The Aspen Institute seeks nominations for one-year non-resident advocacy and media coaching program for development leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Michelle Geis Wallace mgeis@burness.com /+254 711 326 770
Andrew Quinn andrew.quinn@aspeninst.org /+1 202 736 2291
Washington, DC, September 7, 2021 – The Aspen Institute’s New Voices Fellowship today announced a call for nominations for the 2022 Fellowship class, seeking rising global development leaders who want to advocate for change and are eager to bring fresh perspectives on current issues and policy making decisions.
The Aspen New Voices Fellowship offers development experts from across Africa, Asia and Latin America a year-long program of advocacy training, media support, research and writing coaching under the guidance of experienced mentors and trainers.
The fellowship seeks exceptional individuals from countries that are underrepresented in global development conversations. The ideal candidates are people who live and work in the communities they serve, have specific advocacy and policy goals in mind, and who are prepared to strengthen and amplify their public voice to advocate for the positive changes that they want to see at home and abroad.
For example, amid the global health crisis (COVID-19), New Voices Fellows from diverse disciplines and geographies provided critical insights and policy suggestions for governments and health authorities around the world, discussing everything from the ethics of clinical trials and vaccine equity, to preventing violence against women during lockdowns and heading off a pandemic-driven food crisis in Africa.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we are badly in need of real change in development strategies, and the champions who can make these changes happen,” said New Voices Director Andrew Quinn. “New Voices is looking for experts who are closest to the challenges and who can point us toward resilient, locally-driven solutions.”
New Voices will select a total of 15-20 Fellows for its 2022 class. Fellows can specialize in a range of development subjects including, but not limited to, infectious and non-infectious disease, public health, food security, mental health, development economics and governance, health and human rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights and climate change.
Application to the Fellowship is by nomination only through the program website at www.aspennewvoices.org/nominations/. The nomination period will close on October 20, 2021 and the incoming class will be announced in December 2021.
Over the course of a year, New Voices prepares Fellows to become recognized thought leaders, helping them enhance their voices, insights and advocacy rooted in experience on the ground. They receive focused training on advocacy strategy and tactics, as well as training to support: speaking at major public events; writing conversation-starting op-eds and thought-provoking pieces for major outlets; and building their social media presence. The Fellowship is non-resident, but includes travel to training workshops as well as opportunities for travel to select international conferences. In 2022, this travel will be contingent on health considerations, and some of the training sessions will be delivered remotely. (Please refer to the FAQs for more on the impact of COVID-19 on this year’s Fellowship.)
New Voices Fellows have had their work featured in media sites ranging from the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and Al Jazeera to the Project Syndicate, Africa Report, and AllAfrica.com. Fellows have been interviewed by news organizations including the BBC, CNBC, and National Public Radio (NPR), appeared in a host of influential media outlets throughout Africa and South Asia, and been invited to speak at events including TED and the Aspen Ideas Festival.
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The New Voices Fellowship
The New Voices Fellowship at the Aspen Institute is a groundbreaking initiative designed to bring more expert voices from the developing world into the global development discussion. Launched in 2013, and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Open Society Foundations and other funders, the New Voices Fellowship is part of the Aspen Global Innovators Group. For more information, visit www.aspennewvoices.org.
The Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.