QUICK OVERVIEW
Event Title: The 2024 IDEAL Workshop
Anticipated Event Dates: April 17-23, 2024
Anticipated Mentor Training Dates: April 17-19, 2024 Link to Application: https://ais.americancouncils.org/ideal
Mentor Application Deadline: November 19, 2023, 11:59 PM CET
THE 2024 IDEAL WORKSHOP
Identify challenges. Develop a better understanding. Establish plans. Act. Lead by example.
American Councils is seeking experienced professionals to serve as mentors for the 2024 IDEAL Workshop, a personal and professional development program for alumni of the FLEX and YES programs. To be selected as a mentor, one must demonstrate experience or potential as a teacher, trainer, and/or facilitator with expertise related to one of the following areas:
· Art and Storytelling – including creative writing, photography, and videography to tell stories and preserve cultural heritage
· Business and Finance – including financial literacy and money management, turning ideas into business plans, Balkan youth entrepreneurship, understanding networking, and managing and bringing together teams
· Communication Skills – including developing self-confidence, public speaking skills, learning how to engage an audience, and intercultural and intergenerational communication
· Global Affairs – including foreign relations, intercultural dialogue, political literacy, the contemporary international system, youth in politics, and understanding the path to a peaceful future the Balkans
· Professional Development – including preparing for job and university interviews, CV building, writing motivation statements, the art of networking, professional etiquette and communication
· Self-actualization – including basic skills to succeed in becoming the best version of yourself, leadership development, time management, working individually and as a part of a team, knowing how to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and personal branding
The event is planned to take place in Montenegro, April 19-23, 2024, preceded by a mandatory, on-site preparation period for mentors April 17-19, the pandemic conditions allowing.
Each mentor will receive an honorarium of $650.00. All accommodation and travel costs are fully covered.
ELIGIBILITY AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS
IDEAL Workshop mentors, working primarily in pairs, will design and implement approximately 12 hours of training content related to one or more of the topics listed above for small groups of 12-18 alumni of the FLEX and YES program from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Mentors will also support participants in implementing their project during the workshop that engages the local community. In addition, mentors will assist American Councils staff in leading introductory, team-building, and project design programs. All activities will be conducted in English.
In order to be considered for a mentoring position, a candidate must:
· Be an alumna/us of any U.S. Government-sponsored exchange program, such as FLEX or YES, or be currently engaged in any U.S. government-sponsored programs in the SEE region, such as Peace Corps or Fulbright
· Be from, or currently reside in, one of the participating countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Serbia
· Have demonstrable training, expertise, and experience in one or more of the areas listed above
· Have past teaching or training experience and the ability to develop a training curriculum on one or more of the topics listed above
· Have exceptional English language skills
· Be available to work (virtually) with a co-mentor to prepare a training program between November 2023 and April 2024
· Be available for the entire period April 17-23 (pre-workshop training and the workshop itself), without interruption from outside obligations
· Be flexible to adapt to a virtual platform such as Zoom should the circumstances require
APPLICATION GUIDELINES AND SELECTION PROCEDURE
Link to Application: https://ais.americancouncils.org/ideal
Mentors will be selected by a panel of evaluators based on application materials, interviews, professional background, and experience. Interested candidates must complete and submit the online application, including all supporting documents requested, by November 12, 2023, at 11:59 PM CET. Only those candidates selected for interviews will be notified.
Please contact your local Alumni Coordinator if you have any additional questions.
For questions about the application process or the application form, you may also contact Aziz Hreljić at ahreljic@americancouncils.org.
