Conferences, Scholarships, Fellowships... Finding opportunities
- Julia
- May 8, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 6, 2019
I just spent the past ten months researching initiatives that help young people make a difference and I can tell you: there are A TON of opportunities out there. Fully-funded conferences, university scholarships, fellowships, online-training, social entrepreneurship challenges (where you can win a LOT of money), creative and social competitions... there are so many ways to help you meet people, be inspired and get support.
However, I know that these opportunities feel like they are scattered throughout the web - and if we don't know what we are looking for, it's very hard to know what to type into the search engine. (Of course we are using Ecosia :)
I have gathered several websites and apps that promote all kinds opportunities. Subscribe, download and be inspired! Who knows. One of these links may lead to the opportunity that changes your life.
I have applied to many interesting conferences and workshops through this site - some of which have significantly impacted my life and have ultimately led me to creating Generation Impact. Through their app and website you can search for any opportunity in any region and get directly notified of new openings.
They list opportunities in the following categories:
Competitions
Conferences (partially-funded, fully-funded and no funding)
Exchange Programs
Fellowships
Internships
Scholarships
Workshops
Others
Very similar to #1 Youth Opportunities but they often feature different opportunities. Thus I have found it very worthwhile to use both! They also have an app and a website and share opportunities like:
Conferences
Scholarships
Fellowships
Exchange Programs
Competitions and Awards
Internships
Model United Nations
Entrepreneurship Events
Jobs
The One Young World conference is an annual conference bringing together inspiring youth from all over the world. If you can't make it to the conference because you either don't have the money or didn't get one of the incredibly competitive scholarships, they also list different youth opportunities throughout the year.
Have a website but app is not available yet (but in development). Share opportunities like:
Conferences
Scholarships
Competitions
Fellowships
Jobs (Internships & Volunteering)
Mentorship
Opportunity Desk Impact Challenges (annually)
A little bit messy, so may take a while to orient. Many projects in expertise-areas such as security, technology, crisis management, infrastructure etc
Allows you to filter by country, location and tags/category (e.g chemistry, democracy, animals etc) and type:
Awards
Camps
Competitions
Conferences
Courses
Fellowships
Festivals
Forums
Grants
Internships
Programs
Scholarships
Volunteering
Workshops
Mostly opportunities within Africa but some other regions as well. Includes the following categories:
Scholarships
Trainings & Conferences
Jobs
Grants
Contests
Internships & Volunteering
*I am highlighting the unique things each website/app includes
#8 Your own Offline Network
You may not think so but the people around you may be a valuable resource as well. Talk to people about your curiosity for getting more involved in the community and speaking up for kindness and justice - you may find yourself getting some good tips on what you can join
#9 Google
I know... I know... I am stating the obvious. However this is so important to me that I have dedicated a whole blogpost to it.
Have you ever found yourself thinking "Oh I wish there was a free program with that I could ...". I promise you: chances are it exists. And if it does - you can find it online. Not every nonprofit/NGO/opportunity can afford advertising so it may not come up as one of the three top results on your first search. Vary your search terms. Spend at least 15-20min trying out synonyms and variations on the phrasing of your search. Just like looking for academic papers, it can take some time to find hidden online opportunities. Especially if you are looking for a something specific. But it's out there. Over the years, I have spent hours upon hours googling for "stuff to do" (one of the reasons behind the databank that makes up the research for this website) and it can take time but it's very worthwhile!
Opportunity search-engines by region
Features opportunities, events and training programs specifically in the EU. Includes:
The Eurodesk Opportunity Finder
Eurodesk Awards
Eurodesk Qualifying Training Program
Euroclasses
This portal offers a variety of changing opportunities and informs you of current political events (e.g EU election 2019) and how young people can get involved. Although you may have to be an EU citizen to take advantage of some of their programs, the website has great resources on volunteering within Europe and abroad that may be relevant to you regardless. It also includes information about:
How to become politically active
Make your voice be heard
Traveling and study-abroad opportunities
Opportunities within sport, science, art and entertainment.
Here is one for Africa-specific opportunity portal that includes:
Competitions (see "Call for " )
Scholarships (Undergraduate - Postdoctoral)
Fellowships
Internships
Another Africa-specific opportunity feed that includes:
Conferences
Fellowships
Internships
Scholarships
Trainings
Workshops
Dear ANZ'lers, South and North-Americans and Antarcticans,
I need to apologize but I didn't find any search engines specific for your region but I hope that the general one's are going to serve your needs too. If you know of something I didn't find - please let me know!
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