Second year of Mercator Fellowship begins
20 young Germans spend a year working in international organizations and NGOs
Essen/Bonn, 20.07.2010 – 20 outstanding university graduates from Germany are beginning their year at the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs. The Mercator Fellowship aims to promote young, German-speaking employees and groom them for leadership positions in international organizations and NGOs. The fellows carry out self-designed projects while working in institutions for international cooperation of their choice. In addition, they participate in intensive seminars on international relations and managerial skills. The Mercator Fellowship is a project jointly run by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation) and Stiftung Mercator in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office.
“Through the Mercator Fellowship, Stiftung Mercator’s goal is to qualify up-and-coming managers to face up to the changed requirements of the globalised, 21st century world”, explains Dr Bernhard Lorentz, chairman of the Stiftung Mercator board of directors. “Competent and committed personnel in key positions of influence inside and outside Germany are what is needed to overcome the challenges of the globalized world. The Fellowship allows us to prepare young university graduates for leadership careers in international settings”, continues Lorentz. Stiftung Mercator supports the Mercator Fellowship with 5.7 million euros over a period of five years.
“The Studienstiftung is happy to be able to contribute personnel and ideas to tackle worldwide problems through the Mercator Fellowship”, says Dr Gerhard Teufel, secretary-general of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. “Whether it is a question of human trafficking in South-East Asia, sexual violence in Iranian prisons or a pilot scheme for ‘one-euro glasses’ for Africa, the second intake at the Mercator Fellowship is not afraid to address uncomfortable issues and to demand that the international community of states does not shirk its obligations.”
During the course of a 13-month programme, the fellows will work in two or three international organizations or in globally active NGOs, non-profit organizations or business enterprises. The fellows choose their respective work placements during the year based on their individual project outlines. The stipend for the 13 months is around 17,000 euros, plus travel costs. Additional grants are available for placements abroad and language training, while numerous seminar phases on personal leadership and negotiation skills are on offer.
The first year’s intake of the Mercator Fellowship ends in September 2010, and is already showing the first signs of success. For example, even before completing his year, Mercator fellow Mirco Günther was able to earn a position as head of the Water Management Unit at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Tajikistan, where he will focus on water conflict management and securing energy supplies in Central Asia.
The following new fellows have been enrolled in the Mercator Fellowship:
• Mina Baghai Arassi (26) from Saarbrücken, planned project: Sexual violence in Iranian prisons – Opportunities and obligations for the international community of states
• Jann Böddeling (27) from Cologne, planned project: Civil society programmes: Possibilities for early promotion of innovative organizations
• Sebastian Boll (27) from Kassel, planned project: Human trafficking in South-East Asia: A study of the effectiveness of regional trade
• Sebastian Fellhauer (27) from Weil im Schönbuch, planned project: Evaluating the production of one-euro glasses for Africa
• Alexandra-Britta Jarotschkin (24) from Bad Arolsen, planned project: Caught between private sector development and the battle against poverty
• Konstantin Kosten (29) from Berlin, planned project: Integration, not confrontation: Possibilities for a cooperative German and European Iran policy
• Annika Kovar (26) from Böblingen, planned project: The role of traditional reconciliation processes in African post-conflict situations: A building block for securing lasting peace?
• Christian Ksoll (29) from Weiden, planned project: Trade and transport facilitation in the Greater Mekong subregion
• Dr Annika Kuhn (29) from Karlsruhe, planned project: Restitution and mobility of cultural assets: Possibilities for and perspectives of international cooperation
• Tobias März (30) from Würzburg, planned project: Solar energy: Opportunity for developing and newly industrializing countries and solution to global warming?
• David Maleki (26) from Frankfurt, planned project: Cooperation with newly industrializing countries in the area of climate protection
• Florian Neutze (28) from Hanover, planned project: Effective development policy? The transformation of German development cooperation as exemplified by the process of bilateral civilian reconstruction in Afghanistan
• Dominik Paris (27) from Cologne, planned project: Climate change adaptation: Migration potential in large cities in coastal areas
• Clara Rellensmann (27) from Berlin, planned project: The potential of cultural preservation for promoting sustainable development: The implementation of the World Heritage Convention in South-East Asia
• Lenea Reuvers (24) from Hohen, planned project: “Strengthen Women, Promote Democracy”: The role of women in promoting democracy in the Middle East
• Bastian Richter (27) from Celle, planned project: Ways to overcome civil war and humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa
• Joshua Rogers (25) from Berlin, planned project: International contributions to stabilizing fragile states
• Juliane Sarnes (27) from Berlin, planned project: Ways out of the debt trap – strategies for eliminating dysfunctional incentive structures in the public sector
• Kristoffer Tangri (28) from Hamburg, planned project: A transforming EU security doctrine: An analysis of the EU’s contribution to UN peacekeeping
• Julia Teyssen (24) from Guntramsdorf, planned project: Regional integration of European electricity markets
Every year, highly qualified German university graduates of all disciplines may apply until 31 March for one of the 20 spots in the Mercator Fellowship programme.
The Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs also offers 3 fellowships to university graduates from Switzerland, where the initiative is run by Stiftung Mercator Switzerland and the Swiss Study Foundation in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Links to further information:
www.mercator-kolleg.de and www.studienstiftung.de/mercator-kolleg.html
About Stiftung Mercator:
Stiftung Mercator is one of Germany’s largest foundations. It initiates and funds projects that promote better educational opportunities in schools and universities. In the spirit of Gerhard Mercator, it supports initiatives that embody the idea of open-mindedness and tolerance through intercultural encounters, encouraging the sharing of knowledge and culture.
The foundation provides a platform for new ideas to enable people to develop their personality, become involved in society and make the most of the opportunities available to them– regardless of their national, cultural or social background. Stiftung Mercator is hence committed to inspiring ideas. Stiftung Mercator takes an entrepreneurial, international and professional approach to its work. It has a particular affinity with the Ruhr area, the home of its founding family.
About Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes:
With around 11,000 scholars, the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation) is the largest and oldest organization sponsoring the academically gifted in Germany. It is non-political and non-denominational.
The Studienstiftung promotes future excellence in the areas of science, business, public administration, and the arts. Through its sponsorship programme, it promotes academic consolidation, interdisciplinary dialogue, a cosmopolitan world view and international experience. The Studienstiftung is financially supported and subsidized by the Federal Government of Germany, the German Federal States and local authorities as well as by other foundations and a large number of private donors.
The Studienstiftung was founded in Dresden in 1925, dissolved in 1934 and re-founded as a registered association in Cologne in 1948. During its existence, it has sponsored more than 50,000 exceptionally gifted students and doctoral candidates. Each year, around 3,500 new scholars join the Foundation.
If you should have any questions concerning the Studienstiftung, please do not hesitate to contact:
Cordula Avenarius
Press and public relations
Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Tel.: +49 228 820 96-334
E-Mail: avenarius@studienstiftung.de