International Day of Peace (September 21)

Spotlight: U-M International Center Intercultural Leadership Seminar

The Intercultural Leadership Seminar (ILS) is designed for international and U.S. students who want to learn how to be more effective in a global environment. ILS is part of the M-LEAD collaborative of leadership programs for students, and it aims to help students increase their awareness of the impact of culture on communication styles, gain skills necessary for effective intercultural communication, discover their own leadership potential, and develop and enhance their intercultural competence.

ILS includes brief lectures, discussions, experiential activities, and small group work. The seminar will be hosted in person, and it will be spaced out into three sessions for Fall 2022. The topics, dates, and times for each of these sessions are: 

• Session 1: Intercultural Competency (October 7; 3:00-5:00PM)
• Session 2: Intercultural Communication (November 11; 3:00-5:00PM)
• Session 3: Intercultural Leadership (December 2, 3:00-5:00PM)

Click here to learn more and apply!

Announcements

Congratulations Dr. Mieko Yoshihama and Colleagues on Being Awarded the Office of the Vice President for Research's Anti-Racism Grant!

The U-M Office of the Vice President for Research has awarded $450,000 in grants across eight research teams to explore persistent racial disparities embedded in systems ranging from health, education and wealth to criminal justice and infrastructure.

U-M SSW Professor Mieko Yoshihama’s research team was among the eight teams selected for this grant. The team's longitudinal study, titled Project D3 - Decomposing the Discrimination-Depression Link Among Asian Adolescents, will investigate trajectories of racial/ethnic discrimination experienced by Asians from adolescence to adulthood and their association with mental health over time. You can learn more about this project and the other teams selected for this grant by clicking here.

2022-2023 U-M Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Registration Form and Survey Now Available

If you are a RPCV and wish to get connected with the U-M Peace Corps office and to be added to their RPCV listserv, please fill out the 2022-2023 U-M RPCV registration form and survey by clicking here.

U-M Graduates Now Eligible for "High Potential Individual" (HPI) UK Visa

U-M graduates are now eligible for a United Kingdom (UK) work visa, the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa. This visa aims to recruit skilled young workers from top universities across the world to elevate Britain’s workforce.

The HPI visa policy states that any person who graduated from a list of top eligible universities within the past five years is able to receive this visa to reside in the UK for two years. Those with doctoral qualifications are eligible to reside for three years. 

A job offer in the UK is not required to apply for the visa and those applying for the visa are allowed to bring dependents along with them. For more information about the HPI visa, visit the UK Government's website here and read this Michigan Daily article.

Position Available: Research Position for a Graduate Student to Work With Afghan Refugee Communities

Application Deadline: N/A

Brief Description: A research team at the U-M School of Information is looking for a graduate student to join their NSF-funded Community Tech Workers Project. In this project, they are exploring how members from within a community can be trained as Community Tech Workers (CTWs) to meet the digital needs of the community, and whether access to CTWs leads to an overall increase in the community's digital capacity. The work will include conducting interviews, analyzing survey data, and a scoping review of the academic literature on ways to reduce the digital divide. The work focuses on Afghan refugee communities in the Washtenaw County area. 

Applicants must demonstrate prior experience with conducting qualitative research, strong communication skills, proficiency in writing, and passion about the role of design in working towards justice. Prior experience conducting and analyzing interview data and working with marginalized populations is advantageous. Pashto or Dari language skills would be a plus.

This position is available to start in the Fall 2022 semester and has the potential to continue through the Winter semester and the summer. The workload will be 10-20 hours a week and flexible in terms of days/times worked. The position can be an independent study for credit or an hourly position, with a pay rate determined according to experience and level. Interested applicants should send a resume, one paragraph describing their interest in the project and experiences related to the project, and a list of coursework relevant to the position to Mustafa Naseem (mnaseem@umich.edu) and Julie Hui (juliehui@umich.edu).

