International Opportunities you can’t miss

By Julia Shiningayamwe

The transition of young people into work marks a critical period in the life cycle. It signifies a crucial stage of independence, the application of academic learning, and social and economic productivity, as well as sets the stage for an individual’s potential in terms of earning capacity, job options and the possibility of advancement. In effect, the manner in which a young person enters the workforce influences his or her life-long employment experiences. When and how this transition occurs further impacts the well-being of that person as well as his/ her relationships with family, friends, community and society.

Youth not only need an opportunity to train to be better leaders, but also the opportunity to be leaders.” – Shayla, 25. Young people themselves are crucial stakeholders in the pursuit of decent and productive work for all. They are right-shoulders and active participants in society, in addition to representing the future global workforce; oftentimes, they are also pioneers.

With less experience and fewer skills than many adults, young people often encounter particular difficulty accessing work. Even after finding work, young workers continue to confront job instability, few opportunities for skills development and advancement, and joblessness. They are more likely to be in vulnerable jobs, which can further adversely affect their future livelihood and income prospects. In fact, young people make up a disproportionate number of the world’s working poor. Data on the working poor, many of whom work in the informal economy, is limited. However, where data is available, “youth accounted for 23.5 percent of the total working poor, compared with only 18.6 percentof non-poor workers”.

Young people themselves are crucial stakeholders in the pursuit of decent and productive work for all. They are rights-holders and active participants in society, in addition to representing the future global workforce; oftentimes, they are also pioneers. Yet, too frequently, their voices go unheard and their positive and negative experiences and viewpoints are unshared, particularly with decision-makers.

Below are some of the international opportunities:

Mandela Washington Fellowship

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 4,400 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries. In 2021, the Fellowship will provide 700 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. college or university with support for professional development after they return home.

Due to the current global pandemic, and with the safety and well-being of Fellows and Partners as the highest priority, the U.S. Department of State postponed the 2020 Fellowship until summer 2021. The U.S. Department of State will not open a general application for the 2021 Fellowship this year.

About the Fellowship

U.S.-Based Activities

Leadership Institutes: Each year, the Fellows participate in six-week Leadership Institutes, studying Business, Civic Engagement, or Public Management at U.S. colleges or universities. During their time on campus, Fellows connect with Americans and enrich local U.S. communities while sharing best practices.

Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit: After the Institutes, Fellows convene for a multi-day Summit in Washington, D.C., where they forge connections with one another and U.S. leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors, setting the stage for long-term engagement between the United States and Africa.

Professional Development Experience: Following the Summit, a group of competitively-selected Fellows remains in the United States for four weeks to work with private, public, and non-profit organizations. Both Fellows and Hosts benefit from discussing shared issues and challenges in their sectors, broadening their perspectives, and positioning U.S. organizations for international engagement.

Reciprocal Exchanges: Americans have the opportunity to apply to travel to Africa to collaborate on projects with Fellows, building upon connections initiated while Fellows were in the United States. These partnerships and professional connections are intended to form lasting relationships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding.

The Rotary foundation

The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, they are always working to better our world, and they stay committed to the end.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

Conclusion

Recent research in the field of international entrepreneurship (IE) has emphasized the concept of international opportunity. The entrepreneurial behaviors focused on international opportunities have been found to be critical in IE. International opportunities, however, are often depicted in rather abstract and unspecified ways, and the research suffers from narrow theoretical discussion in relation to the concept of opportunity. To address these issues, the authors draw from entrepreneurship research and present alternative conceptualizations of opportunities as a basis for a more in‐depth study of international opportunities.

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