The U.S. Embassy is seeking educators with a multicultural and inclusive approach to work as chaperones for young writers in the 2025 International Writing Program (IWP) Between the Lines (BTL): Peace and the Writing Experience program. This initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Government, will take place from July 12 to July 26, 2025, at the University of Iowa.
Applications are open until February 10, 2025.
The BTL program will host 16 international writers aged between 15 and 18 from selected countries alongside 12 U.S. peers. Participants are expected to attend all workshops, seminars, and cultural exchange sessions during this two-week event. Activities will be conducted in English and include creative writing workshops, group and individual assignments, world literature seminars, cultural visits, and local events. An anthology of student writings will be published upon completion of the program. Chaperones will offer multicultural support throughout.
Interested applicants should submit their application materials via email to Yaoundepdculturaldl@state.gov by February 10, 2025.
A complete application must include:
- A detailed CV
- A brief statement of purpose (no more than 250 words) describing what they hope to achieve at BTL
- An essay (I), in English, no longer than three pages responding to: “In what way does your identity influence you as an educator or mentor for youth?”
- A short essay (II) (no longer than 300 words) on: “An essential component of Between the Lines is encouraging participants to explore the unfamiliar and unknown in a safe and supportive setting. Please describe a time in your past when you had to engage with a new situation, person, or idea that initially felt uncomfortable or strange. How did you proceed? If you had the chance, what would you do the same, and what would you do differently?”
Applications should be sent by email to yaoundepdculturaldl@state.gov no later than February 10, 2025.