Call for applications: Youth exchange against anti-rights

SAIH is looking to recruit two early-career researchers, with a genuine interest in social justice to join a one-year international exchange project focused on countering anti-rights forces impacting historically marginalised communities in different contexts.

This exchange offers a unique opportunity to conduct impactful research and build advocacy skills within an international framework. Successful candidates will be expected, with the support of academic and activist mentors, to develop and complete a self-developed research project that speaks to the overarching theme(s) of the project. Participants will also be trained in advocacy and research communication and contribute to the advocacy strategies of organisations involved in the project.

For this project, SAIH is partnering with Colors Rainbow (CRB), a leading Myanmar LGBTIA+ rights organisation (currently based in Chiang Mai, Thailand), and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender (CSA&G) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Starting in January 2026, each of the three partner organisations will send two participants on the exchange, who will spend their time between South Africa, Norway, and Thailand.

This is one-year paid engagement. Participants are expected to be fully committed and participate in all parts of the exchange. Participants sent from SAIH will receive a stipend of NOK 10,000 per month when in South Africa, NOK 25,000 per month when in Norway, and NOK 10,000 per month when in Thailand. All costs relating to accommodation, travel, and activities for the project will be covered by the project.

The project is funded by NOREC.

For more details on the project background, timeline and activities, see the project’s concept note.

Requirements:

• Be a young professional or recent graduate (preferably masters and/or PhD), and must have finished studies by the time exchange starts
• Have studied in a field relevant to the project, e.g. gender studies, development studies, human rights, environmental studies, anthropology, sociology, human geography or related
• Have a particular interest in or knowledge of authoritarianism, anti-gender and/or anti-environmentalism
• Availability to fully participate in the year-long programme, including international travel
• Must have research experience and be familiar with quantitative or qualitative research methods. Experience from field work is a plus.
• Must be a Norwegian citizen or have a work visa valid throughout 2026
• Have a genuine passion for promoting human rights, campaigns and advocacy work

Desired:

• Background in activism from SAIH or other organisations
• Research experience
• Travel experience and/or experience from living in other countries
• Intercultural experience

Personal qualities

• Curious, analytical and committed to human rights and social justice
• Culturally sensitive and able to work well across differences
• Adaptable, resilient and solutions-oriented – to changes that may arise in different contexts and in the project itself
• Strong communicator
• Organised, reliable and able to work independently as well as in a team
• Motivated to link research with advocacy and action

Why Apply?

This programme is more than an academic opportunity—it is a chance to:

• Shape global conversations on human rights and democracy.
• Build a career trajectory in academia, civil society, or policy spaces.
• Gain international experience across three continents.
• Join a network of young researchers and activists committed to advancing social

Please send your CV and a short letter of motivation (max one page) to Kristoffer Kinge (kristoffer.kinge@saih.no) by Monday 19 September.

We aim to carry out interviews the following week and finalise the selection process shortly after.