date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 09:33:28 -0400 from: Thomas Grammig subject: LEAD-Europe 1999 - 2001 to: IEA@NIC.SURFNET.NL ********** C A N D I D A T E S E A R C H ********* ********************************************************* Our Approach LEAD - Leadership for Environment and Development - was created by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1991. We identify outstanding men and women from around the world who are at mid-career level from a range of backgrounds and provide them with training designed to enhance their leadership capabilities and knowledge in environment and development. While remaining in their employment, these attend around 6 weeks of residential courses per year and participante in distance learning. This offers a stimulating two-year training programme based on lectures, panel debates, site visits, self-guided studies and group discussions. Lectures are delivered by leading experts from academia, international organisations, the private sector and international NGOs. With a focus on action-oriented, multi-disciplinary learning, LEAD assists its participants to address complex issues by transcending the limits of their own disciplines. It encourages them to work co-operatively and to become agents of change in their workplaces, communities, countries and beyond. LEAD's learning environment is based on mutual respect, equal opportunity, transparency, and solidarity. Through a post-graduate Fellows Programme and an Internet-based computer network, LEAD provides its alumni with links to each other and to the environment and development communities at large. LEAD-Europe At LEAD-Europe, a not-for-profit foundation located in Geneva, Switzerland, we have been training professionals from Central, Eastern and Western Europe since 1995. Drawing its strength from Europe's cultural, social and economic diversity, LEAD-Europe's network of alumni allows durable links to be built between Europeans from diverse professional backgrounds and sectors. Therefore it contributes in a unique way towards an environmentally and socially sustainable European integration and enlargement. This capacity will be further enhanced with the move of LEAD-Europe's headquarters to Bonn, Germany, in June 1999. LEAD-Europe receives support from governmental and private sources. It works in collaboration with international organisations and NGOs located in Geneva as well as with European institutions that are concerned with sustainability issues. Our Structure LEAD is a world-wide network of training programmes dedicated to developing the leadership skills necessary to deal with today's global environment and sustainable development challenges. Participants in the LEAD programme are outstanding professionals from diverse cultures, backgrounds and career levels. The LEAD network currently includes an International Secretariat and twelve Member Programmes located in Brazil, Canada, China, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe (for Southern Africa). Each Member Programme has a distinct legal identity and governing structure, and three of them (Canada, Europe, Japan) are independently funded. The International Secretariat, LEAD-International, oversees the network, develops policy guidelines, organises international training sessions and supplies a range of services to the national and regional Member Programmes. Our Mission and Rationale LEAD's guiding philosophy is rooted in the ethical value of caring for the planet and for all forms of life. LEAD is dedicated to creating and sustaining a global network of leaders who are committed to promoting change towards patterns of economic development that are environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. The LEAD programme is a response to the heightened importance of engaging decision-makers, executives, academics and NGO leaders in a constructive effort to design strategies and implement solutions in the interest of a more sustainable future. LEAD offers a much-needed alternative to the great majority of business and management schools that still consider the environment and sustainability as peripheral to their core activities. Objectives The LEAD-Europe training programme is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the complex issues that lie at the interface of environment and development in a pan-European context. It specially aims to develop the participants' capacity to act and motivate others to act in the interest of sustainability in their workplace, communities and countries. It is multi-disciplinary and draws upon the experience of a network of experts and trainers at the forefront of their different fields of activity. The curriculum and format aim to meet the specific needs and priorities of participants, so as to complement their professional commitments. Through the LEAD Fellowship Programme, LEAD-Europe Fellows remain actively involved in various activities of the LEAD network. They are eligible to receive financial support in the form of grants for specific projects in the areas of environment and development designed with concrete outcomes in mind. They also participate in LEAD's governing structures at the international, regional and national levels. The Curriculum The LEAD-Europe programme comprises 80 days of training. Half of the training programme is conducted in Europe, while the other half consists of interregional or international sessions. This provides a unique opportunity to work with professionals from other countries and to be part of a powerful global network of young leaders. The curriculum covers the essential aspects of the environment and development nexus, such as, for example, understanding the cyclic nature of living phenomena, environmental management and resource conservation, human development, social and economic issues, international law and conventions, trade and environment, biological diversity, science and ethics, technology and energy, industry and environment, and gender issues. In addition to these issues, the programme emphasises building leadership skills and provides opportunities to develop problem solving, negotiation, conflict resolution, and team building skills. Participants / qualifications Individuals recruited into a LEAD Member Programme are known as "Associates". They are normally between the ages of 30 and 40, and are drawn from academia, business, government, media and NGOs. Close to 200 Associates are selected each year world-wide to enter the LEAD programme. There are at present 800 LEAD graduates - or "Fellows". LEAD-Europe recruits 15 Associates per year. Successful applicants must have an appropriate academic background and at least five years of professional experience. They must have demonstrated leadership skills in their profession or in community service and have a keen interest in the interface between environment and development. They must be able to work in English. Application and funding Interested candidates should include the following in their application package: Completed application form Detailed resume or curriculum vitae One-page statement that explains how the LEAD-Europe programme will be of value to their current responsibilities Their employer's signed agreement to their full participation in the programme. The programme fee is EURO 10,000 per participant. This fee is a contribution towards meeting the cost of tuition, course material, scheduled activities and accommodation. Candidates should approach their current employers or funding institutions to obtain funding as soon as possible. Candidates, in particular those from Central and Eastern Europe, who are unable to obtain assistance, can also apply to LEAD-Europe for financial support. The application deadline is May 15, 1999. Applications will be reviewed and suitably qualified applicants will be invited for interview before being admitted to the programme. Prospective applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as space is limited and competition is keen. Applications should be sent to: LEAD-Europe, P.O. Box 8, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 748 1435 Fax: +41 22 748 1439 E-mail: office@lead.ch Visit our Web site at http://www.lead.ch/lead/