Equal Student Exchange Blog

About ESE

Equal Student Exchange (ESE) is a volunteer-based student network which provides free information about student exchange and study overseas opportunities.

Focusing on providing information to students from developing countries, ESE acknowledges the financial and organisational obstacles these students must often come to face. It is the belief of ESE that both universities and students can benefit through international engagement. A more culturally diverse range of international students will contribute to the continued exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture between different universities and countries.

The volunteers of ESE recognize the importance of establishing enduring educational, cultural and professional links through student exchange.

Follow this link for more in-depth information About Us.

Thursday, 24 September 2015

The 2016 Youth Assembly at the United Nations

Youth Assembly Overview

The Youth Assembly at the United Nations (YA@UN) is a unique platform created to foster dialogue and generate partnerships between exceptional youth, UN high officials and staff, private sector, and civil society. We are committed to empowering youth to become active participants in the success of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the transition to the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

Program: Winter YA 2016 – 2 Full Days at the United Nations Headquarters, NYC, USA; Resolution Project new Social Venture Awards through Competitions for University-level Delegates, more.

Agenda: Transforming Our World: The Role of Youth in the Implementation of the SDGs.

Date: February 18-19, 2016

Platform: Plenary sessions, Workshops, Round table Discussions, Networking, New Social Venture Competitions, MDG Related Skills Building and Campaign Introductions

Leadership: Renowned speakers and expert workshop facilitators; U.N. Staff participation at sessions; Young leaders like yourself from around the world; Intergenerational Leadership Exchanges

Why attend?

To learn about the United Nations
To become involved in the success of the UN’s Post-2015 Agenda for Development
To hear great speakers and workshop leaders
To voice your opinions on the urgent issues of today and help make a permanent impact throughout the world
To meet other dedicated young people from all over the world

Want to register?
Registration link (Opens October 1st, 2015 and close )

Eligibility: who may apply?

Youth Leaders and those who wish to become leaders, ages 16-24+
Advanced Youth Leaders and Young Professionals engaged in the United Nations or MDG studies, internship, fellowships or early work stages, ages 18-28+
Applicants under 16 years old are NOT eligible and will not be accepted.

Delegation:
If you are part of a group interested in attending the Youth Assembly, please apply together using the group application form. Note that you must have at least 15 members or more to apply as a group; if you have less than 15 members, please submit individual applications for each group member. Back to top

Costs and Support

Travel and accommodation must be arranged by the participant themselves.

While the United Nations facilities for the Assembly cannot provide funding for participants - they have provided this useful Fundraising Guide. We hope it helps you ESE followers.

Key Dates

Language:All events at the Youth Assembly are carried out in English.
Interpretation is available, at a cost to participant.

FROM THE ESE TEAM
Yes, it has been a while since our last article...
The ESE team, just like our primary target audience, are, were, and will be - students ~ this means we have faced the same time commitments that many of you have. Since our last correspondence, our team members have been finishing university assignments, research theses, applying for jobs and securing full-time work. Now that we have secured full-time work we will have more of a routine schedule in which to set aside time for our favorite project, Equal Student Exchange (ESE)...

Thank you for remaining a patient member of our community over the years (hard to believe it's been four years since we started this information sharing community). Looking forward to working with more aspiring students from disadvantaged and developing contexts.

Stay tuned...

For more information about scholarships, study opportunities and student experiences, don’t forget to follow our social media:
LinkedIn
facebook
twitter
join and follow our ESE blog through the link below.

Last days to register! Jogja International Model United Nations (JoinMUN)

This month, after a long period of reclusiveness, ESE returns and sends a last days callout for those hoping to register to attend the JoinMUN 2015 Conference. Hurry and register before registrations close on the 26th of September, 2015.

(JoinMUN website http://www.joinmun.com/conference)
JOINMUN 2015 - REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE BEFORE 26 SEPTEMBER

Universitas Gadjah Mada will be holding it's fourth Jogja International (JOIN) Model United Nations (MUN) Conference this year. Read more about JOINMUN here.

