近年来，大量同志社区组织在各地涌现，并且很多组织有提高工作能力的需求。鉴于此，爱白文化教育中心与洛杉矶同志中心合作，建立了“同志社群领导力培养项目” (项目网站：http://la-interns.aibai.com/ )。该项目为中国LGBT社群工作的人士提供在洛杉矶同志中心实习的机会，让他们亲身体验公益组织的工作环境，并将所见所得带回中国推广。该计划每年分春秋两季实施，实习时间一个月左右。到目前为止，已经有15人参与了该计划，大家在回国后以更大的热情继续投入到LGBT社群的工作，取得了不错的成绩。从2011年春季开始，每季将会挑选4人同行。2011年秋季招募工作已经正式启动，本季申请截止日期为2011年6月30日。
洛杉矶同志中心具有悠久的历史，是美国最大的社区公益组织（不仅指同志社区）。中心曾与其它国家的同志组织进行过类似合作，培训经验丰富。同时，因为中心服务范围非常广阔，几乎涵盖所有与同志相关的领域，所以是观察实习的最佳环境。
We will begin accepting applications for the fall tour immediately and will continue until the 30th of June, 2011. The tour is approximately four weeks long beginning in October (tentatively October 27th). If you are interested in, please send your application package to the following email address: LA-application@aibai.org. Any application received after the deadline of 30th June, 2011 will not be considered.
Selection Process
All applications will be pre-screened initially. From this, a short list of applicants will be produced and these applicants will be invited for an interview which will take place in Beijing before 24th July, 2011. Four candidates will be selected to apply for US visas. The selection of the final four candidates is at the Selection Committee’s sole discretion. In the following table you will find the timeline for the entire process:
| June 30, 2011 | Deadline for application |
| July 11, 2011 | Evaluation of the applications |
| July 16 -17, 2011 | English test (through telephone or Skype) |
| July 23, 2011 | Interview in Beijing |
| August, 2011 | Visa application |
| September and October | Pre-visit orientation |
| October 27 to November 27 | Interns visit the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center |
Eligible Applicant Criteria
l You must be at least 18 years old on June 30, 2011 and has a valid passport at the time of application
l You must have been actively involved with LGBT movement in mainland China, for at least one year during the past three years. Applicants who work with an LGBT related NGO for at least a year will be freferred.
Language Requirement
Fluent spoken and written English are required. An English test will be given by telephone or Skype. Candidates’ language fluency has to be certified by the representative from the Selection Committee.
Application Package (下载地址)
l A letter of motivation indicates why the applicant wants to apply for the internship and what the relevant qualifications are (see samples)
l A copy of a resume
l An observation plan: it must outline what the applicant expects to learn and how this relates to and/or benefits the organization (see samples)
l Two reference letters, one of which must be from the NGO where the applicant works
l A copy of a valid passport photo page.
All the application materials must be in English except for the reference letters.
Evaluation Criteria
The applications will be evaluated and selected by a Selection Committee according to the following steps and criteria.
Step 1: Administrative Check
The following will be assessed:
l The deadline has been respected. Any application received after the deadline will be rejected.
l All materials of the application package has been submitted. Missing information will result in the rejection of the application. The applicant must meet all the requirements listed in the Eligible Application Criteria. If any of the requirements is missing or incorrect, the application will be rejected.
l The application respects the language requirement of the application package. Failure to comply with the language requirement will result in the rejection of the application.
Step 2: Evaluation of Applicants
The evaluation of the applications that have passed the administrative check will examine the materials of the application package. Each application will be given an overall score out of 50 points in accordance with the breakdown provided in the Evaluation Grid below. Each heading will be given a score between 1 and 5 in accordance with the following assessment categories: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.
|
Scores |
||
| 1. Letter of Motivation |
Score*2 |
10 |
| 2. Resume |
Score*4 |
20 |
| 3. Observation Plan |
Score*2 |
10 |
|
4.Reference Letters |
Score*2 |
10 |
|
Total scores |
|
50 |
Note: Different scores are assigned to different categories according to their importance.
Cost to the Applicant
The applicant shall bear the cost resulting from the interview and the cost for obtaining passports and visas. Cost of interview mainly comes from travel and accommodation if you do not live in the cities where our interviews are conducted. The cost of applying for a passport is about CNY200 and the cost of the visa application for USA is about CNY1000. Travel and accommodation costs will have to be taken into consideration if you do not live in a city where an embassy or consulate of United States is located. The above cost is not refundable for any reason.
Aibai Culture & Education Center will cover the travel cost to and from the US and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center will cover the cost of local accommodation and living expenses in the US.
Follow-up Requirements for Interns
l A report of the internship together with an up-coming year working plan should be submitted within one month after return to China.
l A brief of your work should be submitted six months after return to China.
You are required to sign a promissory note (in Chinese) before visit the L. A. Gay and Lesbian Center.