Insight Fellowship Program

The Insight Fellowship Program was created in 2005 to foster a community of global-minded individuals prepared to manage conflict effectively and contribute to their local, national, and international communities. Insight believes that the ability to make positive contributions is a function of the quality of one’s communication skills, empathy, and self-understanding. To promote these qualities, one-year Insight Fellowships are given to exceptional individuals to:

• Study and promote effective conflict management
• Make related international humanitarian contributions
• Pursue related self- development

Applications and placements are shaped by the Insight Fellowship Guidelines, which encourage original and reflective thinking, innovative approaches to managing conflict, exposure to other cultures and customs, cultivation of entrepreneurship and leadership, volunteering for the benefit of underserved populations, and the development of a compassionate disposition toward the world. The Fellowship includes up to a $25,000 USD expense allowance to support multiple placements totaling one year, typically in three- to four-month blocks. Each Fellow is required to repay the amount of the $25,000 allowance used through individual fund raising efforts, regenerating the funds to ensure support for the next Fellow. This “pay forward” approach instills the values of sustainability and non-profit entrepreneurship.

The first three-month placement is at the Boston offices of Insight Collaborative and its affiliate, Insight Partners. In Boston, Fellows advance their understanding of the theory and practice of effective negotiation, communication, and mediation; meet pivotal figures in the field; attend workshops; receive personalized coaching; and see first-hand how international conflict management professionals operate in the academic, non-profit, and for-profit sectors. Fellows also begin fundraising to fulfill obligations to regenerate funds for future Fellows. The subsequent nine months is divided into three foreign placements, proposed and arranged by the Fellow. Placements are approved by Insight Collaborative on the basis of safety, and the extent to which they meet the Insight Fellowship Guidelines