If you haven't heard of MUN before you can read more about it here: Bestdelegate - how to get started.

Model United Nations (MUN)
In essence MUN is a simulation of the United Nations, in which delegates must each represent countries (ideally other than their own), while building cooperation towards agreements, policies, and solutions to regional and global issues.

Venue and date of conference
All of the committee sessions will be held in Harper Mangkubumi, Jogjakarta. The conference itself will commence on the 11th of November and run for four days until November 14th, 2015.

How does MUN help you?

MUN can be useful as you make it. For many this is the first chance to join an international / national conference to discuss global (although sometimes fictitious) issues. The way the conference is set up is often much more engaging and exciting than other conferences.

So what practical gains can be made from pretending to be in a UN Committee?

Improve your knowledge about global issues, and the rules of the procedure of the UN.
Sharpen your skills in negotiatins, research, public speaking, and building alliances *crucial*
Most importantly - it is a chance to build lasting networks. Make friends. MUN is fun!
For the more shrewd, MUN is an opportunity to gain 'international' experience which can become the first stepping stone towards more opportunities, more international conferences and scholarships. This all depends on how much you build your conference, and knowledge of such opportunities.
Winning awards, or obtaining honorable mentions or certificates may also have some use in the future - if not for your resume than at least for your confidence.

COSTS
All questions regarding costs and registration should be directed towards the secretariat of JOINMUN 2015. http://www.joinmun.com/contact

HURRY!
As the timeline says - deadlines for application close tomorrow - best to register before 26 September, 23.59 Jogja time.

(Photo attrribution ESE: ~ delegate from Papua to another Model United Nations Conference)

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

PEOI Online Education and Volunteering Opportunities

Professional Education, Testing and Certification Organisation International (PEOI)

This month, Equal Student Exchange (ESE) shares information about another organisation with an equity-based vision. PEOI is an organisation which seeks to provide equity-based opportunities and access to education for people from developing contexts and particularly those who would otherwise experience difficulty in gaining access to education, testing and certification.

The article is relevant for two main target audiences -

Those who would like to gain access to these online courses and programs of study through PEOI. education
Those who would like to contribute to PEOI as online volunteers. PEOI is one of the many organisations promoted by UN Online Volunteering.

WHAT IS PEOI?

PEOI, provides complete university level courses online free of charge in twelve languages to absolutely anyone in the world. PEOI's goal is to help disadvantaged students and aspiring professional to improve their lives and help their country.

PEOI began in 2001. PEOI it is not [currently] a university. However, PEOI designs its courses so that they can be taken as part of a program of studies with a professor at an accredited institution. PEOI listens carefully to prospective employers in order to offer courses that are authoritative, complete, up-to-date and relevant to professionals. PEOI courses can be thought of as dynamic textbooks that can be modified by each professor. Course content improvements are invited by everyone. PEOI would like to become a central location where reliable, high quality and cutting edge learning is available for all professions at little or no cost.
The creation of PEOI has been part of a wider movement to prove that professional education can be made available at little or not cost to all that need it.

Read more About PEOI here.

COURSES AND STUDY PROCEDURES
PEOI's courses are first of all complete high quality open textbooks. After studying a chapter, students can take tests, submit assignments and participate in class discussions. Students enrolled in a completed course with average grade of 70/100 or better on all tests in the course are awarded a course completion certificate.

PEOI has over 500 courses under construction, but only two dozen completed courses.

- Agricultural sciences
- Architecture
- Communication Engineering
- Economics
- Education
- Finance
- Mass communication
- Medicine
- Nursing
- Public Health

In addition to professional programs of study, PEOI is developing language courses since fluency in some key language may be crucial to secure employment. Language programs currently developed are in
- English as a second language

THE NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS

PEOI was created back in 2001 and is run by over 5000 volunteers. These volunteers believe that it is time for open post secondary education be made available to all free of charge, and that the Internet is making this possible.

