New York (February 26, 2010).

The Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education (IVCE), is a New York 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a leader in promoting Vietnamese culture and assisting Vietnamese students study abroad in American universities.

IVCE would like to announce the call for applications for our educational program: Vietnam Teaching Assistantship (ViTA). Since 2000, IVCE has delivered a “Study Abroad in America” conference every summer to help students in Vietnam pursue higher education abroad. The goal of this conference is to provide information about the admission and testing processes in addition to scholarships offered for study in the United States. We also aimed to provide students with tools to improve their chances of gaining admission and securing financial aid.

According to the Institute of International Education, the number of Vietnamese students attended U.S. colleges and high schools from 2000-2009 as follow,

IVCE has a long-term goal of increasing the total number of Vietnamese students who pursue higher education in the U.S. to between 30 and 50 thousand in ten years (2005-2015). To achieve this goal, IVCE has conducted 28 study-abroad seminars since 2002 and has offered individual assistance with application materials. We believe students who have the opportunity to study abroad will bring back with them ideas and concepts from American universities that can contribute to the development of Vietnam.

The ViTA program is the companion to our “Study Abroad in America” workshop series. Through ViTA, IVCE actively recruits and develops a group of Vietnamese-American college and graduate students to teach TOEFL, SAT, GRE & GMAT workshops to students this summer in Vietnam.

Type of work: Teaching your choice of TOEFL, SAT, GRE or GMAT.
Eligibility: At least a Sophomore in college.
Length of project: 8 weeks (4-week stay in two cities) or longer.
Location: Can Tho Univ, Da Nang Institute of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Thai Nguyen Univ, and Ha Noi Institute of Technology.
Housing: College provides the guest housing, except in Ho Chi Minh City
Stipend: $200-$300/month, except in Thai Nguyen & Can Tho
Application: http://www.ivce.org/education.php?educationid=0000000006

Deadline for registration: March 20th for the summer.

Please be advised that as a participant in ViTA, you are expected to fundraise money for your own roundtrip travel and other related expenses for the 8-week stay in Vietnam. Past participants have been able to get past this hurdle by applying to grants or fellowships offered by their respective universities. IVCE’s role in this program is one of guidance, coordination and training. We will organize all the logistics for your travel and stay as a group in Vietnam.

Outside of your teaching responsibility, you will have the time and independence to explore Vietnam as it interests you. Although we encourage travel as a group, we understand that you might have personal research projects or independent studies to conduct. IVCE will gladly serve as a point of contact and support for all your endeavors in Vietnam.

IVCE calls for the participation of any student who wants to experience Vietnam first-hand and to contribute toward its educational development. Please respect the deadline, as we might be unable to arrange accommodations for you after that date. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at nhipsong@ivce.org. You can also check us out at www.ivce.org.

We look forward to your participation in ViTA.

From: Rebecca Iwerks

Dear Colleagues,

I am happy to announce below and attached that RWI is accepting applicants for the 2010 Petrad and Capacity Advancement Fellowships.  Please distribute widely and send in applications by March 19^th, 2010 to fellowships@revenuewatch.org.

Best regards,

Rebecca

RWI Capacity Advancement Fellowship in Extractives

The Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) and the Oil for Development Program (OfD) of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the 2010 Capacity Advancement Fellowship in Extractives (CA Fellows) program. The deadline for application is March 19^th 2010. The program seeks to broaden and deepen the role of the next generation of civil society activists in promoting the better management of oil, gas and minerals for the public good.  The fellowship is open to civil society activists from the following OfD countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé e Principe, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Description:

The CA Fellowship aims to build the capacity of mid-career civil society activists by deepening their understanding of the extractive industries and broadening their skills to connect local, national, and international campaigns.  Fellows are expected to return to their organizations and coalitions with specific knowledge and skills that will enable them to better meet current challenges and develop broader training, advocacy, and research agendas. The program targets key individuals to develop a cadre of future leaders in the extractive industries transparency campaigns.

The year-long fellowship has two components – a period of focused learning and research in New York and a period of application of that learning in their own countries.

During the first half of the program, from August 2010 through January 2011, CA Fellows will be placed at the Revenue Watch Institute office in New York. Fellows will investigate international best practices for extractive resource management and governance and take part in: extractive industry related classes at leading academic institutions, donor and civil society networking events, hands-on support for original research and day-to-day RWI projects activities. Throughout this period they will be partnered with an expert mentor. Fellows are responsible for producing a paper that captures their investigations and learning at the end of this period.

After they return to their home organizations, CA Fellows will implement a project based on their new learning and experience, with the continued support of their expert mentor. They may apply for funding from the fellowship to support this work.  Revenue Watch will publish a short report from each fellow online at the culmination of the year, to highlight what was learned and the impact of the fellow’s activities.

RWI will work with the CA Fellows to co-develop a tailored capacity-building program that corresponds to their particular interests, goals and the primary challenges they expect to face in their revenue governance campaigns upon their return home.  CA Fellows will receive full financial support for the duration of their term in New York, including travel, accommodation and a living stipend.  Financial support for the implementation of home country projects may also be available after competitive review.

