Opportunity: the EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE The Fund for American Studies is pleased to announce the 17th annual International Institute for Political and Economic Studies (IIPES). IIPES, located in Crete, Greece, brings students from the Eastern Mediterranean region, the United States, the Middle East, and the Balkans together to learn about each other and explore ways to cross the barriers that divide their cultures. The curriculum engages students in philosophical examination of government, society and culture, conflict management, and political economy. The deadline to apply to IIPES is March 15, 2012. For more information see: www.tfasinternational.org.

Launch of Applications for Southeast Europe and the EU - Leadership Development Programme In an effort to support the integration process in Southeast Europe, the seventh “Southeast Europe and the EU – Leadership Development Programme” supports 30 young people from the countries of Southeast Europe as well as broader Europe. The programme was initiated in 2006 by the College of Europe, Bruges, and the TRANSFUSE Association, Berlin. The European Fund for the Balkans has been generously financing the programme since 2008 and is now, since 2009, organising it jointly with the College of Europe and the TRANSFUSE Association. The Programme will consist of the following activities: Two-week Summer Academy in Austria and Slovakia September 2012 The curriculum includes topics related to the European Union and the development of its relations with Southeast Europe as well as wider issues of international and economic relations. Practical training components focussing on project management, leadership, communication and media skills provide participants with essential leadership qualities. Group Projects in Southeast Europe Between October 2012 and March 2013 Back in their home countries, participants keep in contact and work together in small multicultural groups to develop and implement a group project in Southeast Europe. Five-day Spring Seminar in Belgium April 2013 The Final Seminar offers visits and briefings in the EU institutions and NATO in Brussels and in the Campus of the College of Europe in Bruges. The Programme is led by an Academic Dean, who guides the participants through the different components of the Programme. The working language of the Programme is English. Participants are expected to be available during the overall period of the Programme (July 2012 – April 2013) and to attend each planned activity. Only 30 selected applicants will be invited to participate. Their participation in the Programme is financed by the European Fund for the Balkans, an initiative by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the King Baudouin Foundation, the Compagnia di San Paolo and the ERSTE Foundation, hosted by the Network of European Foundations. Learn more & Apply online: www.seeyoungleaders.org Deadline for Application is Tuesday 24 April 2012 at 23h59 C.E.T.

"Your Idea, Your NATO" policy workshop competition

Folks, This was just received from NATO. While the deadline is looming, it would be a great opportunity for someone.

The deadlines for the “Your Ideas, Your NATO” policy workshop competition are drawing near, but there’s still plenty of time to enter! Participants should write a 600-800 word article in one of three categories: by February 23 in the Values and Community category, by March 15 in the Partnerships after the Arab Spring category, and by April 5 in the Smart Defense category. Through the generous support of NATO, the US Mission to Germany and the Boell Foundation, three winners will win a trip to Berlin to present their ideas at our conference on May 21 and receive feedback from NATO. “Your Ideas, Your NATO” is unique in its aim to generate practical policy recommendations for May’s NATO Summit in Chicago, and its format mimics the decision-making of the Alliance. For young professionals and students (the contest is open to citizens 35 years and under of all NATO Member and Partner countries), this offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with their peers and decision makers from throughout the transatlantic community. We are looking for realistic policy proposals on how to increase awareness of NATO’s values, reach out to new democracies in the Arab world, and encourage states to share defense burdens more effectively. Those with the best proposals in each category will then join together to develop a single policy memo, mirroring the unanimous decisions necessary in NATO policy making. For more information please see the main competition page: http://www.atlantic-community.org/index/articles/view/Your_Ideas%2C_Your_NATO If you need some help getting started, check out our reading recommendations: http://www.atlantic-community.org/index/articles/view/Your_Ideas%2C_Your_NATO%3A_A_Closer_Look_at_the_Issues Atlantic-community.org is the Open Think Tank for Foreign Policy with more than 6500 members. Our mission is to give a voice to a new generation of thinkers and to contribute to a more diverse transatlantic strategic community. It is a project of Atlantic Initiative, a Berlin-based independent and non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening transatlantic relations and building a culture of constructive foreign policy debate.

Upcoming changes in work-and-travel program

According to the Associated Press, the US State Department is planning a partial overhaul of the program. This is being done in response to allegations of exploitation of foreign students “by unscrupulous labor brokers and organized criminals in the sex industry.” The AP report says “some of the most significant changes would be to ban jobs in factories, warehouses and other places like seafood packing plants. The agency also plans on ‘re-emphasizing the adult entertainment industry prohibition by specifically prohibiting jobs with escort services, adult book/video stores, massage parlors, and strip clubs’." Hopefully, the last part will have little impact on AUBG students. The whole story is available here. IS