[nabs-l] Youth in International Development & Affairs (YIDA) Internship Program

[Lewis, Anil]

Third Call for Applicants!

 Youth in International Development & Affairs (YIDA) Internship Program

The summer 2014 Youth in International Development and Affairs (YIDA) internship program is aimed at students and recent graduates with disabilities who aspire to careers in international development or international affairs.  We are open for applications until January 29, 2014.

The YIDA program will bring a group of talented graduate students, recent graduates, and rising college juniors and seniors with disabilities to Washington, DC, for nine weeks. This will include a one-week training and orientation program followed by an eight-week internship at an international organization in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. USICD will cover the cost of fully-accessible housing during the YIDA program, reimburse travel expenses to and from DC, and provide a limited stipend. It is anticipated that the program will run from May 25 to July 25, 2014. These dates may be subject to change.

The United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) launched the YIDA internship program in 2013 with funding support from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.  The project follows from a vision, core to USICD's mission, to increase disability inclusion in U.S. foreign affairs by supporting future generations of Americans with disabilities to invest their skills and talents in this field.

To  learn more about the YIDA program, eligibility criteria, and the application process, please visit http://usicd.org/template/page.cfm?id=257.  This website answers Frequently Asked Questions for applicants.

Please disseminate this email among students and recent graduates who may be interested.  If you are an international organization in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area interested in hosting a YIDA intern, please communicate with yid at usicd.org.

Application deadline for the summer 2014 YIDA program is January 29, 2014.

P.S. In addition to coordinating the YIDA program, USICD also leads the campaign for U.S. ratification of the "Disability Treaty" (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD).  This is the first international treaty to protect the human rights of people with disabilities: 140 other countries have ratified it, but the U.S. is behind.  The next national teleconference call on CRPD action for student and campus leaders will be on January 28 at 4 pm EST (3 pm Central Time, 1 pm Pacific Time).

We are interested in hearing from campus and student leaders who want to help mobilize others to take action in support of the Disability Treaty.  Please communicate with Andrea Shettle at ashettle at usicd.org for details on future national teleconference calls for student/campus leaders on the CRPD.   No time to be involved?  Then you may want to simply sign and disseminate a petition at http://bit.ly/Youth4CRPD.








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