Criteria:

The CA Fellowship is designed for mid-level civil society activists involved in extractive industry transparency and management campaigns.  The successful candidate will have introductory knowledge of the extractive industry and related international campaigns, and a position within their organization and career enabling them to capitalize on a significant increase in learning. While exposure to other training opportunities is a plus, it is not required, and applicants must explain how this fellowship opportunity will add particular value to their development and work.  Preference will be given to applicants from newly producing countries or from contexts where civil society is newly engaged in extractive issues.

The successful CA Fellowship candidate will have, at minimum, an undergraduate degree/equivalent; a background in civil society research, monitoring and activism around extractive revenue transparency; a commitment to return to their country and continue their current campaign; a strong ability to work independently; and good English skills. They also must have the explicit support of their current home organization to pursue all aspects of this fellowship.

To apply, please send the following to Page Dykstra at fellowship@revenuewatch.org or fax at +1.212.548.4618 with ‘CA Fellowship’ in the subject line no later than March 19^th, 2010:

A. Completed application form;

B. CV or resume;

C. Letter from your current manager/head of your organization recommending you for the fellowship and committing to support fellowship and post-fellowship activities.  This letter should include a brief description of the organization’s work related to extractive industries;

D. An essay (no more than 3 pages) that includes:

• An outline of extractive related issues in your country and the current work you, your organization, and civil society groups broadly are doing in response;
• An outline of what you will seek to learn and achieve during the fellowship opportunity;
• A description of how you will use the learning and products from the fellowship on return to your country and organization; and
• A description of how this fellowship fits into your current career goals.

All candidates will be judged in an open and competitive selection process that will rate them based on: the relevance of their work experience, training and education; their technical knowledge of the extractives sector; their space and commitment to apply newly acquired knowledge and skills; and their ability to meet the specific mental, relational, and academic challenges of the fellowship.  Short-listed candidates from each region will be interviewed by RWI staff as well as outside advisors.  Additional references may be requested.

RWI Petrad Fellowship

The Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) and the Oil for Development Program (OfD) of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation are pleased to announce that we are accepting applications for the 2010 RWI Petrad Fellowship. The deadline for application is March 19^th 2010. The programs seeks to accelerate civil society leaders’ effectiveness in promoting the better management of oil, minerals, and gas for the public good and is open to civil society activists from the following OfD countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Cambodia, Ecuador, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Iraq, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé e Principe, Sudan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Description:

The Petrad Fellowship aims to enable fellows to return to their home organization or coalition equipped to immediately take their campaigns to a more technical and informed level and share this knowledge with their colleagues over time.  By targeting leaders in the movement, this program aims to quickly raise civil society’s ability to engage in technical debates surrounding extractive industries.

Fellows in this 8 week program will be sponsored to attend a course in Stavanger, Norway on Petroleum Policy and Natural Resource Management run by Petrad (www.petrad.no). This intensive course spanning the entire extractive industries value-chain is usually only open to senior government officials. To help bridge the knowledge and skills gained in this course to their work in their home country, the fellows will be provided with a mentor before, during and after the coursework.  Fellows will be expected to conduct the background reading, meet regularly with their mentor, participate actively and constructively in the course in Stavanger, and provide RWI with a report about how they will apply their learning from Stavanger upon their return.

Petrad Fellows will be provided with travel, course tuition, and accommodation for their stay in Stavanger.

Criteria:

The Petrad Fellowship is targeted towards civil society leaders in extractive industry transparency and management campaigns that will be able to quickly apply this new and deepened knowledge of industry policy. The successful candidate must have sufficient background in issues related to petroleum extraction to engage in nuanced discussions about policy and its application.  They also should be in a leadership role in their current organization or coalition that will enable them to promote direct change as a result of the experience.  Preference will be given to newly producing countries or context where civil society is new to engage in extractive issues.

The successful candidate will have, at minimum: an undergraduate degree/equivalent; a background in civil society research, monitoring and activism around extractive revenue transparency; a dedicated commitment to return to their country and their current campaigns; a strong ability to constructively debate issues with multiple actors; and excellent English skills. They also must have the explicit support of their current home organization to pursue all aspects of this fellowship.

Application:

To apply, please send the following to Page Dykstra at fellowship@revenuewatch.org or fax at +1.212.548.4618 with ‘Petrad Fellow’ in the subject line no later than March 19, 2010:

A. Completed application form;

B. CV or resume;

C. Letter from your current manager/head of your organization recommending you for the fellowship and committing to support fellowship and post-fellowship activities.  This letter should include a brief description of the organization’s work related to extractive industries;

D. An essay (no more than 3 pages) that includes:

• An outline of extractive related issues in your country and the current work you, your organization, and civil society groups broadly are doing in response;
• An outline of what you will seek to learn and achieve during the fellowship opportunity;
• A description of how you will use the learning and products from the fellowship on their return to your country and organization; and
• A description of how this fellowship fits into your current career goals.

All candidates will be judged in an open and competitive selection process that will rate them based on: the relevance of their work experience, training and education; their technical knowledge of the extractives sector; their space and commitment to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills; and their ability to meet the specific mental, relational, and academic challenges of the fellowship.  Short-listed candidates from each region will be interviewed by RWI staff as well as outside advisors.  Additional references may be requested.

Rebecca Iwerks | Program Officer for Capacity Building

Revenue Watch Institute   | 1700 Broadway| New York, NY 10019

Office: +1 212-548-0136  | Mobile: +1 917 496 9264

www.revenuewatch.org