FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 23, 2014
Atlas Corps Launches the Emerging Global Leaders Initiative-Atlas Corps Fellowship
a partnership with the U.S. Department of State to advance the President’s Stand with Civil Society agenda
“When citizens are free to organize and work together across borders to make our communities healthier, our environment cleaner, and our world safer, that’s when real change comes.”
-President Obama (Remarks during Clinton Global Initiative, September 23, 2014)
New York/Washington, DC—Atlas Corps will partner with the U.S. Department of State, as part of President Obama’s Stand with Civil Society agenda, to bring 100 of the world’s up and coming social change-makers to the United States on leadership development fellowships. The announcement was made during the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) event in New York as part of the United States Government commitments. Atlas Corps CEO, Scott Beale, attended CGI to launch the partnership. The Emerging Global Leaders Initiative-Atlas Corps Fellowship (EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellowship) is a long-term investment in the strengthening of the global civil society sector. EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellowship will engage 100 of the world’s emerging civil society professionals (EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellows) in a 12-month professional fellowship in the United States. EGLI builds on the State Department’s growing commitment to exchange programs and the successful Atlas Corps track record on professional exchanges.
Atlas Corps Founder & CEO, Scott Beale, offered this reflection to the announcement:
“Since we launched in 2006, the U.S. Government has been an important partner in our international exchange program. Now, we are proud that the U.S. Department of State will provide an official mechanism for Embassies and Consulates around the world to disseminate our call for applications. The EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellowship unites forces to multiply our ability to provide opportunities for professional development to more civil society leaders from around the world.”
Program Components
The Emerging Global Leaders Initiative-Atlas Corps Fellowship, building on the established Atlas Corps model, will consist of three essential elements:
• Full-Time Service in the United States: Each Fellow will serve full-time for 6 to 18 months in established organizations in the United States to share skills and learn new perspectives.
• Participation in Professional Development: Each Fellow will participate in 200-hours of Global Leadership Lab—in-person and virtual training on the key principles of nonprofit management.
• Enrollment in Global Network: Each Fellow will enroll in the growing Atlas Corps Alumni network, State Department’s ExchangesConnect, numerous other networks to link the talents of these inspired individuals.
Fellow Perspective
Our first female from South Sudan, Lucy Poni (Host Organization: Voice of America), started her Fellowship in August 2014. Lucy is supported through a special partnership between Atlas Corps and the U.S. Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. She shared her perspective on this leadership opportunity:
“It is inspiring to be an Atlas Corps Fellow as an emerging professional from South Sudan. It is not every day that you get a chance to share knowledge, gain new skills, and join this global network. I am humbled and ready to bring these new skills home to improve the foster a people-oriented reporting and further the advancement of my people and my own country!”
U.S. Department of State Details
Excerpt from official media release:
The U.S. Department of State and Atlas Service Corps (Atlas Corps), a leadership development program that brings young professionals from the social sector to train in the United States, are partnering to bring 100 emerging leaders and social change activists from around the world to the United States. through the Emerging Global Leaders Initiative (EGLI)-Atlas Corps Fellowship.
The EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellowship advances President Obama’s Stand with Civil Society Agenda, launched in September 2013 as a global call to action to support, defend, and sustain civil society amid a rising tide of restrictions on its operations globally. Working in partnership with other governments, the philanthropic community, and multilateral initiatives, the U.S. Government has focused on three lines of effort over the past year: (1) promoting laws, policies, and practices that foster a supportive environment for civil society in accordance with international norms; (2) coordinating multilateral, diplomatic pressure to push back against undue restrictions on civil society; and (3) identifying innovative ways of providing technical, financial, and logistical support to promote a transparent and vibrant civil society.
Get Involved
There are opportunities for individuals and organizations to join this exciting new global initiative. (click blue headers for more details):
• Apply to Be an EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellow. Opportunity is applicable to emerging civil society leaders who are non-U.S. citizens with a university degree and less than 35 years of age. Applications are open now at apply.atlascorps.org.
• Host an EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellow. Opportunity open to organizations (nonprofit, private, and government) with an office located in the United States. More than 100 organizations have already hosted Atlas Corps Fellows including American Express Foundation, American Red Cross, Ashoka, BRAC USA, CARE, Habitat for Humanity, McKinsey & Co, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, UN Foundation, U.S. Peace Corps, and many more!
• Volunteer to Support EGLI-Atlas Corps Fellows. You can support the development of this exciting initiative. There are in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities open to people throughout the world.
To Learn More
What is your idea to forward the development of the Emerging Global Leaders Initiative? Are you interested in keeping up to date on the latest developments? Sign up here!
To receive updates, register at: http://bit.ly/AtlasCorpsEGLIInterestForm
For more information, please contact: emergingleaders@atlascorps.org
