Hello, All:

This communication is the final SAYA Career Development Briefing of Q3. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the relaxed, creative atmosphere of your volunteer service with SimukaAfrica.org. Please note the following:

• 34 Gallery Publicity Advisor Web Horizons is currently competing in the Timbaland x Orbiiit Global Talent Search 2026 & is at 4th place this round. Share your support by casting a free vote this weekend!

• A special thank you to all volunteers who liked and left comments on social media posts. The Artists and Contributors commented that they truly enjoyed this feedback!

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  Q4 Online Volunteer Service

  

  Q4 UNV Assignments

  The next two weeks of September are reserved for offboarding and onboarding virtual staff.

• The Q4 Volunteer Service Period: Oct. 2, 2026 through January 2, 2027.

• The first Q4 SAYA Career Development Briefing is scheduled for Oct. 2nd, 2026.

  If you are interested in applying for Q4 service through UN Volunteers, apply to one of the following links and email us that this step has been completed :

• SDG 3.4 & 5 Advocacy with The 34 Gallery Initiative

• Videography Assistance for SDG 2 & 3

• Please note: Simply respond to this briefing or email us if you would like to continue as a volunteer without UNV registration. No further steps are required.

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  Administrative Notes

  

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  The Q3 volunteer service period ends on Oct. 1st.

• Remember to complete the Essential & Mandatory Courses on the UNV E-Campus by this date if you are volunteering with us through UN Volunteers.

• UNV Certificates of Appreciation should be uploaded to your portals by Oct. 2nd.

• Problems finding your certificates? Contact [email protected].

• All Recommendation letter requests must be submitted by September 18th to ensure completion prior to the quarter’s ending.

• Be advised that we are unable to authorize recommendation letters or UNV feedback forms for absentee volunteers who have not submitted assignments during Q3 or been in touch with us to verify why this is the case.

• Questions about assignments or protocol? Respond to this Briefing or email [email protected].

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The October Social Media Calendar

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The next deadline for assignments is September 30th.

Email all submissions to [email protected]. Check our website and social media for examples of what we publish.

• Art, Poetry, & Fiction Submissions: 34 Gallery Open Call instructions are here.

• Virtual Publications: Articles are 700 words minimum. Submissions can also include up to 4 graphics or artworks. Personal Essays on mental health topics are also welcome.

• Graphic Design & Video: Graphics should be submitted in batches of 4, 8 or 12. Video must be 2 minutes or less.

• Email us your selected topic first to reserve a spot on the publication calendar.

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Suggested Topic List

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Simuka Africa Volunteers have successfully attained employment, internships, Fellowships, and other positions based on their active publication history with us. Report summaries in particular provide an edge in the job interview process.

If you have time in your schedule to complete one of these, notify us with your selected topic by responding to this briefing or emailing us directly:

• Volunteers interested in creating Q4 holiday materials for Giving Tuesday & the Digital Penpals Initiative, email us for further details. These campaigns are scheduled to begin running Nov. 1st & Dec. 1st.

• SDG 3: Insomnia & Sleep Disorders, definition & interventions

• SDG 3: Toxic Online Friendships: how to block & disenage

• SDG 3: Managing Stress at School or College

• SDG 4: Study Habits for Effective Test Taking

• SDG 4: Cultural Harvest Celebrations Around the World

• SDG 8: Returning To Work After A Leave of Absence, Tips & Strategies for success

• OECD Report Summary: PISA 2025 Results (Volume I) Future-Ready Students

• UN Environment Report Summary: “Limiting Overshoot - Navigating exceedance of 1.5°C and pathways towards return”

• UN Environment Report Summary: “Hidden assets: The economic and health case for climate and clean air action”

• UNICEF Report Summary: “Through Children's Eyes: How digital technologies enable child sexual abuse”

• UNESCO Conference Video Summary: Digital Learning Week 2026

• Can’t make the deadline? Things happen. Just notify us so your task can be reassigned. However, be advised that Simuka Africa is unable to issue recommendation letters or UNV reports on your behalf without a record of submitted assignments during the quarter.

