Deadline: April 1, 2017 | Apply here
Dates: August 25 – September 8, 2017
Eligibility: students (20-29 years old) from a developing country enrolled in a higher education institution in Portugal or an EU member state; or, a national of Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, Turkey, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Central Asia;
Price: EUR 450,-
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

The Altemus Leadership Programme 2017

In pursuit of its mission, the nonprofit educational organization Altemus is pleased to announce a call for applications for its foundational 2-week ‘Leading from Within’ program. The Altemus Leadership Programme (ALP) provides a rich environment for personal growth and leadership development by combining academic excellence, experiential training and real-world pragmatism.

It ascribes to a holistic, inward-outward personalized approach. The programme consists of an intensive residential training in core soft skills and leadership competencies (self-awareness and understanding, visioning, goal-setting and planning, ethics and integrity, communication skills, building and leading teams, and creative problem-solving), and a practicum (a community service exercise and outdoor trekking).

The ‘Altemus experience’ is a series of carefully sequenced and integrated activities designed to increase young people’s leadership knowledge and skills, as well their self-esteem, confidence, resilience, adaptability, openness and conscientiousness.

The programme is highly interactive and participatory. Its methodology includes presentations, group work, discussions, simulations, case studies, psychometric testing, assessments, role-playing, co-operative games, meetings with role-model leaders, reflection periods, journaling, one-on-one coaching and outdoor experiential learning.

This training offers young people a unique opportunity to:

• Develop fundamental self-leadership skills and competencies
• Receive one-on-one feedback and coaching
• Network with peers and mentors from around the world
• Have a community service experience

Programme description

The 2017 Altemus Leadership Programme (ALP) is comprised of a residential training (7 days in Portugal), community service (1 day) and trekking (5 days in Spain).

The topics covered in detail are:

• self-awareness & self-understanding
• visioning
• goal-setting
• action planning
• stress management

The training is intensive, interdisciplinary and participatory It blends brief lectures, role-playing, case studies, group work, shared inquiry, games, art activities, outdoor experiential exercises, hiking and community service.

Altemus’ international team of trainers are seasoned professionals that come from the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Benefits and Value

Altemus is distinct in the way it trains young leaders. The ALP brings added value because of its:

• International student body;
• International team of professional trainers, facilitators and coaches drawn from different disciplines and sectors;
• Innovative curriculum designed with the participation of the target audience and fined-tuned to the specific needs of each group of learners;
• Small class size combined with one-on-one coaching;
• Frequent, timely and honest performance feedback, debriefs that draw out and link lessons learned to participants’ lives back home;
• Beautiful training location and supportive environment, ideal for self-reflection, experimentation and planning;
• Financial accessibility to young people from different geographical, cultural, ethnic, religious and socio-economic backgrounds;
• Sharing of knowledge, ideas and good practices, networking with like-minded peers from around the world;
• Immediate and direct applicability to home communities, thereby increasing the participant’s leadership capacity and employability

To be eligible for the 2017 ALP you must be:

• A national of a developing country; a student from a developing country enrolled in a higher education institution in Portugal or an EU member state; or, a national of Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, Turkey, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Central Asia;
• An EU student applying through the Wildcard Invitational
• Proficient in English;
• 20-29 years old
• In good health (physical and mental) and capable of trekking with a 8-10 kg backpack for 5-8 hours/day on flat, or hilly terrain (moderate difficulty).

Who should apply

Young people who are:

• Committed to developing their fullest human and leadership potential; and
• Assisting marginalized or vulnerable populations in their communities; or
• Leaders or members of student councils or organizations;

Studying or working in one of the following fields:

• Good governance
• Education
• Medicine or nursing
• Social or humanitarian work
• Poverty reduction
• Environmental protection
• Social innovation
• Journalism or photojournalism

For more opportunities, check our opportunities sections and subscribe to our weekly newsletters.