Conceived and supported by a generous initial gift from Fulbright Canada Board member Ajay Royan, the Fulbright Canada Post-COVID Challenge is the signature program in our 30th Anniversary. Our commitment is to encourage, celebrate, and support bright young leaders with diverse perspectives and unique ideas. Our goal is to tap into the creativity and imagination of a new generation, and, especially, underrepresented youth, in Canada and the United States. The program will provide youth participants with an opportunity to present their solutions to the current crisis.
As many of you may have suspected, we have been overwhelmed with the number of applications and the enthusiasm that this program has generated. The passion, confidence, and creativity of your generation are vital to our collective well being as we face the ongoing challenges born of the COVID-19 crisis and do our best to get beyond it. Hope, as they say, is on the horizon, and you are its champions.
Given the tremendous response to our call, coupled with the current surge and the revised timeline for the vaccine, we have decided to adjust our schedule such that we position you and your colleagues for success. Our decision to extend the application deadline and revise the overall schedule reflects our commitment to this project and an appreciation of changing realities.
The deadline for applications has been extended to January 30, 2021.
The complete updated details can be found on our website. Revising the timeline allows applicants, and prospective applicants, additional time to adjust to the challenges that the global pandemic continues to present.
Please note that individuals who have already submitted may resubmit their application by January 30, 2021.
The Post-COVID Challenge Innovation Summit, an all-expenses-paid leadership experience at a beautiful scenic location in Western Canada, is a crucial element of the program. As such, we want to ensure that more teams can participate. We have revised the date to late summer so that finalists can meet safely in an in-person environment with government representatives, university leaders, venture capitalists, Fulbright partners, and one another.
We have also added some elements to the process, which will allow participants another opportunity to present and receive feedback on their ideas.
I appreciate your understanding and contribution to the Post-COVID challenge and look forward to reviewing the submissions.
If you have any questions, please contact Patrick Burke, Acting Director of Public Affairs at Fulbright Canada (pburke@fulbright.ca) or Anna Abraham, Public Affairs Specialist and Diversity Lead at Fulbright Canada (aabraham@fulbright.ca).
We are excited about all that you bring to the conversation and look forward to supporting your unique ideas and innovative insights.
Eligible Fulbright Canada Post-COVID Challenge participants are young persons who are the age of majority and reside in Canada or the United States. They may be students, early career professionals, or young community leaders, or simply a young person with an extraordinary idea and a commitment to sharing that idea. Applications are welcome from individuals or teams.
Eligible Fulbright Canada Post-COVID Challenge Fellows are early to mid-career professionals, community leaders, students, and scholars. The mentors are there to support the individuals and teams that are competing in the post-COVID challenge. They are trainers, guides, and advisors to the youth participants, and they are persons whose commitment and professional achievements reflect the range of skills that speak to our three core challenge areas.