Cambodia Laos Young Leaders Program

About this Program

The Cambodia Laos Young Leaders Programme (CLYLP) is a capacity building programme for emerging young civil society leaders, managed by UnionAID in collaboration with Khmer Farmer Products (KFP) in Cambodia, the Participatory Knowledge Development Agency (PAKA) in the Lao PDR and Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The programme enables participants from Cambodia and Laos to further develop their knowledge, skills and confidence so they can enhance their contribution to the sustainable development of their community, country and the wider Southeast Asia region.

Eligibility

Applicants must be aged 20-35 years.
Applicants must be living and working in Cambodia or Laos (all provinces are eligible).
Applicants must be working for a civil society or community-based organization, labour union or social enterprise.
Applicants must intend to continue working for their organization for a minimum of two years after completing the program.
Applicants must have support to participate in the program from the organization they work for, including flexibility to attend online study sessions during office hours.
Applicants must have intermediate level English language proficiency equivalent to CEFR B1 / ≥4.5 IELTS / > TOEFL 32-34 (test certificate not required).
Applicants must be available to participate in 2 weeks of full-time residential learning in November/December 2024.
Applicants must not be enrolled in any other full-time courses of study or a similar scholarship/fellowship during the SDC.
Applicants must talk to Union AID before enrolling in any other part-time courses during the SDC.
Applicants must hold, or be able to obtain, a passport valid until 1 January 2026.

Selection Criteria

In selecting participants, the following criteria will also be considered

demonstrated leadership potential
commitment to development and community work
identification of a clear and relevant development challenge or area of interest that they wish to explore through the programme
commitment to working with other ethnic groups
open-mindedness and maturity
diversity of the group

Benefits

For selected individuals:

Candidates will be able to explore the principles and practice of sustainable development in their home country and Aotearoa New Zealand
Candidates will be able to apply systems thinking to understand complex development challenges
Candidates will be able to develop skills in research and design thinking, and apply these to gain a deeper understanding of a specific development challenge
Candidates will be able to understand how to achieve development goals in different ways, with a particular focus on participatory approaches
Candidates will be able to apply learning on cross-cutting issues including human rights, gender and social inclusion, and environmental impact
Candidates will be able to build the skills required to develop and manage a project, including proposal writing, project management and MERLA (monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and adaptation)
Candidates will be able to improve their proficiency in English for professional and academic purposes.
Candidates will be exposed to a range of New Zealand institutions, policies and practices that are relevant to sustainable development, such as human rights, democratic processes, and community development, through classroom learning and field trips
Candidates will be able to visits to governmental and civil society organizations, such as community development organizations, the Human Rights Commission and Parliament
Māori approaches to development, introduction to Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi and the opportunity to stay on a marae (traditional Māori meeting ground)
Candidates will get leadership skills workshops, such as organizational management and advocacy skills
Candidates will be able to get a schedule of visits with organizations addressing similar issues to participants’ development challenges, either individually or in small groups

The EDC course supports participation in the SDC by teaching:

language specific to sustainable development
formal English suitable for a professional context
oral and written communications skills
writing skills for reports and funding proposals
study skills for more effective language learning

Program Duration

The Sustainable Development Course (SDC) will be delivered in two parts. SDC Part 1 is a part-time online course of approximately 150 hours delivered while participants are in their home country, commencing in August.

Online learning is complemented by a two-week, in-person residential workshop to be held in Cambodia and Laos during SDC Part 1 for participants to meet their peers and teaching team, and to learn intensively. SDC Part 2 is a full-time, in-person course of 12 weeks which takes place in Aotearoa New Zealand, commencing in March the following year.

How to Apply

Applicants need to register in the application form:
(https://unionaid.org.nz/young-leaders-programmes/clylp/clylp-criteria/clylp-applications/)
Applicants must follow its instructions to finish all the required application procedures.
Applicants must submit the application in the system as requested within the application period.