INFORMATION NOTE

The Council of Europe and the Open Society Institute are glad to announce that they are offering three-month internships to young Roma students/professionals at the Council of Europe (Strasbourg).

Conditions for application are as follows:

• Age: 18-35
• Origin: any Central and Eastern European member state¹, Serbia and Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Complete secondary education/preferably university or equivalent level (including social workers and mediators/advisors on Roma issues), in areas such as law, political sciences, sociology/anthropology, economics, social studies, psychology, education or international relations
• Working language: good command (written, read and spoken) of at least one of the official languages of the Council of Europe (French and English); knowledge of other languages is a plus
• Ability to work in a team and to adapt to a new environment

Trainees will be working in the Directorate General of Social Cohesion/Migration and Roma/Gypsies Department. Should they wish to spend time in other sectors of the Organisation, the opportunity might be provided to spend the whole 3 months or part of the internship in other departments, provided that the chosen service has the possibility to take on a trainee.

The work will consist in:

1. Assistance in the preparation of international meetings and conferences taking place in Strasbourg
2. Preparation and drafting of substance documents/files on different topics
3. Assistance in preparing the field visits and meetings outside Strasbourg
4. Assistance in answering requests for information/research in the Roma/Gypsy documentation center.
5. Taking part in the daily work of the team, ie. administrative tasks, team meetings, internal coordination on Roma issues.

TThe program provides the possibility to attend introductory lectures on the Organisation (within the general internship scheme of the Council of Europe), to attend various events in the Council of Europe (such as Parliamentary Assembly sessions when relevant, Court of Human Rights), to take part in European Parliament sessions and to make contacts with local Romani organizations.

A scholarship offered by the Open Society Institute will be allocated to the selected applicants (1 to 2 per session of three months). It should cover travel expenses from and to the country of origin, accommodation costs and subsistence expenses.

Sessions:

Monday, April 5, 2004 - Friday, June 25, 2004

Monday, September 20, 2004 - Friday, December 17, 2004

Applications should be addressed, in English or French, before March 15, 2004 to Eleni Tsetsekou, project manager, eleni.tsetsekou@coe.int ; fax: +33 3 88 41 24 33; or Nelly Tasnadi, assistant, nelly.tasnadi@coe.int , +33 3 88 41 38 54, mail address: DGIII, Council of Europe, 67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France.

The applicants are kindly requested to fill in the attached form and to prepare a letter of motivation, explaining why they wish to apply for an internship at the Council of Europe and what benefit they expect from such an experience.

Letters of endorsement or recommendation are welcome.

Selection will be based on language skills, the motivation letter and education performance.

The Council of Europe is an equal opportunity employer.

¹ Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Ukraine.