Become an International Youth Fellow

Canada is a country of leaders, innovators, and creators – known for embracing their role as citizens of the world. The International Youth Fellowship is one of Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s wide range of opportunities for people from Canada to exercise and express their global citizenship. Through these opportunities, AKFC creates platforms to learn about development contexts and challenges and to partner with local institutions to jointly change people’s lives for the better.

AKFC is searching for individuals who can demonstrate a commitment to international development, are driven by the desire to make a meaningful change in the world, and are ready to apply their skills and experience to a challenging overseas internship.

Since 1989, more than 500 individuals have participated in AKFC’s International Youth Fellowship Program.

The Fellowship is a launching pad for diverse careers in the government, non-profit, media, and finance sectors. It offers a training program and an eight-month overseas placement to recent university graduates and young professionals under 30.

We are accepting applications for the 2024-25 cohort until February 1, 2024. Submit your application today to get started.

For more information, read on or download the International Youth Fellowship brochure.

Canada is a country of leaders, innovators, and creators – known for embracing their role as citizens of the world. The International Youth Fellowship is one of Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s wide range of opportunities for people from Canada to exercise and express their global citizenship.

AKFC is searching for individuals who can demonstrate a commitment to international development, are driven by the desire to make a meaningful change in the world, and are ready to apply their skills and experience to a challenging overseas internship.

Since 1989, more than 500 individuals have participated in AKFC’s International Youth Fellowship Program.

The Fellowship is a launching pad for diverse careers in the government, non-profit, media, and finance sectors. It offers a training program and an eight-month overseas placement to recent university graduates and young professionals under 30.

We are accepting applications for the 2024-25 cohort until February 1, 2024. Submit your application today to get started.

For more information, read on or download the International Youth Fellowship brochure.

The International Youth Fellowship Program is a unique opportunity for young leaders in Canada to bring a global dimension to their careers. Through an intensive training seminar and an overseas placement, Fellows get hands-on experience in international development while supporting strong, effective, local institutions.

Each Fellow spends eight months in Africa or Asia working with agencies and partners of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s largest and most respected international development organizations.

Before Fellows depart for their overseas placement, they attend a three-week seminar in Ottawa, which provides a thorough grounding in the skills and knowledge required to contribute effectively to their host organizations. Workshops are facilitated by leading international development professionals, based in Canada and overseas.

Applicants select one of three streams as part of the application process: International Development Management (IDM), International Microfinance and Microenterprise (IMM), and Young Professionals in Media (YPM). IDM Fellows are typically placed with organizations working in fields like health and education, IMM Fellows with organizations involved in microfinance or market development, and YPM fellows with Nation Media Group, a leading media outlet in East Africa.

Participants apply for placements that best match their backgrounds and interests, such as:

  • Fields: Agriculture & Food Security, Civil Society, Climate Resilience, Early Childhood Development, Education, Gender Equality, Health & Nutrition, Work & Enterprise
  • Placements: Communications, Marketing, Media, Monitoring & Evaluation, Operations, Partnerships, Project Management, Research

This prestigious Fellowship is a launching pad for diverse careers in the government, non-profit, media, and finance sectors. In a survey conducted in October 2023, 93 percent of Fellows currently in the field felt that participating in the program has helped shape their career or study decisions.

To become an International Youth Fellow, applicants must:

  • Be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada
  • Be 30 years of age or younger at the time of the application deadline
  • Be able to demonstrate qualities and characteristics of global citizens
  • Hold at minimum an undergraduate university degree

A World of Opportunity