Continuing my series on reflective thoughts and insights from the Lazord Fellowship, I will be discussing its four main components in detail:
1. Training Sessions
2. Placement
3. Mentorship
4. social research
1-Training Sessions
The training sessions take place weekly on Thursdays at the American University in Cairo. They are delivered by academic experts and development practitioners specializing in community development and civil society. This adds significant value to the training, as it is conducted by professionals with extensive practical experience. We explore various topics through their real-life experiences, supported by examples from the field.
These sessions broaden our understanding of numerous topics, making us aware of the broader context of developmental and humanitarian work. The training covers a wide range of subjects, including project management, budget creation, monitoring and evaluation plans,and data analysis. These topics prepare us to work effectively in NGOs.
Additionally, the fellowship provides life skills training, enhancing our abilities in teamwork, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and interaction with supervisors to foster a healthy work environment. I often describe this as a "knowledge explosion" because, as a young person passionate about community development, these valuable sessions satisfy my intellectual curiosity and solidify my understanding of the fundamentals of developmental and humanitarian work, making me well-equipped for the field.
2-Placement
During the fellowship, each fellow spends a year with an NGO in Egypt, which could be an international or local organization, a UN agency, or an international cooperation entity. This experience is a complete immersion into the developmental field, with fellows working full-time four days a week, gaining practical experience and field exposure.
The placement is a significant opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during training sessions. The hosting organizations are selected through a matching process at the beginning of the year. Lazord Fellowship's extensive reach in Egypt's civil society ensures a diverse range of hosting organizations, including international and local NGOs and UN agencies.
Fellows choose their host organizations based on their interests, with various fields of focus such as refugees, women's economic and social empowerment, gender issues, youth empowerment, education, climate and environmental issues, among others.
3-Mentorship
The fellowship offers an incredible opportunity for mentorship from experienced professionals in the development and humanitarian fields. Mentorship is a highly enriching experience, as having a mentor to share their expertise can save a lot of time in reaching goals. It helps in setting priorities and planning future steps. For me, this has been an invaluable and beneficial experience, especially since I had never had a mentor before the Lazord Fellowship.
4-social research
This is a new experience, particularly for those who studied in scientific faculties or haven't engaged in academic research during their studies. Conducting research is a requirement for completing the fellowship. Fellows work in teams of three to produce a research paper on societal issues that can be addressed through developmental and humanitarian work. Prior to the research process, there is comprehensive training on conducting social research, formulating research questions, reviewing literature, and data collection and analysis. The fellowship also provides a research mentor to guide us through our research journey to produce a quality paper.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts where I will discuss each component in more detail. I encourage you to apply for the fellowship through this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhpT2vk7CkNvasp83NJhf0CorVa2Lyg1w1NNzH_ZGfgeq0LA/viewform
John D. Gerhart Center AUC
Lazord Foundation-مؤسسة لازورد
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2024-2025 Lazord Fellowship Application for FellowsIf you are a visionary leader, who aims to generate ideas for social change in areas such as education, women’s rights, social entrepreneurship, youth, corporate engagement, and human rights, we encourage you to apply!
Program description:
The Lazord Fellowship partners are pleased to announce the opening of applications to become a 2024-2025 Lazord Fellow. As a Lazord Fellow, you would be joining a multi-dimensional program that seeks to empower its fellows to develop a critical understanding of civic engagement, and to improve their leadership and technical skills for their future careers in all sectors. The program achieves its mission through offering mentoring, providing job opportunities in organizations striving to advance the common good, and creating enriched educational opportunities.
The first Lazord Fellowship began in Egypt in 2010. It currently has chapters in Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Greece working with over 50 organizations. The fellowship is a yearlong regional program that includes a chance…