Education Generation

Education Generation Fellowship

You are invited to participate in a rare opportunity to become Education Generation's next fellow. The 2010 Fellowship offers the opportunity to work with one of our amazing partners in Peru, Mosqoy: Sacred Valley Youth Fund (www.mosqoy.org), and to participate directly in shaping the education and lives of dedicated scholarship students in the Sacred Valley region of Peru. The Fellowship is an unpaid volunteer position designed to enhance relationships with and provide support to our education partners on the ground. Two fellows will be selected for the 2010 Fellowship Program and they will play a key role in Education Generation by being its eyes and ears on the ground. Past participants have found the fellowship to be an invaluable and life-changing experience.

Application Deadlines - Applications are now being accepted! Submit your completed application by February 15, 2010. Applications submitted after the deadline will be included for the following round.

Location: Cuzco and Ollantaytambo, Peru

Dates: May - June, 2010 (exact start dates flexible)

Duration: minimum two-month stay required; longer stays are possible if desired.

Fellowship selection criteria:

Excellent communication skills
Excellent writing skills
Willingness to fundraise $1000 for the charity before the trip
Undergraduate degree or currently attending a post-secondary institution preferred
At least intermediate level Spanish or three weeks of Spanish immersion in the country required prior to the duration of fellowship
Previous experience living (or extensive travel) abroad preferred, especially in developing countries
Ability to be independent, to organize and to work independently
Ability to live in basic conditions without modern amenities, to anticipate challenges, and to adapt to change

Application process:

Submit a completed application form to zaya@educationgeneration.org
Short-listed candidates will be invited to attend an interview in February, 2010. In-person interviews will take place in British Columbia; phone interview will be arranged for those candidates residing outside the province. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Two successful candidates will be required to attend an orientation session in March 2010 to help prepare for the fellowship

Fellow's core responsibilities:

Detailed tasks and responsibilities will be provided to the successful candidates in a work-plan during their orientation session. Below is an overview of what the successful candidates may be involved with:

Pre-departure activities: one month prior to departure, participate in Mosqoy events and activities, and volunteer either in the Global Education Program or as a communications assistant (approximately 5 hours/week). Specific duties will vary depending on current needs of the organization.

Roles in Peru

Communication Liaison

As a fellow, you will experience first-hand the educational program on the ground and will play a key role in generating communication updates for Education Generation, our supporters and our community.

These tasks include, but are not limited to, the following:

Generate updates on the students' progress to be included on our website
Collect hand-written letters from each Mosqoy student (from groups 1, 2, and 3) for sponsors and Education Generation
Document Mosqoy's work in Peru, as well as the students' progress in their studies, through photographs, videos, and other forms of communication.
Keep a blog and update it with your experiences 2 or 3 times per week while in Peru
Research the educational system in Peru to update the education section of our website
Write a final report
Write an article to be included in our monthly newsletter upon your return

Student Mentor

Mosqoy's third generation of students will enrol in post-secondary studies in August 2010. Thus, they need preparation and mentorship prior to this, and you as a fellow will be in charge of preparing them for this next step of their journey!

The fellow will act as the Mosqoy 3 Mentor for two months, in Ollantaytambo. Activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Interview each Mosqoy 3 student, videotape the interview and take each student's photo
Visit each student's house, document their lives, and discuss their families' hopes and needs
Volunteer on approximately two of the Mosqoy 3 family farms, as needed
Hold weekly English Conversation classes with the Mosqoy 3 students
Host two community events with the Mosqoy 3 students
With the help of the Mosqoy directors, plan the new students' arrival in Cusco, and their future responsibilities with EdGen and Mosqoy

Volunteer for the Q'ente Society's natural wool & dye project:

The Q'ente Textile Revitalization Society is Mosqoy's partner project that works to preserve the Quechua culture by providing fair-trade outlets and community networks for its textile tradition. Most of the Mosqoy students come from indigenous Quechua families who depend on this tradition to survive. Thus, we require that all volunteers and students understand the value of this knowledge, and volunteer their services to help it flourish. This entails the following:

Hike to Q'ente's participating communities to order and purchase alpaca wool
Learn from Quechua weavers and representatives from a partner project (Awamaki) how to dye wool with natural plant & cochineal bug dyes
Assist weavers and other volunteers in the dyeing, balling, and preparing the wool for sales purposes.

The expectations of an Education Generation fellow are extensive. However, we believe that only through engaging in a wide range of activities will the fellows be able to understand and engage with the community in which they are visiting in a meaningful way. If you feel that you are up to the challenge, we invite you to undertake this exciting journey with us.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact zaya@educationgeneration.org.