The Local Pathways Fellowship is one of the world's leading training and research programmes on Sustainable Development Goal 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities for young urban leaders. It offers the knowledge and resources needed to enable them to take local action for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda in their localities. The core component of the Fellowship is a practically oriented training programme that guides Fellows through the development of a project of their choice - from local community initiatives to political change. The programme is supported by multiple partners who contribute their thought leadership, advice and access to opportunities - the SDG Cities Guide, MIT Solve, World Urban Campaign, Milan Urban Food Policy Law, UN-Habitat, Alliance for Peacebuilding and the World Federation of United Nations Associations are among them.
The Fellowship recently expanded its team to increase the support and guidance provided to its fellows. The team has been steadily working on polishing the programme's curriculum, which now focuses more on project development. The 2021 edition of the programme also takes advantage of global networking opportunities for its fellows, promoting even more collaboration between fellows through cooperative assignments and peer-to-peer feedback. In addition, fellows will work more closely with the wider SDSN Youth network to build local connections through the ODS Student Hubs and SDSN's national and regional networks for greater impact. These new developments will allow the 2021 fellows to benefit from greater visibility and ultimately leave the fellowship with a concrete project that successfully localises SDG 11.
"At the Local Pathways Association, we offer an interdisciplinary programme that includes an online course, mentorship throughout the development of a project, visibility opportunities, connections with industry experts and, what I believe is our strongest asset, a peer-to-peer network of young urban leaders from around the world," said Ana Ynestrillas, Project Leader of the Local Pathways Fellowship Programme. "With three cohorts under our belt, we've managed to grow into a network of 253 fellows who are leading change on the ground. We look forward to welcoming 100 stubborn urban optimists as our new members who are ready to make a bold impact in their cities."
The Fellowship is open to talented and innovative early-career professionals and students (some exceptions may apply) who are interested in deepening and expanding their understanding of sustainable urban development. Successful applicants should have a minimum of one year's professional or academic experience in development practice, urban planning, community engagement, advocacy or similar disciplines. The chosen fellows must be based in the same city for the duration of the Fellowship, from February to November 2021.
Applications for the Local Pathways Fellowship 2021 will be accepted until 30 November 2020 at 23:59 Eastern Standard Time. Those selected will be notified by 25 January 2021, and the Fellowship begins on 1 February 2021.
Applications and additional information can be found at www.localpathways.org.
For media enquiries and interview requests, please contact: Yulia Lesnichaya, Project Director, Communications at yulia.lesnichaya@sdsnyouth.org
