Backpacker, Go!

Summer 2023 Newsletter 2.1

Emma Tolliver, Editor

UC Davis Backpack Guide Collective

Published by the Article 26 Backpack team at the University of California, Davis, Backpacker, Go! provides resources, news, and relevant information to Backpackers to support them in protecting their human right to education. This quarter, we have information about fellowship and scholarship opportunities, as well as resources for those impacted by escalating violence in Sudan.

First, we have an introduction from Backpacker #1: Keith David Watenpaugh, Professor and Director of Human Rights Studies.

Backpacker, Go! Vol 2:1 Spring 2023 Backpacker No. 1 Message         

We are in our second year of Backpacker, Go! Backpacker No. 1 celebrates this year's graduates!

Article 26 Backpack News

First, the Article 26 Backpack Guide Collective wants to express our deep concern about the escalating violence and internal and external displacement of thousands in Sudan. We encourage students, university professionals and researchers in Sudan to use the Article 26 Backpack to safeguard critical academic documents, credentials, research and creative works. Backpack is available in Arabic. 

 

This quarter, the Article 26 Backpack Collective published a research report on our findings from the Backpack survey and our work over the last two years. From this research, we’ve developed some key points of advocacy, including that:

• Document safety, education, and knowledge of one’s human rights can be part of all forms of scholarship support, workforce development, and refugee leadership and empowerment programs.
• The work the Article 26 Backpack Collective has done is sustainable and can be maintained.
• There is a willingness of local communities and refugee-facing higher education institutions and NGOs to adopt and continue to use Backpack.
• Our fieldwork experience over the last two years shows that our work can be scaled up to serve a greater population.

We are excited to continue our work around these points of advocacy. This research would not have been possible without the survey. Thank you so much for those that contributed via the survey - your responses have allowed us to better understand Backpacker needs and to support students and scholars across the world.

Finalmente, el grupo colectivo del Artículo 26 Mochila presentó en el Derechos Humanos en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Nuestro equipo conectó con otras organizaciones de derechos humanos y compartió La mochila con otros defensores de derechos humanos. Para más información sobre nuestra presentación en el foro mundial de Derechos Humanos, favor de darle un vistazo a este blog escrito por Dheera Dusanapudi, Directora de comunicaciones del Artículo 26 Mochila.

Finally, the Article 26 Backpack Guide Collective presented Article 26 Backpack at the World Forum on Human Rights in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our team was able to connect with other human rights organizations and share Backpack with other human rights advocates. For more information about our presentation at the World Forum on Human Rights, please check out this blog by Dheera Dusanapudi, the Director of Communications of Article 26 Backpack.

 

Resources

Academic Credentialing Services

Education Credential Evaluators (ECE®) Aid is providing free credentialing services for Backpackers. These services compare academic and professional degrees earned in one country to academic and professional degrees earned in another. To use ECE® Aid’s credentialing service, please email us at backpack@ucdavis.edu

Education Credential Evaluators (ECE®) AID está proporcionando servicios de acreditación gratuita para mochileros. Estos servicios comparan títulos académicos y profesionales obtenidos en un país con títulos académicos y profesionales obtenidos en otro. Para usar el servicio de acreditación de ECE® AID, por favor envíenos un correo electrónico a backpack@ucdavis.edu  .

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE®) Aid fournit des services d’accréditation gratuits pour les Backpackers. Ces services comparent les diplômes universitaires et professionnels obtenus dans un pays aux diplômes universitaires et professionnels obtenus dans un autre. Pour utiliser le service d’accréditation d’ECE® Aid, veuillez nous envoyer un e-mail à: backpack@ucdavis.edu.

مرکز «کمک به ارزیابی تحصیلی» (ECE® Aid) خدمات تأیید مدارک تحصیلی را به صورت رایگان برای کاربران «کوله‌پشتی» ارائه می‌کند. این خدمات، مدارک تحصیلی و حرفه ای را در یک کشور با مدارک علمی و حرفه ای در کشور دیگر مقایسه می کند. برای استفاده از خدمات کمک به ارزیابی تحصیلی ECE® Aid، لطفاً به ما ایمیل بزنید: backpack@ucdavis.edu

يقدم Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE®) Aid خدمات تقييم مجانية لحاملي الحقيبة. تقارن هذه الخدمات الدرجات الأكاديمية والمهنية التي تم الحصول عليها في بلد ما مع الدرجات الأكاديمية والمهنية التي تم الحصول عليها في بلد آخر. لاستخدام خدمة Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE®) Aid، يرجى مراسلتنا عبر البريد الإلكتروني على

:backpack@ucdavis.edu

 Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities

Welcome to Backpacker, Go’s “Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities” section! This section includes opportunities and resources that Backpackers may be eligible to apply for.

Title: Remote Job Opportunity for Afghan Women

Organization: Oxus Academy

Requirements: Must build a profile on Oxus Jobs to be considered by a pool of employers.

Description: Oxus Academy is looking for motivated women living in Afghanistan to connect to remote job opportunities.

Deadline: N/A

Application HERE

Title: DAAD Scholarship 2023

Organization: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)

Requirements: Applicants must speak English or German and be a resident of one of the eligible nations. A full list of these countries can be found here. Additionally, candidates must hold a bachelors degree and have two years of professional experience.

Description: DAAD is looking for students from developing nations who are pursuing masters or PhDs, and will fund their study expenses at top universities in Germany.

