PUBLIC VOICES FELLOWSHIP
on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse
- The application window is now closed -
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2025 Public Voices Fellowship on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, a partnership between The OpEd Project and Oak Foundation.
This year-long Fellowship will convene a cohort of twenty leaders and change-makers working for the prevention of child sexual abuse, with a focus on leaders with backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the mainstream media. The Fellowship cohort will receive extraordinary support, leadership skills and knowledge to ensure their ideas shape not only their fields, but also national and global discourse.
The cohort will meet virtually for four convenings during the year, and experience The OpEd Project’s internationally recognized curriculum. Fellows will be assigned to work with dedicated journalist coaches throughout the year. In addition, fellows will have opportunities to join monthly virtual events with public thinkers, and will receive weekly customized email support. Upon completion of the Fellowship, they will have access to a powerful network of peers, as well as to The OpEd Project's national network of high-level journalist mentors.
The fellowship curriculum explores leadership, knowledge exchange, and empowerment in an unjust world. Fellows will examine building consensus, how ideas spread, when and why minds change, and how ideas can shape the future. The fellowship includes workshops and one-on-one coaching by leading journalists and editors. All fellows must commit to publishing a minimum of three written pieces of thought leadership and/or opinion (“op-ed”) articles during their Fellowship. In addition, fellows must commit to full participation in all four convenings. Applicants must be available on the convening dates to apply and must hold the dates on their calendars until the application and selection process has been completed.
LOGISTICS
Fellows participate in virtual convenings (see dates below), scheduled at two-to-three-month intervals, and commit to writing a minimum of three opinion pieces over the course of the fellowship. Fellows are also assigned to work with veteran journalist coaches for dedicated one-on-one coaching throughout the year. In addition, fellows will have periodic opportunities to join calls with public thinkers and influencers and receive weekly customized email support and news alerts. Upon completion of the Fellowship, they will have ongoing access to a powerful network of peers and invitation to The OpEd Project’s network of support services, which includes high-level journalist mentors.
SELECTION
We are seeking thought leaders who are working or researching for the prevention of child sexual abuse, with a demonstrated desire and ability to contribute to public dialogue. This fellowship is an opportunity to help shift the narrative towards the idea that child abuse is preventable, to address the lack of public awareness and to demystify myths and stereotypes about this issue, which is fraught with pessimism and fatalism. Applicants are not restricted to the U.S., however convening times are held on the designated dates at 9 am-12:30 pm (09:00-12:30) ET in the U.S. Please make sure that you check your equivalent time zone before you submit your application. Those who cannot accommodate full and active participation during those hours on all convening dates should not apply.
Fellows will be chosen through a competitive selection process. We are committed to building a diverse cohort. We will consider various factors, including but not limited to gender, race/ethnicity, geography, area of expertise, work history, and experience as an agent of change.
We will announce acceptance into the Fellowship no later than early February 2025.
DETAILS
20 fellows
Year-long Fellowship
Four discovery-based convenings designed to catalyze knowledge and produce ideas:
Convening 1: “Knowledge” - March 12, 13, and 14, 2025 @ 9am-12:30pm (09:00-12:30) ET in the U.S.
Convening 2: “Connection” - June 12 and 13, 2025 @ 9am-12:30pm (09:00-12:30) ET in the U.S.
Convening 3: “Contagion” - September 4 and 5, 2025 @ 9am-12:30pm (09:00-12:30) ET in the U.S.
Convening 4: “Legacy” - November 13 and 14, 2025 @ 9am-12:30pm (09:00-12:30) ET in the U.S.
Dedicated journalist Coaches (top journalists) to provide regular, one-on-one support/editing/coaching
Access to weekly office hours and monthly events with media insiders and journalists
The Fellowship is provided free of charge to the Fellows
PUBLIC VOICES FELLOWSHIP
The Public Voices Fellowship is a global initiative to diversify public knowledge and discourse, and change who writes history. Launched by The OpEd Project in partnership with leading mission-aligned universities, organizations, and foundations, it is a collective investment in changing the demographics of voice at scale, in a world where we face challenges and opportunities that can only be unlocked with a diversity of knowledge sets, expertise, and voices. Each fellow joins a unique cohort of highest-caliber thinkers, supported by extraordinary resources and training over the course of a year, including cutting-edge programming, high-level coaching, and access to a prestigious network of journalists and fellows at peer institutions nationwide. Emphasis is on thought leaders who are underrepresented in the public sphere, including women.
What’s it like? Watch a video of one fellowship cohort’s experience.
MORE ABOUT THE OPED PROJECT
The OpEd Project is a think tank and leadership organization that expands history by amplifying the ideas and public impact of new and necessary voices, including women of all backgrounds. We are a community of thought leaders, journalists, commentary writers, and activists who proactively share our skills, knowledge, and connections across color, creed, class, age, ability, gender, orientation, and beyond. Through our programs, we elevate the ideas and knowledge of underrepresented expert voices, including women, and accelerate solutions to the world’s biggest problems – problems that cannot be solved justly or sustainably without a diversity of voices, expertise, experience, and identity. We believe the best ideas, regardless of where they come from, should have a chance to be heard and to change the world.
APPLICATION
The application window is now closed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
These FAQs relate to all Public Voices Fellowships led by The OpEd Project