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Olympic Refuge Foundation Lived Experience Fellowship 2026–2027: Remote International Programme with Up to US$730 Monthly Stipend

Muhammad Chishti
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Applications are open for the Olympic Refuge Foundation Lived Experience Fellowship Programme 2026–2027, a part-time, remote opportunity for adults who have personally experienced displacement.

This programme is intended to ensure that refugees, asylum seekers, stateless people, internally displaced persons and others affected by forced migration are directly involved in shaping research, policy, advocacy and practical solutions related to sport and displacement.

The selected fellow will work with the Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank as a knowledge partner. Rather than being consulted only as a source of personal testimony, the fellow will help influence the framing, interpretation, production and communication of the Think Tank’s work.

The programme will run from September 2026 to August 2027. Fellows will work remotely from their country of residence for approximately 10 to 20 hours per week. A monthly stipend ranging from US$150 to US$730 will be provided.

According to the official Terms of Reference, applications must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time on 19 August 2026.

Key Fellowship Information

The Terms of Reference do not specify the exact number of fellows who will be selected.

About the Olympic Refuge Foundation

The Olympic Refuge Foundation, commonly known as ORF, is an independent international nonprofit organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It was founded by the International Olympic Committee in 2017 and is registered as a Swiss foundation.

The Foundation works towards creating a society in which everyone can experience belonging through sport. Its mission focuses on developing a movement that helps young people affected by displacement to thrive through sport and physical activity.

The Foundation conducts its work through three principal pillars: Catalyse, Sustain and Transform.

Catalyse

The Catalyse pillar serves as the Foundation’s innovation function. Through this pillar, ORF develops and tests new ideas addressing gaps between sport, humanitarian response and the needs of displaced communities.

This work may involve collaboration with:

Evidence and data are used to evaluate these ideas, identify what works and determine whether successful approaches can be improved, adapted or expanded.

Sustain

The Sustain pillar concentrates on programmes and approaches that have already demonstrated positive results.

It seeks to:

This pillar helps ensure that effective programmes do not end after an initial pilot or funding period.

Transform

The Transform pillar focuses on broader policy and systems change.

Through evidence, advocacy and partnerships, the Foundation works to influence public policies, institutional practices and humanitarian systems so that sport is recognised as an important component of crisis response.

This work may include partnerships with UNHCR, cities and other organisations to integrate sport into areas such as:

About the Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank

Established in 2020, the Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank is a central part of the Foundation’s advocacy and knowledge-development work.

It brings together expertise from:

The Think Tank strengthens the Olympic Refuge Foundation’s work in areas including programme design, evidence generation, research, advocacy and interdisciplinary practice.

Its broader purpose is to improve understanding of how sport can support people affected by displacement and crisis.

The Lived Experience Fellowship will help incorporate the knowledge of displaced people throughout the Think Tank’s work, including when:

Role of the CPC Learning Network

The Lived Experience Fellowship Programme will be administered by the Care and Protection of Children Learning Network on behalf of the Olympic Refuge Foundation.

The CPC Learning Network is housed within Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health’s Program on Forced Migration and Health in New York, United States.

The network was established in 2005 in response to the need for stronger measurement and evidence in child protection during emergencies.

Its work connects knowledge and practice concerning:

The network’s work is guided by social justice, innovation, integrity and transformative relationships.

CPC will support the fellowship’s administration, management, supervision and mentorship. A CPC staff member will also serve as the fellow’s principal contact for administrative matters.

Why the Fellowship Was Created

People with direct experience of displacement are often consulted during research or programme development. However, consultation does not always provide them with meaningful authority over decisions, priorities or final outputs.

This fellowship seeks to address that problem by treating lived and living experience as a recognised form of expertise.

The programme will give selected fellows a structured opportunity to lead, influence or jointly produce knowledge relating to:

Fellows will work in an equitable partnership with Olympic Refuge Foundation staff, Think Tank members, mentors and relevant external partners.

The programme is not designed simply to collect personal stories from displaced people. Instead, their knowledge will help determine how issues are examined, understood and addressed.

