German Senior Fellows Network

Mission
● Providing a forum for communication for HIA Senior Fellows;
● Supporting Senior Fellows Action Projects;
● Promoting the social and professional exchange amongst members through regional and national meetings and events;
● Supporting the conceptualization and realization of the Summer Fellowship Programs;
● Providing support, information and connections for the successful development of Senior Fellow activities and professional careers;
● Serving as a link to other HIA Senior Fellow Associations and HIA bodies.

Some of our activities
In the fall of 2005, the Senior Fellow Network (SFN) of Humanity in Action Germany was founded. Since then the organization has been actively involved in decision-making procedures for HIA, given support to the Summer Fellowship Program and internship programs in Berlin, and contributed to building the larger European Senior Fellow Network. One major accomplishment is the programming of an entire weekend for the Summer Fellowship Program in Berlin.

In 2008, the German SFN organized the European Senior Fellows Annual Reunion in Berlin. About 80 HIA Senior Fellows attended the three-day meeting, which offered lectures, discussion forums, and leadership workshops.

During the 2009 Summer Fellowship Program in Berlin, entitled, “Democracy and Diversity,” the German SFN extended its cooperation with the Heinrich-von-Stephan-Oberschule in Berlin-Moabit, a school in a disadvantaged neighborhood, where an afternoon project was developed with the kids and the Fellows. Together, they learned how to play American Football and cooked a "typical American dish" in the school. The SFN also organized an outdoor event for the new Fellows in a climbing park which proved to be a good team building exercise.

Monthly gatherings ("Monatsgesellschaften") such as in Berlin are the prime networking platform.

A mailing list is used to not just organize these activities but also spread information on internships, job opportunities, conferences and other HIA-related events and programs.

Plans for the future
The German SFN plans to actively support the 2010 Summer Fellowship Program in Berlin (e.g. call for applications, recruitment process, program activities) and to strengthen links to other HIA Senior Fellow Networks. The SFN also seeks to support, financially and logistically, the realization of HIA Action Projects, and to connect with other young leaders networks interested in international politics and human rights. The strengthening of local and regional groups will be on top of the agenda as is the involvement into processes leading to a new HIA intranet platform.

Membership
The German SFN Board coordinates all SFN activities and cooperates closely through regular conference calls and personal meetings. Once a year, the Board is elected at the annual SFN reunion.

Board Members:

Karl Lemberg (Berlin Program 2002), is Chair and Senior Fellow representative in the board of HIA Germany. He is supported by Wilhelmina Welsch (New York Program 2006), Johanna Lieser (Warsaw Program 2007), Michaela Fuhrmann (Berlin Program 2007), Simone Müller (Warsaw Program 2008), Anton Guhl (Berlin Program 2008) and Frithjof Wodarg (Berlin Program 2009).

How to join

The SFN is open to all Humanity in Action Fellows in Germany.

Whoever is here for an internship, a semester abroad or just for fun is more than welcome to join the mailing list with an empty mail to

HiASeniorFellows-subscribe[@]yahoogroups.de