SI Leader Lab – Connecting leaders in civil society

Are you a leader in an organisation working for a more just, peaceful, and inclusive society? SI Leader Lab is a leadership programme for civil society leaders in Eastern Europe and the MENA region who want to discover innovative tools and new forms of collaboration. Apply to SI Leader Lab if you want to grow as a leader, develop your organisation’s advocacy work and exchange knowledge in a network of inspirational peers.

Available for Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, Yemen

Three different images showing young men and women in workshop settings. — SI Leader Lab is an opportunity to exchange experiences and form new connections. Photos: Susanne Walström and Melker Dahlstrand.

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Overview FAQ

Overview

SI Leader Lab is designed to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations to drive successful advocacy work linked to Sustainable Development Goal 16 (promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies). The programme brings together influential civil society leaders who are open to new digital solutions and innovative methods. The network consists of peers from across various sub-sectors in civil society and provides the participants with broad input from different spheres in the field. SI Leader Lab invites 100 participants from the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe.

The programme combines online workshops, in both regional and cross-regional learning groups, with regular coaching support. In May, all 100 programme participants will come together in Stockholm for an intensive week of onsite learning that deepens the experience and enhances collaboration.

The programme is an opportunity to develop your organisation’s advocacy work and strategic outreach. It is also an opportunity to grow as a leader, exchange knowledge, form new connections and test out innovative tools and methods with peers.

The programme features personal as well as professional development. It enables you to not only grow as a leader with renewed confidence and insights but also explore and develop how you and your team can lead and organise your work even more effectively to build a sustainable culture and increase your impact.

To support the organisational implementation of the programme tools and methods, SI welcomes colleagues within the same organisations to apply to the programme. All applications will be evaluated on an individual basis, but organisations with more than one qualified applicant tend to be prioritised in the selection process.

SI Leader Lab will give you:

Personal insights as a leader: how to lead yourself and others through increased self-awareness and increased understanding of group development.
A stronger capacity in your organisation to successfully lead and organise teamwork.
A stronger capacity in your organisation to lead and implement effective advocacy work.
The possibility to share and build knowledge in a network of experts, to inspire each other and share experiences on common challenges

Three young women and a man are standing in front of a large paper pointing at post-its. — SI Leader Lab allows you to explore areas of development for your own organisation with peers working in similar circumstances. Photo: Margareta Bloom Sandebäck

Am I eligible to apply?

Applicants to SI Leader Lab must meet the following requirements (may be subject to change):

Have a leading position in a civil society organisation or network working toward Sustainable Development Goal 16, within the 2030 Agenda. This can, for example, be an organisation working within such areas as peace and security, equality and inclusion, transparency and anti-corruption, accountability, and access to free information and media integrity.
Work with a team in which they have a leadership role (formal or informal).
Be between the age of 25 and 45 years old (born 1978 to 1999).
Have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
Be a citizen of Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine or Yemen.
Be available to participate in all parts of the programme.
Be prepared to implement tools, competencies and knowledge they gain from the programme in their team and organisation.

No exceptions can be made to any of the eligibility requirements.

Please note that the SI Leader Lab is a demanding programme that uses experienced-based learning and reflection as a tool for personal growth. Therefore, it’s recommended that all participants are mentally well-balanced.

Programme timeline 2024

Mid February – Mid March: Call for applications
March – April: Recruitment process
April-October: Online sessions and own project work
October: Onsite Meeting in Sweden (8 days, 8-15 October)
November: Diploma ceremony (online)

Costs covered and arranged by Swedish Institute

Your flights to and from Stockholm.  
Your accommodation and meals in Stockholm during the programme in Sweden
Your insurance during the programme Stockholm during the programme in Sweden.  
All training material online and onsite

FAQ

What costs will not be covered? 
You will need to pay for the following:  
- Visa costs  
- Occasional meals that are not included during the programme itself  
- Fares for taxi rides, if you take any  
- Insurance when not in Sweden
- Local travel expenses within your home country
I am from a country that is not listed on your website. Can I still apply?

No, unfortunately, that’s not possible. We can only accept candidates who are citizens of one of our programme countries: Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine or Yemen. As mentioned on our website, we are not able to make any exceptions to the eligibility requirements, or temporarily consider a new country. At this point, we do not have any plans to add any new countries.
Can I still apply if I’m not quite within the listed age range for applicants (e.g. 47 years old)?
Why are you focusing on SDG 16?