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The United Nations System: An Introduction

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Global Insights:

• UNESCO & Zimbabwe: “From Heritage to Human Connection: Preparing Southern Africa’s Heritage Sites to Tell Stories That Matter”

• UN General Assembly: Selection and Appointment of the Next Secretary-General

• UN General Assembly: Secretary-General's Information Brief - System-wide Results Management (WP21) — 3 September 2026

• UNESCO: Presentation of UNESCO Literacy Prizes 2026 laureates

• UNESCO: Digital Learning Week 2026

• IISD: 1.5°C Overshoot Underscores Urgency to Act: UN Report

• IISD: UN Report Reveals Benefits of Joint Action on Climate Change, Air Pollution

• IISD: Outgoing UNGA President Hands Over Secretary-General Selection to Successor

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  International Trainings assist your journey!

• UNV Masterclass: Values and Boundaries — 23 September 2026

• UNV Masterclass: Personal Advocacy — 27 October 2026

• 10 Free UNSSC Online Courses 2026 — Learn about climate action, sustainability, peace & security online.

• Adaptation Fund Gender Mainstreaming E-Course — Free training on gender-responsive climate adaptation.

• Cornell Climate Education & Community Engagement Course — Global certificate programme with scholarship opportunities.

• Environmental, Social & Climate Standards Micro-Learning — Free, flexible learning delivered via WhatsApp by ITC.

• Scaling Climate Finance — Free 7-hour UN course covering climate finance, public investment and private capital.

• Terra.do Climate Fellowship 2026 — A 12-week climate learning programme for action-oriented professionals.

• The UN Tourism Online Academy (Hospitality Careers)

• The UNDP SDG Finance Academy is offering 16 free self-paced online courses designed for learners worldwide.

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is offering 16 FREE online courses covering every aspect of intellectual property—from beginner to advanced level.

• The UN CC:Learn Open Online Course on Gender and Environment is now open for global learners.

• Women Leadership in Climate Action — Free global online course from UNITAR & C40 including a UN digital certificate.

• Global Youth Climate Training Programme 2026 — Free online training in climate policy and advocacy from the University of Oxford.

• World Bank Online Courses: Access five free e-learning opportunities covering data, policy, agriculture and development. 

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United Nations Employment

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• UN Careers - the primary UN career hub

• UNJOBNET - daily job listings for the entire UN System

• UNJOBNET: Remote Positions - daily updated UN remote work

• UNJOBNET: Zimbabwe

• UNJOBNET: The Philippines

• UNJOBNET: Nigeria

• UNJOBNET: Canada

• UNJOBNET: India

• UNJOBNET: South Africa

• UNJOBNET: US

• Careers at WHO

• IISD Climate Change Jobs

• UN Women Careers

• Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative Careers

• World Vision Careers

• UNU Careers

• Global Green Growth Institute — GGGI Careers (multiple regions)

• UNV Creative Assignment: The UN SDG Action Campaign has partnered with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (UNTF) to mark its 30th anniversary. As part of this collaboration, the Campaign will produce 15 short-form videos highlighting changemakers from around the world. Working with raw footage, visuals, and brand guidelines provided by the UNTF, Online Volunteers will support the team in editing and post-production to create compelling, high-quality digital content. Each video will run approximately 1:00 to 1:30 minutes.

• The World Health Organization invites individuals and organizations worldwide to submit signals of change that may influence the future of sexual and reproductive health and rights over the next decade.

• UNIDIR Graduate Professional Programme 2026 — $1,500 Monthly Stipend in Geneva. Deadline: Sept. 16

• The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is offering opportunities for students and recent graduates at its headquarters in Songdo, South Korea.

