Are you a self-starter with an interest in mediation and dispute resolution? Do you find learning on your own enjoyable? Do you like to travel and volunteer abroad to change the world? For the 2024–2025 Insight Fellowship Program, applications are being accepted. With the help of an Insight Fellowship, outstanding people may further their careers and personal development while studying and advocating for conflict resolution at non-profit organizations abroad.
The Fellowship provides assistance to enterprising people who have a strong interest in conflict resolution and who aspire to improve organizational performance via team building, research, and fostering important connections in the industry. Upon completion of the year, fellows possess enhanced proficiency in conflict resolution, substantial practical experience, and heightened self-awareness, positioning them to pursue their interests as global citizens in both their personal and professional spheres.
The first three-month placement is held in Concord, Massachusetts, at the offices of Insight Collaborative and its sister organization, Insight Partners. During this placement, Fellows undergo rigorous training and coaching in communication, negotiation, and mediation theory and skills. Fellows put learning into practice by observing and assisting Insight Partners consultants and also gain access to Insight’s network of academics and practitioners. During this period, Fellows often volunteer to support local conflict management organizations and pursue additional training they may need for their placements, such as language lessons.
The remaining nine months typically include three foreign placements, which the Fellows design and arrange during their Concord placement, with guidance from Insight Collaborative. Each Fellow identifies a broad theme upon which they will focus during their Fellowship, such as conflict and the environment or methods of creating trust.
Within a month of their return from their final placement, Fellows submit a written paper and provide a presentation on their Fellowship experience to Insight Collaborative. Each fellow is expected to submit journal entries to the Insight Collaborative blog during their placements.
Benefits:
- The Insight Fellowship includes a US $30,000 expense allowance for the entire year, provided by their generous donors. Each Fellow pledges to “refill the pot” for the next fellow through fundraising and sponsorship by the end of the calendar year in which the Fellowship ends.
Eligibility:
To be eligible, you must be:
- A graduate of an accredited college or university or set to graduate prior to the start of the Fellowship.
- Committed to serving 12 consecutive months from the start of the Fellowship.
- Dedicated to “refilling the pot” for the next fellow.
- Fluent in English.
- Experience related to conflict management or alternative dispute resolution is preferred, but not essential.
Application:
To complete the application, you will need to submit:
- Your resume/CV
- Post-secondary educational records and transcripts
- A personal statement
- A proposal for how you will use your Fellowship, including desired placements
- Short paragraphs describing your cultural experience, your interest in alternative dispute resolution and the challenges you foresee during the Fellowship
- Three letters of recommendation
- Photograph of you (optional)