Deadline: Deadlines depend on the chosen study program. You can find a full list of the deadlines here.

Application HERE

Title: The African Union Commission Internship Program

Organization: African Union

Requirements: Candidates must be actively enrolled in at least the final year of a Bachelor’s degree program OR must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree or an advanced/ post graduate (Masters) qualification in a related academic field; nationals of a Member State of the African Union; full time students currently enrolled in the final year of their Bachelors or graduate school program; fluent in at least one of the African Union working languages (Arabic, English, French or Portuguese); and no more than thirty-two (32) years of age at the time of selection.

Description: A full-time engagement through which qualified individuals from diverse academic backgrounds are given the opportunity to gain professional exposure within the African Union.

Application Deadline: June 30

Application HERE

 

Title: AMEL Summer Institute

Organization: The African Middle Eastern Leadership (AMEL) Project

Requirements: The AMEL Summer Institute is a fully online academy that provides free training to young civic activists (18-35 years old) from anywhere in the Middle East and Africa. The AMEL Institute seeks to support young leaders passionate about or already working towards addressing discrimination, inequalities, injustices, persecution, human rights violations and conflicts in your community, country and/or region.

Application Deadline: June 23

Application HERE

Title: University of Glasgow - Full Tuition Scholarship for Turkey and Syria

Organization: University of Glasgow

Requirements: The scholarship is available to students entering any of the University’s Colleges to undertake an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught (one-year Masters) programme in 2023-2024. Applicants must be a resident of Turkey or Syria at time of applying and hold an offer of a place for an eligible University of Glasgow undergraduate or postgraduate taught programme for September 2023.

Application Deadline: June 23

Application HERE 

Title: 2023 International Monetary Fund Youth Fellowship

Organization: International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Requirements: Be between the ages of 20 and 35 years as of October 15, 2023, have demonstrated experience in social activism, entrepreneurship, or content creation, have knowledge and expertise in international studies, basic economics, and development issues, have graduated from or currently be a student in the field of international relations and development, communications, economics, or related fields, be a citizen of an IMF member country, and have no current affiliation with government institutions.

Description: The IMF Youth Fellowship Program (YFP) provides an opportunity for young leaders between 20 and 35 years of age from across the world to become part of our global effort to build forward better and join the IMF at the forefront of the response to global economic challenges. IMF YFP is looking for youth fellows who want to contribute to the IMF’s efforts to build more resilient and inclusive growth for all, particularly for young people. As part of the program, the selected youth fellows will attend in-person workshops led by IMF management, senior IMF staff, and external experts.

Deadline: June 30

Application HERE

Title: Jusoor-Coursera Scholarship

Organization: Jusoor-Coursera

Requirements: Be a Syrian national or Syrian - Palestinian.

Description: Jusoor has established a partnership with Coursera to offer Syrians fee-waived certified Coursera courses, through which learners will not only gain additional skills and knowledge, but also gain certification that can be added to CVs and Linkedin.

Application Deadline: March 2025

Application HERE

Remember to Use Your Backpack

As you apply to universities and other institutions, remember to update your Backpack! We encourage you to review your Backpack and update it to reflect all of your academic and professional achievements prior to submitting applications.

Your digital portfolio can store items such as a resume, CV, creative works, and letters of recommendation and can be shared with educational institutions and employers in Backpacks.

Your educational portfolio can store items such as transcripts, diplomas, certificates, and letters of recommendation and can be shared with educational institutions and employers in Backpacks.

You can create a Shared Backpack to share the contents of your Backpack with educational institutions, university affiliates, and employers. You can create a Shared Backpack on the Create a Share page. You can create different Shared Backpacks to suit your needs. All Shared Backpacks expire after seven days to protect your privacy.

Using techniques borrowed from the humanities field of "digital storytelling," the Article 26 Backpack gives Backpackers a chance to record and upload an oral statement of purpose, "My Story/My Future.” The short videos also provide a way to bring a human face to the academic documents that are contained in Backpacks.

You choose what to upload, and you can choose if and when to delete your documents. You are in control of the contents of your Backpack.

To learn more about how to use Article 26 Backpack, please watch this tutorial.

Meet the Article 26 Backpack Team!

Get to know the Article 26 Backpack Team! 

 

Jeneva Toolajian is the outgoing Lead Guide at Article 26 Backpack at UC Davis. During her time at Backpack, she’s worked in many capacities; as an intern, in design, in communications, and overseeing multiple projects as Lead Guide. She can’t wait to see what the next generation of student Backpack leaders will accomplish!

About her work, Jeneva says, “I believe in Article 26 Backpack because I believe in the human right to education. Education is critical for refugees and displaced people looking to reclaim their voice, rebuild their lives, and use their exceptional talents to shape a brighter future for themselves and our world.”

Thank you to Jeneva for all the work you’ve done to protect the human right to education!

Contact the Article 26 Backpack Team

Follow us on Facebook (@a26backpack), Twitter (@a26backpack), and Instagram (@article26backpack).

Email us at Backpack@ucdavis.edu.

For more about Article 26 Backpack, visit us at https://backpack.ucdavis.edu/ .

At this time, we only have the resources to produce this newsletter in English with limited sections available in other languages, but we are hoping to expand and develop translated versions of the newsletter. If you have any feedback for us regarding our newsletter or have thoughts on what resources and support you would like to see in future newsletters, please do not hesitate to reach out!