Call for Applications: Intersex Fellowship Program 2021-22 (Application Deadline: 15th October 2021)

INTERSEX FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Call for Applications

About Intersex Asia Fellowship

Growing the intersex rights movement in the Asian region is a strategic goal of Intersex Asia. In alignment with this goal, Intersex Asia is starting the fellowship program which aims at incubating new and young intersex activists and promoting leadership in the Asian intersex human rights movement. Intersex Asia firmly believes that intersex people must be considered as an important stakeholders while laws and policies are made by governments. At the moment, intersex people are invisiblised in the public discourse and hence, they are not given their due space. Further, intersex people in the region themselves are not aware of their rights which disempowers them. The primary aim of the fellowship program is capacity-building of intersex people to enable them in participating, contributing and leading the national, regional, and global efforts to advocate for the rights of intersex people. It also aims to increase the visibility of intersex issues and build local intersex communities.

The Fellowship program was launched on 8th November 2020. The first cohort includes 8 intersex fellows from six different Asian countries. The first batch will graduate in the month of October 2021. After the successful run of the first edition, we are delighted to invite applications for the second cohort of the fellowship program.

Duration of the Fellowship Program

The duration of the fellowship program is one year starting from November 2021.

Responsibilities of the Fellow 

Once selected, what will the IA Fellows do within the one-year program?

• All Fellows have to commit at least 20 hours every month during the program.
• All Fellows will be required to respect the schedule for training programs, be present for all activities and submit the assignments on time.
• All Fellows will be encouraged to participate in Intersex Asia’s advocacy and awareness initiatives. 
• The Fellows will be expected to record their personal story in English as well as their native language. 

In addition to the above, the Fellows will be free to pitch their own ideas, determine their strategy, and the manner in which they want to present the final outcome(s) of their proposed project as part of the fellowship. This is deliberate since promoting intersex rights may require varied strategies as per the geographical contexts and its application to real-world problems of the specific geography. 

Benefits of the Fellowship Program

• Leadership Development: All selected fellows will get to play a key role in increasing the awareness of intersex rights and act as stakeholders in the regional and national advocacy efforts towards securing the rights of intersex persons. 
• Learning: Fellows will get mentorship from leading Intersex activists through workshops and training programs that will be crucial in enhancing their skills in scripting their own narratives and building a stronger network to support the various causes in the intersex human rights movement. The learning module will focus on exploring personal leadership and deep-diving into aspects of social leadership, both in terms of concepts and theory and in terms of tools and frameworks. An indicative outline of modules that will be included are:
  • Intersex Rights
  • Human rights framework
  • SOGIESC Issues
  • Global and Asian Intersex movement
  • Intersex activists experience sharing
  • Proposal writing

• Specialised Training on domestic and UN Mechanism on human rights: Fellows will also get specialised training on utilising human rights mechanisms in their country as well as in the United Nations system. 
• Financial Support: Each fellow will receive a stipend of 200USD per month from Intersex Asia. The provision for stipend is conditional and it is provided only after the fellow completes all the responsibilities and assigned tasks. 

The Fellowship Experience

Intersex Asia (IA) will be responsible for providing support and guidance to the Fellows. 

• Orientation Week for the Fellows: All selected Fellows will be required to attend an online orientation week before the commencement of the Fellowship. The orientation week will begin with a presentation about the expectations from the fellows. During the week, Fellows will undergo sessions conducted by Intersex activists on intersex rights, individual profile building, fund-raising, organisational development, skills necessary for effective communication and networking.
• Providing mentorship support and periodic check-ins: IA will provide extensive mentorship support to all Fellows. Mentorship support and periodic check-ins by IA are intended to train, build capacity and advise the fellows to scale their impact both during and after the Fellowship. Fellows will also be encouraged to build networks which can translate into meaningful collaborations beyond the Fellowship duration. 

With the support of their mentors at IA, the Fellows will prepare their work plans for the Fellowship year, and determine their outputs, outcomes, and milestones.

• Mid-term evaluation: At the completion of six months or a similar occasion, Fellows will participate in an online evaluation event which will give them an opportunity to interact with each other and discuss their respective experiences to forge strong bonds with each other. The retreat will also serve as an opportunity for IA to conduct the mid-term evaluation. Fellows will be expected to share their experience and present their work and map their progress against the goals set during the orientation week. The Selection/Oversight Committee shall undertake a thorough review of the Fellow’s work during the Retreat. Fellows can seek feedback from the Committee on responsibilities carried out by them. Under exceptional circumstances, and upon comprehensively evaluating the work done, the Selection/Oversight Committee may also terminate a person’s Fellowship and provide them detailed reasons.
• End-of-year debriefing: The end-of-year debriefing will serve as an opportunity for the Fellows to discuss their work completed during the fellowship program. It will also be a chance for the Fellows to reflect upon the past year and to chart out their future plans. For Intersex Asia, feedback from the Fellows will be instrumental in giving shape to future iterations of the Fellowship.

Intersex Asia continues to closely monitor the prevailing public health situation due to COVID-19 and the Fellowship activities may be conducted online based on the evolving circumstances.

Eligibility Criteria

We welcome applications from people who feel that a year as an Intersex Asia Fellow would accelerate the efforts and contribute to their personal and professional development as a member of intersex community. You are eligible to apply for the fellowship if you:

• Identify as an intersex/intersexual in Asia
• Are 18 years or above in age
• Have completed school-level education
• Possess a working knowledge of English for communication
• Have stable internet access for online activities, meetings and training.
• Able to use office softwares, social media such as e-mail, Youtube, and Facebook.
• Capable of committing 20 hours of monthly time so as to fulfill your responsibilities as an IA Fellow and also participate in the training programs.

Note: Participants from Western Asia and East Asia are especially encouraged to apply. 

Application Process

All those who are interested in applying for this fellowship shall send an email with the following documents:

1. Latest CV (maximum 2 pages) 
2. Cover letter describing their experience as an intersex person and their motivation behind associating with Intersex Asia as a Fellow.  
3. Reference Letter from a civil society organisation or a civil rights activist affirming the motivation and competence of the applicant.

Note: Intersex Asia reserves the right to select the applicant after completing the review process. An online interview will be conducted for selected applicants. 

Please send your applications to coordinator@intersexasia.org by 15th October 2021. 

Queries about the Fellowship may be sent to coordinator@intersexasia.org.