The overarching objective of the programme is to strengthen civil society leaders who are working for the Sustainable Development Goals. When the programme began, the idea was to invite leaders connected to different themes within these goals during the period of three years. During 2019–2021 the target group of the programme has been civil society leaders working for gender equality.
Can you give some examples of organisations working for SDG 16?
They can, for example, be organisations working on areas such as:
- Peace and security
- Equality and inclusion, minority rights and marginalised groups
- Transparency and anti-corruption
- Accountability
- Access to free information and media integrity
Can the Swedish Institute support my visa application if I am selected? 

The offer to participate in the SI Leader Lab onsite meeting in Stockholm will be valid only under the condition that the selected candidate obtains a visa to travel to Sweden. SI will provide the invitation letter and insurance certificate needed for the visa application, but we cannot guarantee a visa. In recent years, candidates have, in a few cases, seen their visa applications rejected.
How much time do I have to allocate for the programme?

The programme starts in mid-February and ends at the beginning of June, with a diploma ceremony online.

Here is an estimation of the time the programme requires:

Online
From mid-February to May, there will be regular online sessions once every other week. There will be approximately 15 online sessions (approximately 80 hours, spread out over three months, plus time for your own initiative). Online sessions are typically one to two hours of group meetings, plus the time you use for your own team assignments and learning groups. Participants will take part in online seminars, practical group assignments and individual project work. There will also be optional coaching sessions where you can invite your team to participate.

An exact schedule will be sent at the start of the programme.

Onsite – Stockholm, Sweden
On 2 — 10 May (including travel days), there will be an onsite meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. During this time, the programme is full-time and it’s important to take time off work to be able to participate fully.

Organisation involvement
As a participant, it’s important that you have permission from your supervisor to take part in the programme and to try out tools and methods from the programme with your team. During the programme, you are expected to actively implement the tools and methods from the programme (for example by holding implementation workshops with your team). There will also be optional coaching sessions where you can invite your team members to participate.
Can Swedish citizens apply to the programme?
What are the programme objectives of SI Leader Lab?
Strengthened capacity in the organisation to successfully lead and organise team work
- Strengthened ability to lead goal-oriented group processes in ways that promote inclusion, creativity and ownership
- Strengthened ability to create openness, trust and effective working structures in a team
- Strengthened ability to create a work culture characterised by continuous learning, feedback & development
- Strengthened ability to maintain one’s impact by nurturing wellbeing, self-awareness and resilience
Strengthened capacity in the organisation to lead & implement effective advocacy work 
- Strengthened ability to drive systemic change to address the root causes of problems
- Strengthened ability to create effective narratives and methods to shift mindsets and influence policy
- Strengthened ability to design and implement people-centered processes in the organisation’s advocacy work (for example design thinking)
Strengthened inspiration and motivation to continue working for peaceful and inclusive societies.
What do you mean with “teams” and “organisations”?

Teams
In SI Leader Lab, a team is defined as a group of people who perform interdependent tasks to work toward accomplishing a common mission or specific objective. Some teams have a limited life.

Organisation
In SI Leader Lab, an organisation is defined as a group of people with specific roles that work together to achieve the goals of that organisation, within a specific structure. It can for example be an NGO or a foundation.
Are alumni from previous SI Leadership Programmes eligible to apply for SI Leader Lab?

Sara El Outa participant in SI Leader Lab. Photo: Margareta Bloom Sandebäck

"If you apply to SI Leader Lab, you should be open to share knowledge and experiences, be human centred and not centred in yourself. In Leader Lab, you really learn how to consider other people’s thoughts, feelings and experiences, respect them, and benefit from other people’s skills, in addition to gaining rich content from the programme’s sessions. If you are ready for this bulk of experience, I strongly urge you to apply to SI Leader Lab. "

Sara El Outa

Read the full interview with Sara.

Sara El Outa participant in SI Leader Lab. Photo: Margareta Bloom Sandebäck

Tetyana Teren, participant in SI Leader Lab. Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson

“I think one of the most powerful parts of SI Leader Lab is how you can build such a strong network with individuals and organisations from different countries in such a short time. It has been a unique opportunity to meet a lot of new people and to build new partnerships with organisations in other countries. I know that in the future it will be very important to have these contacts to be able to start any cooperation. Thanks to the Swedish Institute I now have strong connections to a lot of different people and organisations around the world."

Tetyana Teren

Read the full interview with Tetyana.

Tetyana Teren, participant in SI Leader Lab. Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson

SI Leader Lab team

Programme Managers:
Maria Henoch
Ulrika K. Engström

Programme Administrator:
Nadia Sundbom

In collaboration with

Hyper Island

Questions about the programme?

Please contact us at: leaderlab@si.se