Developing course requires either writing content in teams or importing it from open education sources. Developing or translating course content is high demanding, requires having completed university studies and preferably having teaching experience. Volunteers must also have advanced computer skills because all work is done online in PEOI's course development platform.
PEOI has been developing its courses for over ten years, but this is only the beginning: there is still an enormous amount of work, and a wide range of tasks must be completed (from research of references on the internet to illustrations, writing test questions, cases, assignments, class discussions and answering student questions).

If you are interested in being a part of this equity-based effort you can read more through the following links

VISION AND GOALS FOR THE FUTURE
PEOI's goal is to serve millions and millions of students who do not have access to higher education because of cost or location. We believe that the internet make it possible to deliver free university education to all. But this can only happen if volunteers like you join in PEOI's course development.

Check out PEOI on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/PEOIedu?sk=wall

And visit their website here

http://www.peoi.org/

Australia Awards for the Africa Region

Maasai Mara - Kenya - Wikimedia Commons Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

AFRICA - AUSTRALIA AWARDS
This month, Equal Student Exchange (ESE) shares information about study and scholarship opportunities in Australia for students coming from the region of Africa.

The particular program is called the Australia Awards Africa - http://www.australiaawardsafrica.org/

ABOUT THE AUSTRALIA AWARDS

The Australia Awards aim to develop the capacity and leadership skills of Africans to enable them to contribute effectively to development in their home country.

The Australia Awards, are a part of the Australian Government’s development assistance program for Africa. The awards provide access to postgraduate education, training and professional development opportunities for suitably qualified Africans from specific eligible countries such as Kenya.

On their return to the workplace, Australia Awards Alumni are expected to contribute actively to development in their home countries.

More information about Australia Awards Africa

English Language Requirements - Assessment options include IELTS and TOEFL
Visa Requirements

AWARD TYPES

Masters level degrees - Australian Awards Scholarships, to undertake higher degree Masters studies in Australia
Targeted professional development fellowships - Australia Awards - Africa Fellowships, to undertake short-term, targeted professional training courses, in Australia and/or in Africa, in a range of development-focused sectors.

Applying for an Australian AID Scholarship

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Australia Awards Scholarships are prestigious international awards offered by the Australian Government to the next generation of global leaders for development. Through study and research, recipients develop the skills and knowledge to drive change and help build enduring people-to-people links

with Australia.

In terms of broad criteria for selection, applicants will be assessed for their professional and personal qualities, academic competence and, most importantly, their potential to impact on development challenges in Africa. Applications are strongly encouraged from women and people with disability.

Wikimedia Commons - AusAID awardees from Africa meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu - DFAT Australia

ELIGIBILITY

From the Australia Awards Handbook for 2014 - p.17

To be eligible to receive an Australia Awards Scholarship, applicants must:

be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of commencing the
be a citizen of a participating country (as listed on the Australia Awards website) and be residing in and applying for the scholarship from their country of citizenship
not be married, engaged to, or a de facto of a person who holds, or is eligible to hold, Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency, at any time during the application, selection or mobilisation phases (note: residents of Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau with New Zealand citizenship are eligible but must apply for a DFAT (subclass 576) visa
not be current serving military personnel
not be a citizen of Australia, hold permanent residency in Australia or be applying for a visa to live in Australia permanently
not be applying for another long-term Australia Award unless they have resided outside of Australia for twice the length of the total time that they were in Australia (for example, a previous awardee who has been on an Australia Awards Scholarship in Australia for four years will not be eligible to apply for another Australia Awards Scholarship until they have been home for eight years)
have satisfied any specific criteria established by the Program Area or the government of the applicant’s country of citizenship
be able to satisfy the admission requirements of the institution at which the award is to be undertaken (this may mean that Program Areas will need to withdraw an award offer if the recipient cannot satisfy the institution’s admission requirements. This may not be known until Program Areas request a placement at selected institutions)
be able to satisfy all requirements of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to hold a DFAT (subclass 576) visa. This may mean that the Program Area will need to withdraw an award offer if the recipient cannot satisfy the visa requirements.
Applicants must inform the Program Area of any connection or relationship to staff employed at Program Areas or with managing contractors so that the application may be properly and transparently managed.

