U.S. Department of State Grant: Caucasus Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Baku, Azerbaijan announces an Open Competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects that design a community engagement and leadership program focused on community service, action planning, conflict resolution, and social entrepreneurship for youth (ages 20 to 24) from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia.

The project will entail a summer exchange in the United States for 60 college- and immediate-post-college-aged youth (approximately 20 from each participating country) that community-minded youth can use to promote and foster values related to civic education, leadership development, conflict resolution, and civic engagement. Following a three-day pre-departure orientation in their home countries that will prepare the participants to constructively engage with peers from other cultures, the groups will travel to the United States for an eight-to-ten-week exchange program. The program should include a rigorous seminar and leadership academy that provides participants with training in areas such as: entrepreneurship, negotiation, conflict resolution, community service, and action planning, followed by internships with U.S.-based community organizations.  The program should culminate in Washington, D.C. Upon re-entry to their home countries, participants will be expected to implement community projects supported by active mentorship from the recipient organization. The recipient organization should also facilitate an alumni network and a regional alumni conference.  

Program Objectives:

Projects should be designed to achieve the following:

Objective 1: Participants acquire leadership, social entrepreneurial and community engagement skills to foster regional cooperation through scalable and financially sustainable social projects within their local communities.

Objective 2: Participants form and sustain an alumni cohort poised to substantively engage on issues related to social cohesion, conflict resolution, and reconciliation within their region. 

Objective 3: Participants demonstrate their acquired skills through the execution of socially minded projects – including those with a social-entrepreneurship element – in their home communities.