Funded Travelling Fellowships for Talented Young People (aged 18-25)
In 2015 The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust will be investing £1.2 million in British citizens by awarding a record number of 150 Travelling Fellowships in order to mark its 50th anniversary.
This will directly support British citizens who want to travel overseas to gain knowledge, experience and best practice to benefit others in their UK professions and communities and society as a whole.
As part of our partnership with The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services we will be awarding Travelling Fellowships in the Young People category. The application process is now open.
We are looking for talented young people aged 18-25 who have a passion for enterprise, leadership or community action. Anyone with a bright idea, who could turn their overseas findings into social action, or who could make a constructive impact on an issue that affects their local area or their organisation, is encouraged to apply.
Deepesh Patel was 18 when he applied for a Travelling Fellowship. His project took him to the heart of the Amazon to research medicinal plants. The social enterprise, Canopy to Cures, was initiated through the Fellowship, promoting science in schools and at UK science festivals.
Voluntary sector manger Angus Mulready-Jones, aged 25, travelled to Sweden and the USA to develop the expertise needed to develop services for prisoners and their children in the UK. He visited prison establishments and met policy makers. The most important part of Angus’ visit was meeting with the many children affected by imprisonment who were receiving services from voluntary agencies. Since Angus returned from his Fellowship to his role with the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) he has worked with The Ministry of Justice and The Department of Education to develop a new model of support within prisons in England and Wales. The Integrated Family Support Programme was established in 11 prisons in 2011 and it has since evolved into the Family Engagement Worker Programme, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. Angus has now joined the Inspectorate of Prisons, where he has responsibility for the inspection of young offenders' institutes, adult prisons, immigration removal centres and police custody.
Amongst those travelling this year is Jodie Lees, 25, a Change Participation Coordinator from Nottingham. She will be visiting New Zealand to find out about ways in which children and young people can lead creative change.
Successful applicants must demonstrate the commitment, the character and the tenacity to travel globally in pursuit of new and better ways of tackling a wide range of current challenges facing the UK and upon their return work to transform and improve aspects of today’s society.
A travelling sabbatical for people with the drive, determination and desire to help others can further their leadership and role model abilities.
Employers often also see great benefits with employees returning with new knowledge, skills and ideas to share with others within the organisation.
Applications are judged purely on project merit and these opportunities are available to UK residents over the age of 18, of any ethnicity, religion, or gender.
Successful applicants will receive an average Fellowship grant of over £6000, covering return airfare, daily living costs, insurance and travel within the countries being visited, for approximately 6 weeks overseas.
Notes to Editors
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was established shortly after Sir Winston’s death in 1965, as his national memorial and living legacy. Since then it has awarded over 4820 Travelling Fellowships.
The application process for travel in 2015 is now open and there are 11 varied categories in which people can apply.
Churchill’s beliefs and passions are still living on through our Fellows – who are remarkable yet ordinary individuals, representing a wide range of backgrounds, qualifications, interests and professions, but sharing the desire to do something for the improvement of British life and their fellow man.
The deadline for the 2015 applications is 5pm on 23 September 2014.
In total 137 Fellowships were awarded in the UK in 2014, with grant awards totaling £876,540. The Fellows are currently travelling to 52 countries between them, across 6 continents, carrying out a wide range of projects.
To maximise the impact of our Fellowships we have developed partnerships with other organisations, focused on specific areas of concern and relevance for the UK today. Lessons learnt from overseas travel are effectively coordinated, disseminated and incorporated into best practice in the UK for the benefit of others in similar communities and professions.
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services supports our Fellows aged 18-25 years. NCVYS provides mentoring and workshops for new Fellows to help them gain the most from their Fellowship. Through the Youth Report project NCVYS will also give a platform to the reports and findings of any Fellows looking at young people and youth services.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust: 020 7799 1660
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