict. For instance, Syria and Yemen have experienced chronic violence, but Brazil, Mexico, and Sri Lanka have as well.

Chronic Violence:

Is provoked and reproduced by multiple factors, such as social inequality, uneven democratization, or gender inequality
Becomes embedded in social spaces, undermines social relations, and prompts destructive behaviors
Obstructs and undermines public engagement, citizenship, and social support for democracy.

This year’s Fellowship focuses on national-level policies, strategies, and programs to address chronic violence. Potential Fellows may be working within government, civil society, or academia.

To be considered, candidates must have the following experience:

Experience of at least five years working to address the intersection of multiple forms of violence and how they reinforce each other, with a focus on national-level policy and action
Direct experience in their local peacebuilding contexts
Ability to participate in all activities during the year-long Fellowship and apply what they learn after the residency program
Direct experience in implementing programs, activism, or policy related to addressing chronic violence
Sufficient English language proficiency to relate personal experiences and engage in discussions with a multi-country cohort
Have experience or interest in conducting research.

1) Residency

Dates: Fellows will be based at the University of San Diego in the first two weeks of December 2022. However, the health of our partners is our top priority, and the dates for the in-person components of the Fellowship are subject to change as the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic change.

Location: Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego in San Diego, USA

Who: Four selected Fellows and Kroc IPJ Research Team

Focus: During this residency, the Fellows, the University of San Diego community, and the broader San Diego community will learn from and with each other. Together this group will share ideas, strategies, and knowledge on how to end cycles of violence locally and globally.

2) Learning Lab

Dates: Two days during the Residency (exact dates to be determined)

Location: Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, San Diego, USA

Who: Four Selected Fellows, International Partners, and the Kroc IPJ team

Focus: Selected Fellows will work with the Kroc IPJ team to identify International Partners with whom they would like to work collaboratively over the course of the Fellowship. Once four International Partners are selected, they will join the Kroc IPJ team and Fellows for a retreat during the Residency to collectively build out, inform and drive forward research on this year's areas of focus. This group will also gather to strengthen partnerships between the International Partners and Fellows.

3) Conducting Research

Dates: After the Learning Lab through July 2023

Location: Fellow’s country of residence and virtually

Who: Fellows, International Partners, and Kroc IPJ research team

Focus: Strengthening partnerships between International Partners and Fellows; gathering additional data/evidence on this year's research focus, and developing and driving forward the applied research outputs. Fellows will be provided funds to conduct research in their own contexts, which will inform the final research report.

4) Participating in Public Events

Dates: Throughout the Fellowship

Location: At the University of San Diego and virtually

Who: Fellows, International Partners, Kroc IPJ research team, and University of San Diego students

Focus: Fellows will be invited to speak at a range of events (these are subject to change based on COVID-19 health and safety requirements), including:

Annual Women PeaceMakers event
A student-focused event at the University of San Diego
Presentation to a class of graduate students as part of a Gender, War, and Peacebuilding course
Launch events to disseminate the final research
Other events as appropriate.

Public events at the Kroc IPJ featuring the Women PeaceMakers will be recorded and shared on social media. Please let Kroc IPJ staff know if you have any safety or security concerns around publicity or public broadcasting before the Residency. We understand that security conditions can change quickly, so please keep Kroc IPJ staff informed about any security concerns you have during the Fellowship as well.

5) Requirements and Expectation of Fellows

1) Fellowship Activities and Outputs

Fellows are expected to engage in all of the Fellowship's activities and drive forward the research process. These activities include the public events described in the “Participating in Public Events” section.

2) Identify and collaborate with International Partners

One of the most important goals of the Fellowship is to work with International Partners to exchange ideas and identify strategies to build more effective local/global collaborations to drive forward impact. Fellows will work with the Kroc IPJ staff to identify an International Partner and bring them into this program. Together, the International Partners and Fellows will collaborate during an intensive Learning Lab Retreat in San Diego, work virtually, and co-implement data collection and report dissemination.

3) Conduct original research

Throughout the Fellowship, the Kroc IPJ will capture critical insights into how women are leading efforts to address chronic violence at the national level. This process involves conducting data collection through interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other tools in the Fellow’s country of origin or residence. This research will inform the final research report and will also serve as the foundation of a case study specific to the Fellow’s country of origin or residence.

4) Travel for the residency

Applicants should expect to be involved with full-time program activities throughout the two-week residency and should not schedule any conflicting engagements elsewhere in the US or overseas. An unscheduled absence from the Residency may result in the Fellow losing her Fellowship.

Housing will be provided at La Casa de la Paz, "The House of Peace," on the campus of the University of San Diego in California. The Casa is a private residence adjacent to the IPJ, on the grounds of a beautiful garden that overlooks Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Each woman will have a private bedroom in a two-room apartment (suite) to share with one other international Woman PeaceMaker. The apartments are spacious, featuring a kitchen, living room, television, computers, and 1 1/2 bathrooms. Selected peacemakers will have the opportunity to rest and reflect in this beautiful, peaceful and supportive setting.

5) Become a member of the Kroc IPJ Women Waging Peace network

Upon completing the Fellowship, Fellows will become part of the 1,000+ member Women Waging Peace network. The Kroc IPJ-based network provides a range of benefits to members.

If at any point the selected Fellow does not meet or follow the requirements and expectations listed during her Fellowship, the Kroc IPJ has the right to revoke their Fellowship.

Women PeaceMakers Fellowship

Application for 2022-2023

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