Hosting a Legislative Fellow can be an enriching and beneficial experience for an organization and its employees. The Fellow will not only work on existing projects but share his/her best practices, experiences, and insight in a manner that fosters mutual growth for all involved. Host organizations also have the opportunity to create and deepen international connections, especially through reciprocal fellowships. In the following fellowship class, the host organizations are encouraged to send an employee as a Legislative Fellow to strengthen and maintain its international relationships.

Eligible Organizations

U.S. organizations in Arkansas, Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota and West Virginia are eligible to host Fellows from Latin America or the Caribbean. Organizations in Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua or Paraguay are eligible to host Fellows from the United States.

All Host Organizations must meet one of the following criterion:

• Municipal, state and federal governments
• Civic education organizations
• Citizen advocacy groups
• Political parties
• Election monitoring organizations
• Other organizations engaged in transparency, anti-corruption, citizen advocacy, and citizen participation efforts

Benefits of Hosting a Fellow

• Have access to highly trained international professionals who can provide support for your project.
• Build cross cultural relationships so that your organization can more effectively address issues of democracy and governance internationally.
• Foster a beneficial exchange by sharing professional expertise and providing professional development for both your staff and the Fellow.
• Have the opportunity to continue strengthening partnerships by sending eligible professionals abroad from your organization as Fellows for three weeks.

Responsibilities of a Host Organization:

• Be able to host a Fellow during one of the class time periods, as explained below.
• Ensure a substantive scope of work for the Fellow that will enable professional development.
• Provide the Fellow with a professional mentor and amiable work environment.
• Provide the Fellow with a work station.
• You will not be responsible for the Fellows’ salary during the time of their Fellowship.

Fellowship Classes

Partners’ program will foster integration, mutual understanding, and continuity through four fellowship classes.

Classes I & III will consist of 18-19 Latin American and Caribbean Fellows who will travel to Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, West Virginia and Wisconsin for a five week fellowship. The fellowship classes will travel to Washington DC at or towards the end of their fellowships to participate in a Professional Fellows Congress where they will be able to meet with other professionals from around the world to discuss and exchange ideas. Classes II & IV will consist of U.S. Fellows from throughout the country that will travel abroad to one of the Latin American or Caribbean countries for a 3 week fellowship. Fellowship Travel Schedule Each class of Fellows will travel according to the following schedule: Class I – Spring 2012 Class II – Summer 2012 Class III – Fall 2012 Class IV – Winter 2012-13

If your organization is interested in hosting a Fellow, please submit the Host Organization Application with a draft work plan for the prospective Fellow. Program staff will work with your organization to match a Fellow based on his/her qualifications and your organization’s needs. Once a Fellow has been identified, the work plan may be adapted. Please do not hesitate to contact program staff with any questions or concerns. 

Apply Now to be a Host Organization!