Swedish Institute (SI) Leader Lab 2020

Application Deadline: 4th December 2019

Are you a civil society leader in South Asia or the MENA region? Are you working for a more gender equal world? SI Leader Lab is a programme for advocates of gender equality who wish to grow in their role while exploring new tools and forms for collaboration. Apply to SI Leader Lab if you want to grow as a leader, develop your advocacy skills and share knowledge in a network of inspirational peers.

SI Leader Lab 2020 will bring together 50 young influential civil society leaders in South Asia, the MENA region and Sweden who are active advocates of gender equality. The overarching objective is to strengthen leaders who are working for gender equality.

The programme is an opportunity for you to develop your advocacy skills and work on strategic outreach within your focus area. It’s also an opportunity to grow as a leader, exchange experiences, form new connections and to try out innovative tools and methods with peers working in a similar context.

SI Leader Lab is a blended learning programme that runs over five months, mixing online meetings with two separate assemblies in Sweden. Work in smaller learning groups will be combined with sessions that include all participants. The training is founded on experience-based and collaborative learning and will allow you to explore real challenges and areas of development for your own organisation in an innovative and supportive environment.

SI Leader Lab will give you:

Personal insights as a leader: how to lead yourself and others through increased self-awareness and increased understanding of group development.
An opportunity to explore effective advocacy methods that will help you shape and reach out with a message to intended audiences.
The possibility to share and build knowledge in a network of experts, to inspire each other and share experiences on common challenges.
Insights on how to expand your networks – and how to use networks as support in your work.

Requirements:

You can apply to SI Leader Lab if you:

Have a leading position (formal or informal) in a civil society organisation or network working for gender equality.
Work in a collaborative setting, where you have a leadership role (formal or informal).
Are between 22 and 32 years old (born 1987–1998).
Have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
Are a citizen of Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia or Yemen.
Are available to take part in all parts of the programme.
Are prepared to forward competences and knowledge you gain from the programme to your team, organisation or other relevant actors.

Programme timeline

The programme, spread over five months, mix online meetings with three weeks of intense training divided into two separate assemblies in Sweden:

Module 1: Online (approx. 10 hours, dates to be confirmed)
Module 2: Two weeks onsite in Stockholm, Sweden. 27 May –7 June 2020
Module 3: Online sessions and implementation (approx. 40 hours, dates to be confirmed)
Module 4: One week in Sweden (location and dates to be confirmed). October 2020.

The programme in Sweden will be with full-day schedule and several evening activities. Selected participants will have to commit to participating in all activities.

Benefits

Costs covered and arranged by Swedish Institute

Training and content
Accommodation, food and domestic transport during the programme
Flight tickets to and from module 2 and 3 in Sweden
Insurance covering acute illness and accident when in Sweden
Visa expenses exceeding 500 SEK (approx 50 USD)

Costs covered and arranged by you

Domestic travel / airport transfer in your home country
Visa expenses below 500 SEK (approx 50 USD)

Application Procedure:

Only applicants who have submitted a complete application will be considered for the programme. These are the steps in the application process:

Download and fill out the SI Leader Lab application form
Go to the application portal
Upload the completed application form in English
Upload an updated CV in English
Upload a letter of recommendation*
Upload a photo (not compulsory).

* The letter of recommendation (no more than 500 words) should be from a person who knows your work in the field of gender equality. The letter should motivate your participation in the programme with reference to the selection criteria; the letter should preferably be in English but could also be submitted in French or Arabic. We prefer that you use our template for the letter of recommendation, but it’s not compulsory. Templates are available in English, French and Arabic. We may contact the reference persons of the applicants who are selected for an interview.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Swedish Institute (SI) Leader Lab 2020