AWARD BENEFITS

Scholarship recipients will generally receive the following:

return air travel
a one off establishment allowance on arrival
full tuition fees
contribution to living expenses
introductory academic program
Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of the
Scholarship
supplementary academic support and
fieldwork allowance (for research and masters by course work which has a research component where fieldwork is a compulsory component.).

Wikimedia Commons - Brisbane Town Hall - Lacrimosus

Frequently Asked Questions

Wikimedia Commons - Melbourne at night - Photo Attribution Dillif

Subscribe to future articles:

If you are interested in searching for other scholarships, study opportunities and student experiences in other countries, don’t forget to join and follow our ESE blog.

You can also find more information on our facebook community page. We hope that the information here can benefit students from developing countries.

Opportunities for Africans (OFA)

Opportunities for Africans (OFA)

This month, Equal Student Exchange (ESE) shares information about study and scholarship opportunities in Australia for students coming from the region of Africa.

About OFA

About 65% of Africa’s population is below the age of 35 years,

Over 35% are between the ages of 15 and 35 years.

Africa is the most youth full continent.

By 2020, it is projected that out of 4 people, 3 will be on average 20 years old.

About 10 million young African youth arrive each year on the labor market (ILO 2008).

six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Opportunities for Africans (OFA) is an online information portal that seeks to connect Africans to the latest life changing opportunities.

The Opportunities for Africans portal hosts life changing opportunities such as scholarships, fellowships, internships, conferences, jobs, competitions, Volunteering and other life changing Opportunities for Africans.

The OFA portal was created with the aim of helping Africans achieve their potential by seizing the latest opportunities around the Globe.

OFA Partners

Key Pages

For more information

Website http://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/

E-Mail: opportunitiesforafricans@gmail.com

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/opportunitiesforafricans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oppsforafricans

Subscribe to future articles:

If you are interested in searching for other scholarships, study opportunities and student experiences in other countries, don’t forget to join and follow our ESE blog.

You can also find more information on our facebook community page. We hope that the information here can benefit students from developing countries.

Thursday, 8 May 2014

UNESCO ESD Youth Conference

The UNESCO ESD Youth Conference
Application deadline 1 June
Program Flyer and terms of reference

The ESD Conference makes a call to youth leaders around the world committed to building a better future through education:

• Are you between 18 and 35 years old?

• Are you engaged in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as an educator, trainer, member of a non-governmental organization, private sector professional, policy maker, researcher, or in any other capacity?

• Do you want to meet and collaborate with other ESD youth leaders from around the world?

• Do you have success stories or innovative initiatives to share, and wish to contribute to the global conversation on ESD?

• Do you want to add your voice to youth recommendations to be presented at the World Conference on ESD?

If you answer YES to these questions, you may be interested in taking part in the UNESCO ESD Youth Conference in Japan!

When is the application deadline?
Please read the information on the following pages and send in your application by 1 June 2014 to join.

What kind of application process is involved?

The application form is composed of 6 main questions and an optional video submission. Along with the usual required generic data.

How to apply?
Applicants must submit the following documents to be considered:

1) Application form
Please complete the Application Form in English. The document file must be saved in Microsoft Word format with filename “LAST NAME_First Name_Country Name.docx” (in this format).

Download Application Form at:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/youthconference

2) Recommendation letter
: A letter from a head or officer of an ESD/youth-related organization or institution stating the applicant’s engagement and relevant competency in ESD. The letter must be written in English and include contact information of the signatory (in any format, no longer than one page).

Please submit your application by email to esd2014@goipeace.or.jp
with the subject line “LAST NAME_First Name_Country Name.docx” (in this format).

Note: Please send only one email with both documents attached. Do not send your application more than once.

