Education Fellowship

What is your next step? Where do you want to go in your life? What kind of impact do you want to make?

How about spending a year on the ground in Liberia, West Africa on a fellowship with More Than Me?

More Than Me (MTM) was founded in 2008 with the mission of getting girls off the streets and into school in the West Point community, one of the poorest and most dangerous slums of Liberia. MTM works with community leaders to identify girls who are at the highest risk of being sexually exploited to ensure that education and opportunity, not exploitation and poverty, define their lives. MTM currently supports the education of 108 students and will open its own school and double its program enrollment in 2013. Within five years, MTM aims to open an all-girls boarding school as a safe house for 1000+ students. MTM's ultimate goal is to empower these girls with an education that will enable them to make real choices about their futures.

Having just won $1 million at the Chase American Giving Awards in December 2012, More Than Me is at an exciting tipping point in its organizational and programmatic evolution – and YOU can be a part of it!

MTM Fellowship

We are looking for eight highly motivated, entrepreneurial fellows to help us propel our programs forward and open our very own More Than Me Academy in September 2013. Fellows will spend half of their time in a classroom paired with a Liberian teacher and half of their time using a specific skill set to advance MTM's mission.

We are not just recruiting teaching fellows…we are recruiting change-makers!

Why should YOU be a part of this?

Liberia is going through a major, post-conflict transition phase – and it's an exciting one! In Liberia, you will be dunked into the world of international development in an incredibly open and forward-moving place. Here, you will have the freedom to be a pioneer, form connections, start your own initiatives, and most importantly you will work with us to build something that matters in this world. This is not a traditional 9 to 5 job. You will live, breathe, and sweat your fellowship. Using MTM as a platform, you will grow both personally and professionally as you network between the UN, government officials, donors and ambassadors. You will meet the beautiful souls and smiles of the girls, you will live the daily contradiction of struggle and beauty, and you will wake up every morning knowing that every day you make an impact, every day you are contributing towards getting these girls to places where they have real choices about their futures.

Joining MTM in Liberia will be an exhilarating adventure. No two days will be the same…we can promise you that! You will put on a suit to network with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and government officials then turn around and jump on a motorbike to visit girls' homes in the slums. Are you ready to jump in?

Fundraising

We ask fellows to fundraise to defray the cost of their expenses. We promise, it's do-able! Fundraising is a crucial skill in this line of work; one that you will hone in this fellowship with MTM. We want you to utilize MTM's current momentum to tell your story, portray the need, attract investment and encourage people to join in our vision. We want you to get your home community, work community, school community, and global community involved and behind this cause. Our development team will work with you 100% of the way to develop your personal fundraising plan and troubleshoot problems. All of the donations you raise for MTM will be tax-deductible.

In return for your invaluable participation in our fellowship program, we will provide:

• Pre-trip orientation in New York City
• Three weeks of orientation in Liberia
• Roundtrip flight, housing, medical evacuation insurance, visa and permits, daily meals, local transportation allowance, and monthly stipend of $300.
• Mentoring and support both in the classroom and in your specific fellowship role
• Connections to our network—MTM is a family of incredible change-makers. We will connect you with mentors and experts in your field and constantly promote your own professional development.
• The chance to make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of at-risk girls, and see your ideas and suggestions come alive!

Important Dates

• May 10, 2013: Application Due
• May 22, 2013: All Successful Applicants Notified
• June 14-16, 2013: Orientation in New York City
• July 21, 2013: Land in Liberia

Candidate Requirements:

• Experience having lived/worked and/or studied in a developing country
• 4 year degree
• Ability to make a one year commitment (July 2013-June 2014)
• Past experience working with children
• Deep resonance with the mission of MTM –getting the girls to a place where they have choices
• Demonstrated interest in human rights and/or development
• Willingness to contribute in any way towards achieving the goals and mission of MTM (daily tasks may sometimes be completely unrelated to your fellowship)
• Innovative, out-of-the-box thinker and risk-taker
• Adaptable and flexible
• See opportunities not limitations
• Tenacious towards reaching goals
• Self- motivated team player…we are building this together
• Culturally sensitive

Preferred qualifications:

• Teaching and/or tutoring and/or mentoring experience
• Experience working in West Africa, preferably Liberia
• Degree in specialized area for which you are applying or in international development or non-profit management
• Experience in the specialized area for which you are applying
• Experience working with a start-up nonprofit
• Prior fundraising experience

Specific Fellowships

We have come a long way, but there's still a lot to be done…COME BUILD THIS WITH US!

All fellows will spend five hours a day in the classroom and will work alongside Liberian teachers to design lesson plans and reach classroom goals. Additionally, to help us build our capacity outside of the school program, the Pedagogical Fellow will take on this role:

Pedagogical Fellow

Primary responsibilities:

• Manage all school activities (serve as "principal" of More Than Me Academy)
• Work with MTM's curriculum team for ongoing curriculum development
• Lead weekly teacher meetings and provide feedback to teachers
• Provide ESL expertise
• Visit other school models in Liberia, West Africa
• Scope out other education programs, partnerships, and sister schools

Specific qualities we are looking for:

Passion and experience with inner city or alternative education. Able to help other fellows and Liberian teachers teach to the best of their ability and troubleshoot MTM's curriculum. Progressive, innovative individual who is able to scope out other programs and utilize technology to leap-frog MTM's education. Extremely curious and eager to visit existing schools in Liberia and ask questions and meet principals. Able to work closely with the Ministry of Education in Liberia and with the M+E fellow to create indicators to determine the success of the curriculum.