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Child Rights and You invites applications for research fellowships investigating the best interest principle within the broad framework of justice for children. The best interest principle, hence, needs to be explored so as to understand ways in which it impacts the inter-generational experience of childhoods; a child's relationship with other children, family (both immediate and extended), community, society and the State. (Possible arenas: schools, work spaces, public spaces, parents, extended family including grandparents, health centres, police stations, playgrounds) A partial indicative list of focus areas is provided below. Potential fellows are welcome to expand and interpret the theme, based on their life experiences and vision. We encourage original ideas, out of the box approaches and seek creative methodologies. From the insights and information that researchers will share, we hope to learn more about the interplay of culture, tradition, law, ethics and policy in defining the best interest principle. Possible Focus Areas Ø Investigate what factors encourage collective action on behalf of children. Ø Reflect on constructions of childhood and the implications on children's rights. Ø Generate insights on how children understand violence (domestic, caste-based, communal, from the State), and their coping strategies. Ø Map the trends and dynamics of social change processes and their implications for children, identifying faultlines and arenas of concerns. Ø Gather evidence on the relationships between ethnicity, inequality and conflict as witnessed and/or experienced by children. Ø Locating identity questions (language, discourse,representation) within the school-community relationship. Ø Is best interest principle, a value, a constitutional right,an interpretative advocacy instrument or a rule of law. Principles governing the Fellowship Eligibility: Potential fellows will be Indians residing in India, above the age of 18 years. There is no upper age limit. Preference will be given to applicants who have studied in government schools, where no fees are charged (Studies conducted and CRY's experiential learning of working with 2000 deprived communities in villages and urban slums demonstrates that students attending government schools are primarily Dalits, tribals, girls and children from female headed and/or landless households.) It is expected that potential fellows ascribe to the CRY values: -Respect for Human Dignity -Secularism -Non-Violence -Accountability -Innovation -Transparency -Working in Partnership Language: Proposals may be submitted in any Indian language. They will be translated into English and it is the English translation that will be reviewed. Grant Sizes: In all up to 10 fellowships for grant sizes ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh will be awarded. These will be support grants and fellows will be free to continue their primary occupation or study programme. Time Frame: From one month to one year. Selected fellows will be expected to participate in an initial workshop to share research plans and gain from the collective experience possibly in January 2008. CRY will take care of travel, boarding and lodge for fellows participating in the workshop.
Dissemination: Research results will be made available to a broad audience of activists, academics, programmers and interested general public through multiple fora, including language translations to influence the course of the debate on child rights and the best interest principle. Ownership: While fellows will retain authorship of the final research product, all information and insights gathered will be open access and available to the widest possible numbers, for no charge. Fellows will also be free to publish the insights of their research efforts, with appropriate acknowledgement of the National Child Rights Research Fellowship and CRY. Requirements for English language proposals: Please e-mail a three-page proposal (it should include scope, relevance, research question, conceptual framework, proposed methodology, time frame and required budget) along with a two-page CV (please include a names and contact phone numbers of two referees) and a sample of related published/unpublished work. Proposals which do not include names and phone numbers of referees will not be reviewed. Please send only Word or Acrobat files. It is expected that the potential fellow is not already receiving funding for conduct of the research proposed. In case during the course of the Fellowship, the fellow feels the need to expand the scope and add greater depth, it is expected that CRY will be informed first about the need for additional funds. Also any other donors reached out to will be informed about the CRY support for the principal work. Requirements for proposals in all languages other than English: Please send by post a three-page proposal (it should include scope, relevance, research, question, conceptual framework, proposed methodology, time frame and required budget) along with a two-page CV, and a sample of related published/ unpublished work. Our address is Documentation Centre, CRY –Child Rights and You, 189 A, Anand Estate, Sane Guruji Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai – 400 011. Last Date for receipt of application: 10 September 2007. Proposals will be reviewed as they are received. E-mail your proposal to [email protected]