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A.I. Policy, News & Jobs

Our Simuka Africa A.I. Organizational Policy can be found here. It also includes direct links to the A.I. Tools most asked about in job interviews. Additional news:

• Zimbabwe & A.I Development: “Zimbabwe Places Heritage and AI at the Heart of Tourism Transformation”

• Zimbabwe & A.I Development: “Africa’s Digital Independence in the Age of AI”

• UN: Education Ministers call for education to remain a common good in the age of AI at UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week.

• UN: “UNICEF found one in five internet-using children faced technology-facilitated abuse, with fewer than 1% of cases reported”

• UN: UNESCO ICT Prize awards dynamic projects promoting creativity and critical thinking from Finland and Brazil

• DIGWATCH: Anthropic reported a fourth model breach.

• OECD: “PISA 2025 found students who didn't use AI to draft writing performed better.”

Science, A.I. & Tech Opportunities

• Free GIZ Data Governance Certificate Courses — Build practical skills in data governance and Africa’s digital economy.

• ITU-UNDP Responsible Digital Transformation Course —Learn about AI, data governance and impact assessments.

• UN GIS & OpenStreetMap Courses — Develop practical GIS, mapping and geospatial skills through UN Maps.

• NASA Open Science Training — Free Open Science Essentials and Open Science 101 courses.

• The Digital Training Academy (Nigeria)

• Data Annotation: Train AI as a Medical Expert

• Data Annotation: Train AI as a Legal Expert

• Entelect Careers (Zimbabwe)

• Hippocratic AI: Careers

• Navina: Careers

• The AI Job Board

• Helm.ai Careers

• All Tech Is Human Job Board — Ethical AI Jobs

• Handshake Job Board

• Working Nomads Job Board

• Climate Action Reserve Remote Jobs

• Humanity AI is offering grants to U.S.-based organizations, collaborations, and individuals for community-led initiatives that shape how artificial intelligence is built, governed, and used for the common good.

• The FASPE Design and Technology Fellowship Program seeks applications for graduate students and early-career professionals in architecture, engineering, computer science and related fields to study professional ethics and ethical leadership.

• The Catalyst Grant supports early-stage startups and innovators developing trustworthy AI tools and technologies to advance research workflows.

• The Restack Consortium offers grants to independent researchers and projects advancing open, collaborative, and vendor-neutral internet technology stacks.

• The Water Council is seeking sensing tech that works in real water, needs no consumed reagents and is priced for distributed deployment vs. centralized lab use. Information Webinar on Sept. 15th, Apply by Oct. 2.

• GovAI Research Manager UK Fellowships 2026 — A research and management opportunity offering a salary of up to £105,000, with visa sponsorship information available.

•  IAPS AI Policy Fellowship – Spring 2027: A fully funded three-month programme offering stipends of approximately $18,000–$24,000.

• Google is offering 18-month paid apprenticeships starting in February 2027 for individuals seeking practical experience and career development without requiring extensive professional experience.

• Mycelia Fellowship 2026 — A $2,000 remote fellowship supporting ethical storytelling, arts, civic engagement and AI projects.

• Tech Policy Press Fellowship 2027 — A $10,000 stipend opportunity for journalists, researchers and policy professionals exploring technology policy. 

•  NASA Multimedia, Social Media, Public Engagement & Communications Internship 2027 An internship for undergraduate and graduate students interested in multimedia, social media, public engagement and communications.

• The 2027 Tools Competition is inviting innovators, researchers, educators, developers, startups and organisations worldwide to develop evidence-based education technology tools and datasets that improve learning, teaching and career pathways.