Multiple Positions Available: U-M Library Student Engagement Program

Application Deadline: Monday, September 26

Brief Description: The U-M Library Student Engagement Program is currently recruiting both undergraduate and graduate students for leadership roles in projects that focus on libraries, research, and information. As Engagement Fellows, students will have the chance to enhance their professional skills, build new connections, and gain hands-on experience in a vibrant and diverse learning environment. Click here for more information about being an Engagement Fellow, here for individual project descriptions, and here to apply. Contact Amanda Peters (arforres@umich.edu) if you have any questions.

Multiple Positions Available: International Rescue Committee

Application Deadline: N/A

Brief Description: The Resettlement Asylum and Integration (RAI) team at International Rescue Committee (IRC) is hiring across multiple regions in the United States. Missy! Orr, a School of Social Work and Global Activities Scholars Program alum and current employee at IRC works on their RAI team. For more information and to apply for the positions, see below:

RAI US East Region

• Executive Director, Wichita, KS 
• Executive Director, Louisville, KY

Volunteer Opportunity Available: Cyberafrica.org seeking student tutors for African youth

Application Deadline: N/A

Brief Description: Cyberafrica.org is an organization dedicated to lifting young people in the 54 African countries out of poverty and cybercrimes by empowering them with information technology (IT) skills that will connect them to the digital world. Unemployment is one of the greatest challenges in some of these countries. Cyberafrica.org seeks to tackle some of the factors causing these issues by promoting and providing programs that will provide young people in Africa with capable trainers, free IT training sessions and classes, and a conducive place of learning all at no cost. 

Currently, they are looking for volunteers from universities across North America (IT experts, lecturers, researchers, and students at all levels) who can teach and mentor in their free time. If you are interested in participating, please email Chidi Uwom at chidi@cyberafrica.org or call 386-365-5660.

Grant Opportunities

University of Michigan Library Student Mini Grants (Click here to apply)

Application Deadline: Monday, October 3

Brief Description: The applications for the U-M Library Student Mini Grants are now open. These grants offer up to $1,000 to support innovative and collaborative projects that make a real-life impact. Selected projects must strengthen community partnerships, enhance global scholarship, and/or advocate for inclusion and diversity. The U-M Library partners with students to connect them with with personalized training and support from library experts, as well as direct access to world-renowned research collections and state-of-the-art design and technology labs, studios, exhibit galleries, and collaboration spaces. Click here to learn more.

Dow Sustainability Fellows Program (Click here to learn more)

Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 5, 5:00 PM ET

Brief Description: The Dow Sustainability Fellows Program at U-M is now accepting nominations for the Master’s and Professional Fellows cohort, which offers up to $20,000 to support the development of sustainability leaders in business, government, and non-governmental organizations. The program focus for 2021-2023 is Circular Economy and Climate Protection. Fellows are expected to participate in a variety of program events, as well as manage an interdisciplinary team project. Visit the nomination process, application procedure and deadlines and program components webpages for more information. Nomination by your school is required to be considered for the program. To be considered for a nomination, contact the Office of Student Services (ssw-ossoffice@umich.edu) to request the application, then submit the application and required materials to ssw-finaid@umich.edu by the application deadline. Students selected as nominees will be contacted by the Dow Fellows Program to submit a full application package as soon as the list of nominees is received, reviewed, and confirmed. 

Luce Scholars Program (Click here to learn more)

Application Deadline: Saturday, October 15

Brief Description: The Luce Scholars Program provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional internships in Asia for a total of 20 young Americans nationally each year. The program's purpose is to increase awareness of Asia among future leaders in American society. Each candidate must first be nominated by their home university. Click here to learn more about the application process and requirements.

SSW Global Pathway Faculty, Dr. Fernanda Cross and Dr. Ashley Cureton, and GASP alum, Melissa Stek in Michigan Daily: "End Title 42: Michigan is ready to welcome asylum seekers"