Human Rights Lawyers Association Bursary bursts into action!
The Human Rights Lawyers Association (HRLA) launched its Bursary scheme this year. It was set up to provide up to £3,000 to assist law students to undertake voluntary work related to human rights law and specifically relevant to human rights in the United Kingdom. The Bursary was established in recognition that human rights placements are frequently voluntary positions and that it can be difficult for students to afford to take on such positions. Often they may forfeit paid holiday work to be able to do so – such is their commitment to human rights. This competitive Bursary is designed to assist at least some of these students with the financial burdens they shoulder in undertaking such placements. This year we were very impressed by the number and quality of the applications we received and it highlighted how important it is that such a scheme exists. The placements were diverse – from working with NGOs both in the UK and abroad to summer internships at regional and international human rights institutions. The applications highlighted the hard work that the applicant’s had already put in, simply by applying for these prestigious positions and we wish all who applied the very best with their present and future human rights work.
The applicants were scored in accordance with the eligibility criteria and we are pleased to announce that four applicants were awarded a slice of the £3,000 bursary to assist them in their various endeavours. Marissa Cawthorne was successful in securing funds towards her role as a volunteer Information and Advice Officer at Liberty. Sergey Golubok is venturing to Europe to complete a 12 week internship with the Office of the Commissioner of Human Rights within the Council of Europe and the HRLA were happy to award Sergey funds to help with the costs associated with living abroad for three months for a position very relevant to human rights law. Holly Young and Tomasz Jedrowski were also successful with their applications. Tomasz will be volunteering with Fair Trials Abroad helping with their work to defend the rights of those facing criminal charges in a country other than their own. Marissa, Sergey, Holly and Tomasz will all be providing short reports for the HRLA once their placements are complete, so please check our website to read about their experiences. All at HRLA wish them the best with their positions and their promising future careers!
We encourage law students (at any stage from LLB to CPE and BVC) with a burgeoning interest in human rights to apply for the 2008 HRLA Bursary Scheme, so that in this small financial way, and in addition to our other work, we can support the future human rights practitioners and academics of the United Kingdom. If 2008 seems too far off, then why not join the HRLA (we offer free membership for students) to take advantage of the seminars and lectures that we deliver to increase the knowledge and understanding of human rights in the UK