Main Objectives of the Fellowship

The Lived Experience Fellowship Programme aims to:

  1. Enable people with lived or living experience of displacement to influence the Think Tank’s objectives, analysis and outputs.
  2. Support knowledge development that is led or jointly produced by people with lived experience.
  3. Use this knowledge to inform the Olympic Refuge Foundation’s advocacy, strategy, programme learning and wider sector influence.
  4. Create opportunities for fellows to produce or contribute to research, policy, advocacy, storytelling or creative outputs.
  5. Allow fellows to join an existing Think Tank project or contribute to an established policy or advocacy priority.
  6. Support the development of a focused fellowship project where this is practical.
  7. Improve the relevance, quality and legitimacy of Think Tank outputs by incorporating lived-experience expertise throughout the process.
  8. Provide fellows with mentorship, peer learning and professional-development opportunities.
  9. Connect fellows with practitioners, researchers, organisations and advocates from different sectors.
  10. Help the Foundation evaluate how lived experience can more effectively influence its systems, strategies and decision-making.

Scope of the Fellow’s Work

The fellow’s specific area of work will be decided collaboratively at the beginning of the programme.

The decision-making process will involve:

The selected focus should reflect the fellow’s interests, skills, experience and preferred area of contribution while remaining aligned with Think Tank priorities.

Fellows will participate as knowledge partners capable of influencing how the Think Tank frames, interprets and communicates its work.

Depending on the agreed work plan, the fellow may:

Expected Fellowship Deliverables

The final deliverables will be agreed during the first month of the fellowship.

They must be proportionate to:

Each fellow will be expected to complete at least two principal contributions.

1. One Substantive Fellowship Output

The main output may be:

2. One Dissemination or Engagement Contribution

This may include:

Additional outputs may be developed if they are realistic and mutually agreed. However, additional work should not automatically become a condition for successfully completing the programme.

Fellows should retain meaningful control over the format, framing and emphasis of their work.

Fellowship Duration, Hours and Location

The fellowship will run from September 2026 to August 2027.

The official start date is 15 September 2026.

Fellows will work part-time for approximately 10 to 20 hours per week. Because the programme is remote, work will be completed from the fellow’s country of residence.

No travel is currently anticipated.

Applicants should nevertheless be prepared to participate in:

Work Plan and Reporting Arrangements

During the first month, the fellow will develop a flexible work plan with CPC administrators, Olympic Refuge Foundation staff and assigned mentors.

The work plan will establish:

The plan should balance the fellow’s interests and lived-experience expertise with what can realistically be completed and what would be useful to the Think Tank.

The fellow and mentors will provide regular progress updates covering matters such as:

Mentorship and Professional Support

Each fellow will receive support from two dedicated mentors:

Following selection, fellows will be invited to identify preferred mentors or relevant areas of expertise. The programme will then seek to match fellows with appropriate mentors.

Mentorship will be treated as a two-way learning process. Mentors will offer:

At the same time, fellows will contribute lived-experience knowledge capable of strengthening the mentors’ understanding, assumptions and professional practices.

Fellows will generally meet:

These meetings will be used to review progress, discuss difficulties, receive feedback and adjust the work plan where necessary.

Fellowship Supervision

The fellow will be supervised jointly by designated members of:

A designated CPC staff member will be the primary administrative and management contact.

Supervisors will provide guidance concerning:

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

The opportunity is exclusively available to people with lived or living experience of displacement.

This includes individuals who have personally experienced:

Applicants must be at least 18 years old when they submit their application.

Someone who professionally supports displaced people but has not personally experienced displacement does not satisfy the programme’s central eligibility requirement.

Required Interests, Skills and Potential

Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in how sport, physical activity or movement can support people affected by crisis or displacement.

They should also demonstrate:

Relevant fields may include:

Applicants do not necessarily need extensive professional experience. Demonstrated potential in one or more of these areas may be considered.

Are Academic Qualifications Required?

Formal academic qualifications are not required.

Applicants do not need:

The Olympic Refuge Foundation recognises that displacement may interrupt education, employment and professional development.

Relevant expertise may therefore have been developed through:

Applicants will not be disadvantaged because they do not have polished written or spoken English. Support with writing, editing or publication may be provided where necessary.

Monthly Stipend

The fellow will receive a monthly stipend ranging from US$150 to US$730.

The exact amount will be determined according to the World Bank income classification of the fellow’s current country of residence.

The stipend is therefore based on where the fellow currently lives, rather than necessarily being based on citizenship or country of origin.

