U.S. Department of State Grant: Young Turkey / Young America Program

I.1. Purpose:
The Young Turkey / Young America Program was created to recognize and support, as former Secretary Clinton said, “one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world,” create opportunities for sustained partnerships, and identify ways to deepen ties between emerging young leaders in both countries. Young Turkey / Young America seeks to enhance the ability of rising leaders to more effectively engage in public dialogue, and establish projects of mutual concern around economic, environmental, political, and social challenges facing Turkey and the United States in the 21st Century. Through a two-way professional exchange model, complemented by a robust leadership development component, experiential learning opportunities, and collaborative exercises, Young Turkey / Young America provides opportunities for eligible individuals to work together to advance foreign policy dialogue, enhance their leadership skills, develop or strengthen existing partnerships, and advance concrete strategies to better address complex issues facing both countries.

PAS anticipates funding one project, for approximately $200,000. Projects should occur over the course of one to two years and target young professionals currently working to improve and enhance the economic, environmental, political, and/or social well-being of their communities, with an expressed interest in advancing US – Turkey bilateral relations.

As a tool to developing grassroots initiatives that will positively impact people’s lives and deepen ties between the future leaders of both countries, Young Turkey / Young America seeks to:

1) enhance the participants’ ability to address complex economic, environmental, political, and social challenges through a two-way exchange model;

2) provide concrete tools for young professionals to advance as future leaders by developing skills for effective public discourse, negotiation, collaboration, coalitation building, and where applicable, community-based management;

3) cultivate professional ties with U.S. and Turkish counterparts through collaborative follow-on projects;

4) create a network of engaged professionals committed to problem solving and engaged dialogue in both countries; and,

5) expand and strengthen the relationship between the people of the United States and Turkey, to work in partnership to identify solutions to common issues and problems facing their countries and the global community.

In order to enhance the possibility that these projects will strengthen U.S.-Turkish relations and that collaborative initiatives continue after the conclusion of the exchange program, proposals should support a variety of follow-on projects. Special emphasis should be placed on ways that existing Web or social technologies can enhance follow-on efforts.

I.2. Participants
For the purposes of this program, “participants” are defined as citizens of Turkey and the United States selected through a merit-based competition. Participants must be early- to mid-career professionals with demonstrated leadership abilities, working in grassroots or not-for-profit organizations, foreign policy think-tanks, or other institutions related to the proposed themes with a stated interest in addressing economic, environmental, political, and/or social challenges through engaged partnership with Turkey and the United States. Every effort must be made to recruit program participants that reflect the diversity of the American and Turkish societies. Strong consideration should be given to participants who express a willingness to collaborate on a specific project of mutual interest.

Applicants should strive to maximize the number of participants and the length of the U.S.- and Turkey-based program at the given funding levels. Therefore, applicants who engage public and private partners for programming support, and employ other creative techniques to increase or stretch funding dollars will be deemed more competitive than those who do not, under the Cost Effectiveness and Cost-Sharing review criterion.

Additional information about program participants is located under Young Turkey / Young America Fellowship Themes.

I.3. Partner Organizations
Applicants must identify the U.S.-based and any foreign-based organizations and individuals with whom they are proposing to collaborate to implement Young Turkey / Young America, and describe any previous cooperative activities. While having a permanent presence in Turkey is not required, applicants that are able to demonstrate institutional capacity in Turkey (whether through their own resources or through partnerships with other organizations or institutions) will be given strong consideration.

Applicants should clearly outline and describe the role and responsibilities of all partner organizations in terms of project logistics, management and oversight. Proposals that include letters of commitment from partner organizations, proposed speakers or other possible U.S.-based hosting organizations will be deemed more competitive.

I.4. Project Activities
Proposals should include a description of the project theme to be addressed, how it advances U.S.-Turkish relations, and how it will be integrated into the exchange experience. Strong project designs will ground and augment the exchange experience with leadership development and experiential learning activities that relate to the proposed theme and larger program goals.

U.S.-based programs should be two to three weeks in length and focus on the development of joint projects between the Turkish and U.S. participants. Proposed schedules should also include a one- or two-day debriefing and evaluation session in Washington, D.C. at the end of the program. The Turkey component should be one to two weeks in duration and build upon key learning objectives and discussion points explored during the U.S.-based program. Schedules should include ample time to allow for continual implementation of joint community-based projects started during the U.S.-based program. Both parts of the program should include a job shadowing component.

Proposals should clearly outline strategies to encourage regular communication between participants through electronic and digital communications both during and after the exchange program.

I.5. Outbound Program for American Participants to Travel to Turkey: American outbound components should be substantive, build on the U.S. fellowship component, allow the American participants to conduct joint programming with the foreign participants and their colleagues and directly support the goals of building sustainable and lasting professional partnerships. Proposals should describe how the American outbound components, to the degree possible, will support the foreign participants’ individual projects. Not all Americans participating in the U.S. portion of the program must participate in the in-country Turkey program.

I.6 Young Turkey / Young America Fellowship Themes
Proposals need to embrace a program design that fully incorporates either one of the two proposed themes under Young Turkey / Young America.

I.6.a. Foreign Policy Dialogue among Emerging Leaders: This project is designed to support and promote transatlantic dialogue on foreign policy issues. Projects should allow emerging leaders to examine foreign policy issues in a context that encourages substantive dialogue on issues of common concern, including those that contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East, enhance energy security, promote conflict resolution, advance dialogue on border and immigration issues, and continue cooperation on bilateral economic relations. This program will focus on the elements of strategic partnerships, negotiation around shared interests, and engaged dialogue as an alternative to conflict.

