Call for Applications #womenps 2019

Polis180, the Centre of Public Initiatives „Ideas for Change“ (Kyiv) and the IDP Women Association “Consent” (Tbilisi) are pleased to announce a call for applications for participation in the project

Women, Peace and Security: A Chance for Georgia’s and Ukraine’s Protracted Conflicts? #womenps

Selected participants will take part in workshops in Tbilisi (5-10 May 2019) and Kyiv (23-28 June 2019) where we’ll meet with experts from local and international governmental institutions and civil society organizations.

At a later stage, #womenps 2019 participants will be encouraged to apply for our #womenps alumni conference in Berlin (September 2019). The conference will bring together participants of our international Women, Peace and Security projects conducted in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and aims at producing policy-oriented research.

The #womenps project scrutinizes the roles of women in peace and security. What is the status of women’s rights and women’s participation in politics and society in Ukraine and Georgia? How do governmental and civil society actors, NGOs and mediators address issues of women, peace and security? Which special challenges do internally displaced women face? (How) does the situation differ between Ukraine and Georgia and what can be learned from the respective other? What could Germany and the EU do to strengthen gender, peace and security perspectives on the Ukrainian and Georgian conflicts? Beyond Georgia and Ukraine, the project sets out to increase our understanding of gendered dynamics in conflicts.

Read more about the project here!

Who Can Apply?

We are looking for highly motivated advanced students and young professionals from Ukraine, Georgia and Germany. Interested applicants must:

be citizens or long-term residents of Ukraine, Georgia or Germany
be between 20 and 35 years old
demonstrate a proven interest in gender issues, peace and security, or (human) security dynamics in the post-Soviet space
have a (proven) very good command of English
be able to take part in ALL sessions of the project (both in Tbilisi, 05 – 10 May 2019 and in Kyiv, 23 – 28 June 2019)

Applicants should be willing to support the project’s outreach, e.g. by writing a blog article or a policy brief for the conference in Berlin or by tweeting from the events.

We welcome applications from all genders! #heforshe

How to Apply?

Please write a cover letter in which you provide answers to the following questions in English (max. 200 words per question):

What is your motivation for participating in the project?
Have you dealt with gender issues, peace and security, or (human) security dynamics in the post-Soviet space in your studies/work? In what way?
In your opinion, what is the most important reason why women and women’s issues stay relatively excluded from the sphere of peace and security?
Lastly, please discuss three concrete ideas about how to increase the meaningful participation of women in peace and security!

Please send your cover letter, CV (in English) and (if possible) proof of your knowledge of English to womenps@polis180.org stating your name, surname and country in the email subject line (e.g. Maria Muster, Germany). The application deadline is 22 March 2019. Successful candidates will be notified by 31 March. Should you have any questions concerning the application process, feel free to contact us at womenps@polis180.org. Please note: Your data will be shared with Polis180, the “Centre of Public Initiatives – Ideas for Change” and the IDP Women Association “Consent”. The Centre of Public Initiatives and the IDP Women Association “Consent” adhere to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation standards for this project. We look forward to your application!

Costs and Financing

The project is funded by the Federal Foreign Office. Most of the costs (flights/trains/buses to Kyiv and Tbilisi and back home, accommodation in gender-separated twin/triple rooms and most meals) will be covered for all selected participants. Participants need to pay a symbolic participation fee of 50€ (for participants from Germany) or 20€ (for participants from Ukraine and Georgia). Participants might also need to cover limited small expenses (e.g. local transportation cost in Kyiv and Tbilisi and a few meals) themselves.