The Terms of Reference do not specify:

Applicants should seek clarification if any of these matters would affect their ability to participate.

Application Requirements

Applicants must prepare the following materials.

1. Resume, CV or Experience Summary

Applicants must submit a short resume, CV or summary of relevant experience consisting of no more than two pages.

It may include:

2. Statement of Interest

Applicants must submit a short statement explaining:

The statement must be in English and may be submitted as either:

3. Relevant Work Sample

Where available, applicants should submit one example of relevant work.

The sample may be in:

Possible work samples include:

A written sample must not exceed three pages. An excerpt from a longer document may be used.

An audio, video or multimedia submission must be limited to three minutes. If the original material is longer, the applicant should identify the specific three-minute section that reviewers should assess.

4. Two Referees

Applicants must provide contact information for two referees.

Referees may come from:

Referees must not be directly related to the applicant.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Requirement

Applicants must disclose if they have used artificial intelligence for language or grammar assistance.

AI-supported grammar or language correction is permitted and will not reduce an applicant’s score when properly disclosed.

However, excessively generic responses or applications that appear to have been generated entirely by AI will not be considered.

Applicants should ensure that their submission reflects:

The assessors explicitly value an applicant’s own words, even when those words contain minor errors, more than a polished but impersonal AI-generated application.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified applicants with disabilities.

Applicants requiring assistance to participate fully in the selection process should contact:

connect@cpcln.org

Candidates are advised to request any necessary accommodation before the application deadline.

Application and Selection Process

Applications must be submitted through the official online portal.

After submission, CPC staff will conduct an administrative review to determine whether:

Applications passing the administrative review will be assessed and scored by two reviewers.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual interview during the week beginning 24 August 2026.

Final selection will consider:

Successful applicants will be notified by 4 September 2026.

If the programme receives a particularly strong group of applications, suitable candidates who are not selected may be invited to be considered for future opportunities. This would remain subject to:

Important Dates

Applicants in other time zones should carefully convert the deadline and submit early to avoid missing it because of a time-zone misunderstanding or technical problem.

Principles Guiding the Programme

The fellowship will operate according to several important principles:

Fellows must be able to participate in ways that are safe, meaningful and realistic.

The Olympic Refuge Foundation, CPC Learning Network and Think Tank members will be responsible for ensuring that fellows are not expected to:

The fellow’s lived experience will be respected as professional and practical knowledge that can improve decisions and outputs.

How to Apply

Eligible applicants should complete the official online application form.

Before submitting, applicants should:

  1. Confirm that they have personal lived or living experience of displacement.
  2. Read the complete Terms of Reference.
  3. Prepare a resume or experience summary of no more than two pages.
  4. Prepare a personal statement of up to 500 words or three minutes.
  5. Select a relevant work sample, where available.
  6. Identify two appropriate referees who are not directly related to them.
  7. Disclose any use of AI for language or grammar support.
  8. Review the application for completeness.
  9. Submit before midnight Eastern Time on 19 August 2026.

Questions about the programme may be sent to connect@cpcln.org.

Why This Opportunity Matters

The Olympic Refuge Foundation Lived Experience Fellowship creates a formal route through which displaced people can influence research, policy, advocacy and programme design.

Its significance lies in recognising that institutions cannot develop fully effective responses to displacement without involving people who have experienced those systems and challenges personally.

The fellowship combines:

This approach can help produce policies and programmes that are more realistic, relevant and responsive to the needs of displaced communities.

Conclusion

The Olympic Refuge Foundation Lived Experience Fellowship Programme 2026–2027 is an important international opportunity for adults who have personally experienced displacement and want to use their knowledge to shape research, advocacy, policy and practice through sport.

The programme does not require formal academic qualifications, published research or postgraduate education. Instead, it values knowledge developed through lived experience, community leadership, advocacy, volunteering, creative practice, informal learning and professional work.

Selected fellows will receive two mentors, professional-development support, access to the Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank and a monthly stipend of US$150 to US$730. They will work remotely for approximately 10 to 20 hours per week from September 2026 to August 2027.

Eligible candidates should prepare an authentic and experience-based application and submit it by midnight Eastern Time on 19 August 2026.

For more global opportunities, click HERE.

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