Eligible participants include emerging leaders (approximately 15-20 in total from the U.S. and Turkey) currently involved in international affairs, youth wings of political parties, not-for-profit organizations with a civic society or youth focus, universities, business organizations, government agencies, media, and think tanks.

I.6.b Social and Economic Challenges for Future Leaders:
This project will work to expand the effectiveness and capacity of grassroots, not-for-profit organizations, and local governments working with marginalized populations and economically disadvantaged communities, to engage with policy makers and government officials, conduct community outreach and media campaigns, develop organizational capacity, including efforts at fundraising and constituent building, provide educational and other community services, and create strategic partnerships and alliances. This project should also include incorporating elements of social entrepreneurship and civic participation.

Eligible participants include emerging grassroots leaders (approximately 15-20 from the U.S. and Turkey) currently working within local, regional, or national grassroots and/or community non-profit organizations, government offices, media or think tanks working to improve the social, economic, and political standing of marginalized or disadvantaged communities.

I.7. Embassy Involvement
Proposals should include plans to work with the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (PAS) in developing a coordinated media and public outreach strategy to strengthen the identity, increase visibility, and raise public awareness of the Young Turkey / Young America Program. All grantees need to incorporate the respective program’s brand and give credit to the Embassy throughout all of its educational and outreach materials including its website with final approval by the Embassy.

Proposals should also include an articulated strategy as to how the grantee plans to work closely with PAS in Turkey during project recruitment and selection, implementation, and follow-on programming. Applicants should include concrete plans for PAS involvement in program outreach and activities and state their willingness to invite representatives of the Embassy to participate in interviews, pre-departure orientations, exchange components, and follow-on projects. All plans must be approved by PAS before their execution within Turkey.

I.8 Adherence To All Regulations Governing The J Visa

The U.S. Mission to Turkey is the official program sponsor of the exchange program covered by this RFGP. All foreign participants are required to travel on a J Visa. The grantee organization must follow all guidelines for obtaining such visas.

I.9 Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

Programs must maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and cultural life. “Diversity” should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and disabilities. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program administration and in program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the ‘Support for Diversity’ section for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into your proposal. Public Law 104-319 provides that “in carrying out programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy,” the Bureau “shall take appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.” Public Law 106 – 113 requires that the governments of the countries described above do not have inappropriate influence in the selection process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.

I.10 Program Monitoring and Evaluation

Proposals must include a plan to monitor and evaluate the project’s success, both as the activities unfold and at the end of the program. The Embassy recommends that your proposal include a draft survey questionnaire or other technique plus a description of a methodology to use to link outcomes to original project objectives. The Embassy expects that the recipient organization will track participants or partners and be able to respond to key evaluation questions, including satisfaction with the program, learning as a result of the program, changes in behavior as a result of the program, and effects of the program on institutions (institutions in which participants work or partner institutions). The evaluation plan should include indicators that measure gains in mutual understanding as well as substantive knowledge.

Successful monitoring and evaluation depend heavily on setting clear goals and outcomes at the outset of a program. Your evaluation plan should include a description of your project’s objectives, your anticipated project outcomes, and how and when you intend to measure these outcomes (performance indicators). The more that outcomes are “smart” (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and placed in a reasonable time frame), the easier it will be to conduct the evaluation. You should also show how your project objectives link to the goals of the program described in this RFGP.

Your monitoring and evaluation plan should clearly distinguish between program outputs and outcomes. Outputs are products and services delivered, often stated as an amount. Output information is important to show the scope or size of project activities, but it cannot substitute for information about progress towards outcomes or the results achieved. Examples of outputs include the number of people trained or the number of seminars conducted. Outcomes, in contrast, represent specific results a project is intended to achieve and is usually measured as an extent of change. Findings on outputs and outcomes should both be reported, but the focus should be on outcomes.

The Embassy encourages you to assess the following four levels of outcomes, as they relate to the program goals set out in the RFGP (listed here in increasing order of importance):

1. Participant satisfaction with the program and exchange experience.
2. Participant learning, such as increased knowledge, aptitude, skills, and changed understanding and attitude. Learning includes both substantive (subject-specific) learning and mutual understanding.
3. Participant behavior, concrete actions to apply knowledge in work or community; greater participation and responsibility in civic organizations; interpretation and explanation of experiences and new knowledge gained; continued contacts between participants, community members, and others.
4. Institutional changes, such as increased collaboration and partnerships, policy reforms, new programming, and organizational improvements.

Please note: Consideration should be given to the appropriate timing of data collection for each level of outcome. For example, satisfaction is usually captured as a short-term outcome, whereas behavior and institutional changes are normally considered longer-term outcomes.

Overall, the quality of your monitoring and evaluation plan will be judged on how well it 1) specifies intended outcomes; 2) gives clear descriptions of how each outcome will be measured; 3) identifies when particular outcomes will be measured; and 4) provides a clear description of the data collection strategies for each outcome (i.e., surveys, interviews, or focus groups). (Please note that evaluation plans that deal only with the first level of outcomes [satisfaction] will be deemed less competitive under the present evaluation criteria.)

Recipient organizations will be required to provide reports analyzing their evaluation findings to the Embassy in their regular program reports. All data collected, including survey responses and contact information, must be maintained for a minimum of three years and provided to the Embassy upon request.