Echidna Global Scholar

Overview

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The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.

 

We bring together leading experts in government and academia from all over the world, rooted in open-minded inquiry and representing diverse points of view, who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis. Research topics cover a full range of public policy issues in economics, foreign policy, development, governance and metropolitan policy.

 

With fair and transparent business practices, clear communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative atmosphere that offers both professional and personal development opportunities, Brookings offers an inclusive and welcoming workplace that values the efforts of all contributors.

 

The Echidna Global Scholars Program’s Visiting Fellowship is hosted by the Center for Universal Education (CUE), within the Global Economy and Development program, at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.

 

The Echidna Global Scholars Program (the Program) aims to strengthen the capacity of local leaders to advance gender equality in and through education across the Global South and globally. During a six-month Fellowship at Brookings, spanning a pre-residency and residency phases, Scholars conduct individual research focused on improving learning opportunities and life outcomes for girls, young women, and gender non-conforming people, develop their leadership and evidence-based policy skills, build substantive knowledge on gender and global education issues, and expand their pathways for impact.

The Fellowship consists of three phases:

Pre-residency: sets the basis for the research training, leadership, and strategic impact components of the program. With the support of CUE fellows and the gender equality in and through education team, scholars begin an intensive period of in-country data collection and analysis, accompanied by a series of virtual workshops, group working meetings, and individual advisory sessions. Scholars are introduced to the concepts and tools that will be the focus of the leadership development program throughout the Fellowship and begin developing an impact strategy, identifying and engaging with local actors. Time commitment is roughly 15-20 hours a week during this phase. 

Residency: the residency period in Washington, DC focuses primarily on clarifying Scholars’ focus and expanding their reach and impact. The residency phase is designed to support Scholars as they strengthen skills and practices for analyzing, communicating, and leveraging research for policy contexts and key audiences and engage in a reflective and individualized leadership development program. The residency also seeks to expand Scholars’ networks and promote visibility through Brookings convenings and strategic collaborations, culminating with their participation in the Gender Equality in and through Education Research and Policy Symposium. Over the course of the residency, Scholars will engage in analysis of data collected during the pre-residency phase and will work closely with the CUE team to translate their research into an action-oriented policy brief and strategic commentaries, which will be published and disseminated on Brookings’s multimedia platforms.

Post-residency: During the two-year period following residency, the CUE team provides intentional support to alumni as they translate their research into action with through the implementation of impact projects in their home countries. Through impact planning, strategic advisement and leadership development work, CUE supports scholars as they leverage the knowledge, skills, and connections built throughout the Fellowship to catalyze change in their contexts.

In addition, upon completion of the residency, scholars transition into the Echidna Global Scholars Alumni Network (EGSAN), a growing network of educators, researchers, community leaders and policy influencers grounded in diverse lived experiences and united by a shared commitment to gender equality in and through education. The network is a dynamic space that drives collaborative research, shared learning, regional and global convenings, and collective action to advance systemic transformation change globally, regionally and locally.

 

Since its inception in 2012, the Echidna Global Scholars Program has hosted fourteen cohorts of fellows and supports an alumni network of 48 scholars working in more than 25 different countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

 

About the Center for Universal Education