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Opportunities

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Career Tip, I: “How to deliver feedback without it feeling like an attack” — Alisa Cohn

Career Tip, II: “The daily routine that fixes your ability to focus” —Amishi Jha

• Careers at Zepz

• Careers 24 — (Zimbabwe)

• ARTJOBS: Job Vacancies

• ARTJOBS: Calls for art

• Jobs.art — art careers

• 482 Jobs Australia

• Working in New Zealand Job Board

• Idealist.org: Remote Positions

• Flexjobs Remote Job Board

• No Desk Remote Job Board

• Remote.com Job Board

• Real Work From Anywhere Job Board

• Virtual Vocations (Georgia, US)

• WorkSource Georgia (US)

• Jobs2Careers Job Board (US)

• JobStreet by Seek is a market-leading online employment marketplace in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

• Nivishe Mental Health Fellowship – Cohort 7 —A 12-week virtual mental health leadership fellowship for participants in Africa.

• Global Health Emerging Scholars Fellowship 2027–2028 —An NIH-supported global health research fellowship for eligible U.S. and low- and middle-income country scholars.

• Pitch Perfect Africa 2026 — Offers a CAD $5,000 innovation fellowship for African health entrepreneurs.

• The Imperial College London President’s PhD Scholarships 2027–28 offer high-achieving applicants the opportunity to undertake doctoral research at one of the world’s leading research universities.

• EL PITCH GLOBAL is an open call for individuals, teams, and organizations worldwide to present innovative projects, ideas, or proposals that contribute to the present and future of music and the music industry.

• The Xiaomi Imagery Global Awards is an international photography competition for adults using Xiaomi, REDMI, or POCO smartphones, offering cash prizes for outstanding images across multiple themes.

• The Château de Lavigny is excited to announce its four-week residencies for published writers and literary translators from around the world to work and engage in an international creative community.

• The NPRB is thrilled to announce its Photography Awards to support photographers of all skill levels, including youth, for images depicting Alaska's marine ecosystems and human connections to its waters.

• The Global Change Award is an international innovation challenge supporting early-stage changemakers with ideas to transform the textile industry towards sustainability.

• The Lisa Jardine Grant Scheme is inviting applications to support early career scholars to conduct interdisciplinary research in intellectual history and the history of science using archival collection.

• The Art Explora Residency Program has announced its applications to support 3- or 6-month residencies in Paris for artists, collectives, researchers, curators and writers from all nationalities to develop their creative or research projects.

• The Adina Talve-Goodman Fellowship Program is offering a year-long mentorship, classes and a stipend to an early-career fiction writer whose work explores experiences of embodied difference.

• The Creators in Landscapes Global Residency Program is designed for artists, scientists, students and ambassadors to advance landscape health and human wellbeing through collaborative projects.

• The CEES Fellowship Program seeks applications to support 5-6 residential fellowships for young or mid-career scholars in social sciences or humanities researching historical or contemporary topics related to Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus or Central Asia.

• The College Photographer of the Year Competition recognizes outstanding student photography, filmmaking and documentary storytelling by higher education students worldwide.

• The Centenary Research Award is offering major grant to support research projects addressing significant animal welfare challenges or fundamental questions in animal welfare science.

• The Workspacebrussels has announced its studio residencies with a flat fee for Belgian and international artists working in the performing arts to support research, experimentation, and creation.

• Green Box Arts is inviting applications from artists of all disciplines and career stages for its Artist in Residency Program in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. (US)

• SAM Residencies Cycle 4 is offering residencies for artists, curators, educators, researchers, and creative practitioners worldwide to pursue independent research and practice in Singapore.

• The Billion Acts Fellowship Program is now requesting applications to support yearlong program with mentorship, community and project funding for young leaders advancing peace, justice, equity or social change. (ages 18 - 30)

• The Creatives For Our Future Programme provides support to young creatives worldwide with grants and development opportunities to advance projects accelerating sustainable development. (ages 21 - 30)

• The Sustainable vs UnSustainable International Photography Research Program invites individuals, communities and professionals to submit original photographs illustrating sustainability or unsustainability in places, spaces, or projects for global recognition and publication.

• The McKinsey.org Forward Program is a free multi-week digital learning initiative that equips individuals at various career stages with essential workplace skills for the future of work.

