Applications for the Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) programme are now open! Find out more about the eligibility criteria below and apply by 30 November.
The CEE Programme is a dynamic global network of innovators working with communities to address critical issues of the 21st century. CEE equips dedicated visionaries with the experience, skills and resources to develop multi-sectoral approaches and build healthy, engaged communities in more than 100 countries.
A transformational leadership development experience, CEE is a one-year programme designed to enable civil society leaders aged between 21 and 28 to harness the power of networks, relationships and information for the public good, specifically on issues related to civic dialogue and peacebuilding, open and participatory government, women and gender, resilience and sustainable development, and youth engagement.
The bag's components include:
- Three-month internship in the United States: IREX matches CEE fellows with civil society organisations in the United States. Supervisors and assigned colleagues support the fellows during a three-month practical professional internship.
- Leadership and Civic Engagement Academy: CEE fellows explore the programme's themes through an interactive curriculum that includes service learning, face-to-face training, mentoring, professional training and inclusion in a global network.
- Community Involvement Project (CEP): With the help of their host organisation and mentors in the US, CEE fellows design and plan a community involvement project to carry out after they return home. After the fellows leave the US, they put these projects into action in their home communities.
- Exchange of community involvement projects (CEP): Selected US hosts and CEE experts will travel to the country of a CEE alumnus and work collaboratively to support the implementation of the scholar's project and bring back what they have learnt to strengthen communities in the United States or in their home country.
Application information
Applications for CEE fellowships are now open! Applications are open until 30 November.
If you have any questions about the application, see the document Frequently Asked Questions of the CEE Programme (PDF, 275 KB) or send an e-mail to apply.CEE@irex.org .
Eligibility requirements
The competition for the CEE Programme is based on merit and open to emerging civil society and community leaders who meet the following criteria:
- Age 21-28 at the time of enrolment;
- Citizen of one of the eligible countries listed below;
- Currently living and working in their country of origin at the time of enrolment;
- Special consideration can be given to individuals living in another country who have refugee status and are working on behalf of their community of origin.
- Have at least two years' professional or voluntary experience working on community or civil society issues at the time of application;
- Working in a community engagement initiative in their home country, either as a professional or volunteer, with a demonstrated intention and vision to pursue a career working to support civil society or in the civil society sector;
- Able to start the CEE Programme in the United States in 2024;
- Able to receive an American J-1 visa;
- Committed to returning to their country of origin upon completion of the programme and the implementation of a community-based project; e,
- Proficient in written and spoken English at the time of enrolment.
- The semi-finalists will be required to take a Duolingo English test
Individuals in the following circumstances NOT eligible for the US-based CEE Programme:
- American citizens and/or permanent residents in the United States;
- Individuals participating in academic, training or research programmes in the United States or other countries at the time of application;
- Individuals residing or working outside their country of origin at the time of application, unless the individual is a refugee or has special refugee status and is working on behalf of their country/community of origin;
- Individuals who have participated in an exchange programme sponsored or funded by the US government (e.g. Public Affairs Section of the US State Department, US embassies or other US government agencies) who have not fulfilled the two-year home residence requirement by the time of application ;
- Individuals who have applied for permanent residence in the United States in the last three years; and
- Other criteria to be determined in consultation with the ECA, including public health-related status based on guidance from federal agencies at the time of application.
Financial aid
The programme covers the cost of most of the expenses associated with:
- J-1 visa support
- Return journey from the participants' hometown to the USA
- Monthly allowance to cover housing, meals and other expenses while in the USA and
- Accident and sickness benefits
Qualified countries by region
Africa: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
East Asia and the Pacific: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu and Vietnam
Europe and Eurasia: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and West Bank/Palestinian Territories
South and Central Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Western Hemisphere : Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela
For more information: https://www.irex.org/program/community-engagement-exchange-program-application-information
