Applications for the 2017 Humanity in Action Fellowship programs are now open!
We invite applications from students and recent graduates of U.S. colleges and universities who are passionate about active and responsible citizenship, diversity and human rights. Current sophomores, juniors and seniors as well as graduates from the undergraduate classes of 2015 and 2016 are eligible. Applications for students and recent graduates from European universities will open in late fall. The deadline to apply to these programs is January 4, 2017 at 11:59pm PST.
The European Programs
In 2017, the Humanity in Action Fellowship programs will take place in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Sarajevo and Warsaw. Intensive and demanding, the Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of college students and recent graduates to explore national histories of injustice and resistance—including the political foundations of racial hierarchies, Antisemitism, Islamophobia and colonial domination—as they affect different minority groups today.To learn more about the European programs, click here. To view last year's fellowship agendas, click here. Questions? Visit our FAQ or contact us.
Fellows in the Paris program of the Humanity in Action Fellowship.
The American Program
In 2015, Humanity in Action and The National Center for Civil and Human Rights launched the John Lewis Fellowship in Atlanta, Georgia.
The John Lewis Fellowship honors U.S. Representative John Lewis, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. In its first two years, the program explored the history of the Civil Rights Movement, diversity and minority rights in Atlanta. In its third year, the John Lewis Fellowship is expanding to focus on restorative justice in Atlanta.
The four-week inquiry and resulting blueprint for restorative justice will involve a multidisciplinary approach. Fellows, speakers and staff will produce a blueprint – "An Appeal for Human Rights and Restorative Justice" for the city. They will explore keys issues and subjects including education, health, the law, urban and residential planning, police practices, local and state government, religious institutions, and the arts.
Humanity in Action is proud to partner with The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Inc., to develop this important program and is deeply grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its generous support provided through The Center.
To learn more about the American programs, click here. To view last year's fellowship agenda, click here. Questions? Visit our FAQ or contact us.
Fellows in the John Lewis Fellowship at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.
Humanity in Action's Mission and Network
Humanity in Action Fellowship programs seek to educate, connect and inspire the world's future leaders to be responsible citizens in the broadest range of fields – government and diplomacy, journalism, entrepreneurship and trade, grassroots activism, academia and culture and the arts.
Upon successful completion of these programs, Fellows will join the global network of over 1,600 Humanity in Action Senior Fellows. As Senior Fellows, they are eligible for advanced professional and educational opportunities, such as fellowships in the United States Congress and the European Parliament and study trips to Detroit, Berlin, Athens and elsewhere.
Humanity in Action's Expectations of Fellows
The Humanity in Action Fellowship programs provide opportunities for collaborative learning. They are not suitable for those who restrict themselves to narrow or dogmatic world views. Rather, these programs are designed for those who seek to enrich and broaden their knowledge and skills with various and often conflicting perspectives. The programs are testing grounds for thinking anew with others about complex issues of diversity in historical and contemporary terms. The programs focus, through educational seminars and site visits, on vulnerable populations and the unfulfilled goals of just democratic societies. The programs do not engage in on-the-ground training for political activism, although some programs emphasize campaigns to fight prejudice through social media.
Applicants should know that the programs are intensely challenging on intellectual, social and emotional levels. Full-time commitment is required from every participant during the four weeks of the program. The groups in each country represent, on a small scale, the larger societies to which individuals belong. We expect respectful debate and dissent as minority opinions are aired. To probe these matters and engage in learning and growth, the programs expect and require maturity, openness, hard work and a generosity of spirit from each of the Fellows.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us at admissions@humanityinaction.org.