• The Ocean Reporting Network Program supports experienced journalists worldwide to conduct in-depth investigations into ocean threats and related issues over a year-long period.

• The Japanese Studies Fellowship Program is designed to support overseas doctoral candidates and researchers in the humanities or social sciences the opportunity to conduct research in Japan.

• The Girls Who Click Ambassador Program ( ages 16 - 30) is offering mentorship and professional development for young female and female-identified photographers and videographers in nature storytelling. Deadline: Oct. 1st

• The Lafayette Fellowship allows American students to complete Master's degree-level coursework at renowned French academic institutions, while also taking part in a unique leadership program. It is open to students interested in STEM, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Arts.

• The Mathematics in Africa grant provides partial support for mathematical activities taking place in Africa, including conferences, workshops, and research collaborations. Deadline: Sept. 15th

• The Human-Centred Conservation Storytelling Grant supports experienced journalists and storytellers to produce high-quality stories that explore conservation as lived and experienced by people in African contexts.

• The Indigenous Women’s Program Fellowship supports Indigenous women leaders in Africa, Asia, and the Americas to implement community projects advancing land rights, livelihoods, and gender equality.

• The Contributor Program offers (ages 18 - 35) classical liberal writers, creators, and commentators the chance to develop their media skills, grow their audience, and place their work in prominent outlets. — (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States)

• The Impact Accelerator Program is a free 6-week virtual training designed to help experienced professionals transition into high-impact careers through evidence-based tools, cohort support, and a global network.

• The TRANSPOSE Innovation Challenge by Yamaha is a global business contest inviting innovators and entrepreneurs to propose new business ideas at the intersection of sound, music, and entertainment.

• The Fund Her Future Grant from H&R Block provides financial support and business services to women-owned, for-profit businesses in the United States.

• Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies is inviting applications for up to 10 AIAS-AUFF Fellowships, offering 23-month salaried positions for postdoctoral researchers from any discipline to pursue interdisciplinary research in Denmark.

• Giving Joy is inviting women ages 18 and up from any country to apply for microgrants supporting innovative projects that generate economic or social benefits for women, girls, and families.

• African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics Research Fellowship 2026 —Offers up to $12,000 for African researchers, policy analysts and practitioners. 

• Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship 2027 — A prestigious African leadership programme for emerging leaders across Africa.

• Niongoze Fellowship 2026 — A leadership, mentorship and training opportunity for young Tanzanian women.

• The Government of Japan is inviting young South African university graduates to apply for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme 2027 as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). Gain international teaching experience while supporting language education and cultural exchange in Japan.

• The Nordic Africa Institute offers a funded one-month research stay in Uppsala, Sweden for scholars working on Africa-focused research in the social sciences or humanities.

•  Africa No Filter Voices for Climate Justice 2026 — African storytellers can receive up to US$4,000 in funding to support climate justice storytelling. — Deadline: Sept. 25th

• The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program 2027 offers paid internship opportunities for emerging researchers, policy professionals and communications specialists to gain hands-on experience in migration policy, refugee issues, public policy and strategic communications. Internships can be remote or in person.

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Food For Thought

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• Self-care, I: “The Secret to Making Peace with Your Personality” — Dr. Arthur Brooks

• Self-care, II: “Navigating Emotional Triggers in the Workplace: A Guide for Leaders” — Carla Harris

In closing, we hope that our quarterly volunteer program has assisted you with making self-care a cornerstone of your routine. Establishing a professional self-care regime is critical in these challenging times.

• If this is your last quarter serving with us, do know that your humanitarian commitment and dedicated work have allowed Simuka Africa to continue during our 20th year in operation.

• If you are staying with us for Q4, look forward to sci-fi & holiday themed open-calls, our Christmas campaign, climate change updates, and additional mental health resources for to keep you prepared for industry shifts.

  We wish you well on your career journey!

— The Simuka Africa Team ❤

May hope, peace & unity be with you.