Fellowship Guidelines

Insight Fellowship applications are evaluated in part on the degree to which proposed placements meet the Insight Fellowship Guidelines described below. Examples are intended to stimulate ideas rather than limit possibilities.

Effective Communication
Focus on theory and skills related to communicating effectively, and to facilitating the communication of others.

Examples: Teaching workshops on handling difficult conversations; developing foreign language skills; researching articles on understanding communication; mediating disputes; fostering relationships among entities with little or poor communication.

Global Mindedness
Cultivate an awareness, appreciation, and respect for the similarities and differences among the world’s peoples, cultures, traditions, and places.

Examples: Living far from familiar places and people; experiencing a variety of cultures, geography, and activities unique to different parts of the world.

Self-Reflection
Engage in activities that promote increased self-awareness, including an improved understanding of your psychological, emotional, and behavioral patterns.

Examples: Receiving individualized coaching on conflict management skills; reviewing recordings of your own teaching efforts; participating in workshops designed to increase awareness; going on a week-long monastic retreat; hiking in the Himalayas.

Volunteering
Engage in acts of giving for the betterment of others without compensation.

Examples: Serving as a workshop or teaching assistant; providing free teaching or conflict intervention services; participating in community service projects.

Entrepreneurship
Practice the collaborative leadership qualities necessary to create change and implement ideas.

Examples: Helping small conflict management firms develop new business; generating new business affiliations among organizations; participating in the formation of a new business venture; organizing people to further a specific objective.

Multi-Layering
Look for ways to have multiple experiences or meet multiple interests simultaneously.

Examples: Teaching English as a volunteer while studying a local language; developing contacts while exploring a city; writing grants, meeting industry professionals, and taking SCUBA certification in one day; testing a new technique while mediating.

Sustainability
Minimize the negative environmental effects or costs of your actions on the world and on others.

Examples: Improving, or at least not damaging, the relationships among organizations you encounter; leaving a physical space, from office to campsite, cleaner than it was when you arrived; replacing funds used for placements so others can do the same.

Education
Engage in personal learning opportunities, and facilitate learning in others.

Examples: Teaching workshops; promoting conflict management conferences; helping design, revise, or test classroom materials; encouraging individuals to seek individualized coaching; writing an article for an academic journal or popular magazine.