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"It is my deepest hope that the world can begin to look at our friends with special needs and, for once, tell them, 'Yes, you do belong; yes, you are wonderful; yes, you can be a shining light of hope for the world!'"
— Eunice Kennedy Shriver |
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About the Program
Program Overview
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Fellowship Program will serve as a powerful mechanism for creating a cadre of professionals to lead Special Olympics Programs in developing nations, as well as to collaborate with Special Olympics on cross-sector initiatives to raise the status of people with intellectual disabilities. The EKS Fellowship Program has been crafted as a professional development opportunity for mid-career individuals interested in NGO efforts benefiting people with intellectual disabilities. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended.
Goals
The goals of the EKS Program are as follows:
- To promote civil society development by building capacity of NGOs and facilitating cross-sector cooperation.
- To solicit, capture and share perspectives and knowledge from around the globe, and provide access to information about best practices in disability services and supports, programs and policies, sports management and NGO administration.
- To create a cadre of well-trained professionals dedicated to promoting effective policies and programs that benefit people with intellectual disabilities around the world.
- To strengthen Special Olympics and to allow more people with intellectual disabilities, their families and communities to benefit from the transformational power of this movement.
Program Content
Program participants will engage in a focused set of activities that emphasize practical hands-on professional experiences.
- Fellows will be based at Special Olympics Programs in the United States where they will be placed in departments that can provide an intense learning and working experience over the course of three months. North Carolina, New York, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey will serve as Host Programs in Year 1.
- While in the United States, Fellows will support their Host Program with short-term projects that meet their learning objectives and will develop a Fellowship project for implementation after they return home.
- In addition, Fellows will complete three one-week intensive learning rotations at the Washington, DC, headquarters office on topics including Development, Communications, Government Affairs and Research.
- Fellows will participate in a leadership discussion series and will have opportunities to formulate their own views of leadership within the cultural context of each Fellow's home country.
- Upon completion of the three-month visit to the United States, each Fellow will implement their Fellowship project at the Special Olympics Program in his/her country. The project should take 250 hours total to complete for a period of no less than six months.
“The EKS Fellowship Program will honor my mother's ground-breaking work by transporting her message across a diverse array of cultures and landscapes. Our Fellows will advocate for change for persons with intellectual disabilities by enhancing infrastructures and by building the capacities of local people in developing nations. We are creating a corps of leaders to effect change in every corner of the planet.”
—Timothy Shriver, Chairman of the Board, Special Olympics
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