What is the UNESCO ESD Youth Conference about?
The UNESCO ESD Youth Conference will bring together 50 young ESD leaders from around the world in Okayama City, Japan on 7 November 2014.

As a Youth Conference participant you will have an opportunity to exchange your ideas and experiences with peers. You will be able to discuss innovative approaches to ESD and ways to promote young people’s contribution and further involvement in the global ESD movement. And you will help elaborate commitments to future ESD actions.

Conference participants will also be involved in developing recommendations for the UNESCO World Conference on ESD, which will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from 10-12 November 2014. All Youth Conference participants will be invited to take part in the World Conference.

The Youth Conference is being organized by UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO, the City of Okayama and The Goi Peace Foundation.

Please see the Application Guidelines for the UNESCO ESD Youth Conference for further information, including timelines and selection criteria.

If you have questions about the application procedure, please contact:
esd2014@goipeace.or.jp

If you are interested in searching for other scholarships, study opportunities and student experiences in other countries, don’t forget to join and follow our ESE blog.

You can also find more information on our facebook community page. We hope that the information here can benefit students from developing countries.

UN Conference on Small Island Developing States

2014 | The International Year of Small Island Developing States

UN Conference on Small Island Developing States

Apia Samoa 1-4 September | 2014

2014 is the International Year of Small Island Developing States. The symbolic appreciation celebrates the contributions that this group of countries has made to the world. Small island developing states are home to vibrant and distinct cultures, diversity and heritage.

The event also acknowledges that the people of Small Island Developing States are also at the forefront of efforts to addressing pressing global issues through ingenuity, innovation and use of traditional knowledge.

The challenges facing the small island developing States are challenges that confront us all, and they are determined to work with all countries to find solutions that will ensure a brighter future for generations to come.

The Year will also help raise awareness of the UN Conference on Small Island Developing States, which will be held in September in Apia, Samoa, and will focus on building partnerships for sustainable development.

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States

The Conference will be held from 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa, to be preceded by activities related to the conference from 28 to 30 August 2014, also in Apia, Samoa. It will focus the world’s attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities.

The overarching theme of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States is "The sustainable development of small island developing States through genuine and durable partnerships".

The Conference will seek to achieve the following objectives:

assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation;

seek a renewed political commitment by focusing on practical and pragmatic actions for further implementation;

identify new and emerging challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of SIDS and means of addressing them; and

identify priorities for the sustainable development of SIDS to be considered in the elaboration of the post-2015 UN development agenda.

The United Nations General Assembly resolution called for "a concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented political document.".

Youth Forum:

Stay tuned for further information about the Youth Forum at the SIDS Conference on the 28^th of August. At this stage the committee are still working on the conference. You can find some information about the Youth Forum for the SIDs Conference through this link.

http://www.sids2014.org/index.php?menu=1568

At this stage the Conference and committee are relatively closed and difficult to reach. Perhaps due to a heavy workload they do not have a general inquiries or ‘contact us’ section on their website. Equal Student Exchange (ESE) has made efforts to contact them to ask about Youth participation in the youth forum. Stay tuned to this space for more information as it comes in.

For more information visit:

General information about SIDS

http://www.sidsnet.org/

The year of Small Island Developing States

http://www.un.org/en/events/islands2014/#&panel1-1

A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal - SIDS

http://www.sidsnet.org/news/united-nations-sustainable-development-journal-sids

If you are interested in searching for other scholarships, study opportunities and student experiences in other countries, don’t forget to join and follow our ESE blog.

You can also find more information on our facebook community page. We hope that the information here can benefit students from developing countries.

Pages

About ESE

Thursday, 24 September 2015

The 2016 Youth Assembly at the United Nations

Last days to register! Jogja International Model United Nations (JoinMUN)

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

PEOI Online Education and Volunteering Opportunities

Australia Awards for the Africa Region

Opportunities for Africans (OFA)

Thursday, 8 May 2014

UNESCO ESD Youth Conference

UN Conference on Small Island Developing States

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