Oslo Scholars

The Oslo Scholars Program (OSP) offers undergraduates with demonstrated interest in human rights and international political issues an opportunity to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway and spend their summer working with some of the world’s leading human rights defenders and activists.

The Oslo Scholars Program was established in 2010 by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University, as HRF presented an ideal platform to engage new generations of human rights defenders and scholars.

The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF), entering its eleventh year in 2019, provides Oslo Scholars with invaluable networking and learning opportunities, as well as the chance to meet the mentors they will be working with during the summer.

In its inaugural year, the Oslo Scholars Program at Tufts University sent three students to the Oslo Freedom Forum, where they assisted with translation and social media outreach. This group also designed the first Oslo Scholars Program internship, with 2010 OFF speaker Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan. Because of the success of this first internship experience and the student delegation at OFF, the Oslo Scholars Program has been able to expanded. In 2011, the Oslo Scholars Program organized internships with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Justine Hardy, and Vincent Manoharan, each of whom hosted Oslo Scholars from Tufts University for the summer, engaging the Scholars in their inspiring work defending and promoting human rights. OSP has since expanded, offering various internships each year in the field of human rights. Students have worked on issues like mental health, freedom of speech, gender rights, corruption, and non-violent resistance in locations varying from Belgrade to Seoul, as well as in Boston and New York.

Oslo Scholars are selected based on their demonstrated interest in human rights, language abilities, and long-term career and professional goals. The Oslo Scholars act as bloggers and social media agents at the Oslo Freedom Forum and are responsible for keeping an active blog over the course of their internships. Internship opportunities vary from year to year based on the human rights activists who elect to participate in the program.

For more information on the Oslo Scholars Program, application details, and to see profiles of all Oslo Scholars since 2011, please visit www.osloscholarsprogram.wordpress.com or email osloscholars@tufts.edu.