The Echidna Global Scholars Programme at the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings seeks to catalyze and amplify the impact of local leaders working to advance gender equality in and through education across the Global South.
During a six-month fellowship, Echidna Global Scholars conduct individual research focused on improving learning opportunities and life outcomes for girls, young women, and gender non-conforming people, develop their leadership and evidence-based policy skills, build substantive knowledge on gender and global education issues, and expand their pathways for impact. Upon completion of the fellowship, scholars transition to the Echidna Alumni Network, a growing community of practice aimed at promoting their significant, sustained, and collective influence on gender-transformative education globally and locally.
Since its inception in 2012, the Echidna Global Scholars Programme has hosted ten cohorts of fellows and currently supports an alumni network of 33 scholars from 20 different countries.
The Echidna Global Scholars fellowship consists of three distinct phases:
- Pre-residency (in home country): With the support from the Center for Universal Education (CUE), scholars begin an intensive period of in-country data collection and analysis, accompanied by a series of virtual workshops, group working meetings, and individual advisory sessions. Scholars are introduced to the leadership concepts and tools that will be the focus of the leadership development program throughout the fellowship and begin developing their impact strategy—identifying and engaging with local stakeholders from their home country.
- Residency (Washington, D.C.): Scholars focus on expanding reach and impact through publication and dissemination of their research on Brookings’s multimedia platforms, strategic impact capacity building, leadership development, and networking. The residency phase is designed to help scholars strengthen their impact by teaching best practices for analyzing, communicating, and leveraging research for policy and key audiences, as well as expanding scholars’ networks and promoting visibility through Brookings convenings and strategic collaborations—culminating in the girls’ education research and policy symposium.
- Post-residency (in home country): During the two-year post-residency period, the CUE team provides targeted support to alumni as they implement impact plans that build off their research. Through strategic advisement, group working meetings, and leadership development support, scholars leverage the knowledge, skills, and connections built throughout the fellowship to catalyze change in their local contexts.