Become a Melton Fellow
Global Citizenship Learning
Program
Our participants are university students dedicated to serving their communities. Through the Global Citizenship Learning Program, they enhance their capacity, expand their influence, and exemplify global citizenship through their actions.
Global Citizenship Learning Program
In a world defined by interdependence and complexity, tackling global challenges requires more than just awareness. It demands young changemakers who think globally, act locally, and skillfully navigate cross-boundary collaborations.
The Global Citizenship Learning Program (GCLP), a fellowship program of the Melton Foundation, is uniquely designed to develop such leaders by equipping university students with the skills, knowledge, and networks to become catalysts for change and impactful global citizens.
As a participant in the Global Citizenship Learning Program, you will:
- Grow as a global citizen by expanding your intercultural awareness, communication, and critical thinking skills through a multi-perspective and empathetic approach.
- Engage with pressing issues of inequality, privilege, and inclusivity while understanding the interconnectedness of global and local challenges.
- Collaborate across cultures in diverse, international teams and build lasting relationships with student change-makers in India, Chile, Ghana, Germany, and the United States.
- Take action for the SDGs by co-creating and implementing impact projects with Senior Fellows of the Melton Foundation and community partners that drive meaningful change.
- Gain hands-on experience through workshops, training, and mentoring that help you work across boundaries of place and identity.
- Acquire practical skills in areas such as project management, storytelling, inclusive leadership, systems thinking, and intercultural teamwork.
- Participate in global meetings, including the opportunity (subject to active participation) to join a fully sponsored in-person meet-up.
- Join a lifelong community of 650+ Senior Melton Fellows who continue to collaborate, learn, and act for global citizenship long after the program. Successful participants will gain access to our global network of professionals and change-makers, unlocking long-term opportunities for continued collaboration, project grants, leadership development and career growth.
What sets the Global Citizenship Learning Program apart is its people-centered approach – prioritizing human connection, peer support, and a unique blend of soft and hard skills that build deep, meaningful relationships across cultures. It is an action-driven journey that goes beyond theory, empowering participants to practice Global Citizenship through real-world impact projects in diverse peer teams. The program also relies on each participant to craft their own journey, bringing their unique experiences, perspectives, and strengths to the table to shape both their learning and the collective impact of the cohort. Unlike programs with traditional learning models, our program integrates interdisciplinary, experiential, and intercultural learning in a dialogical way, bridging the gap between education and impact.
Applications for the Global Citizenship Learning Program 2027 Are Now Open!!
Applications officially close on November 22, 2026.
Please scroll to the bottom of the page for more details!
Who can apply to become a Melton Fellow through
the Global Citizenship Learning Program?
The Global Citizenship Learning Program is open to university students with a passion for local community impact aged 18-25 that are currently enrolled at one of our partner universities. Applicants must have sufficient English language skills to express themselves and engage with others in the program.
The Global Citizenship Learning Program is an engaging, collaborative, peer-learning program that runs online from March to December 2027. Participants are expected to contribute regularly, connect in bi-weekly meetings, and complete asynchronous assignments responsibly. The anticipated time commitment is 3–4 hours per week on average. In addition, actively engaged participants will join the Global Citizens’ Connect (GCC), a fully sponsored week-long in-person gathering
*Preference will be given to university students who expect to remain on campus for a minimum period of two years from the start date, as success in the program relies on active participation in local team activities to put global citizenship into practice. Are you the right candidate? Find out below!
Students from our partner universities are welcome to apply:
B.M.S Group of Institutions
B.M.S Group of Institutions is an esteemed educational institution located in Bangalore, India. Known for its commitment to quality education, it offers a diverse range of programs in fields like engineering, management, technical education, research, and more, making it a prominent choice for students seeking academic excellence in South India.
Dillard University
Dillard University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a historically Black liberal arts institution known for its commitment to academic excellence and social justice. With a rich history dating back to 1930, Dillard offers a diverse and vibrant campus community that fosters intellectual growth and community engagement.
Universidad de La Frontera
Ashesi University
Ashesi University is a prestigious institution located in Greater Accra, Ghana, known for its commitment to providing a high-quality education. It offers a diverse range of programs with a focus on leadership, ethics, and innovation. Ashesi is renowned for producing graduates who contribute to positive social change and economic development in Africa.
Friedrich-Schiller-University
Friedrich-Schiller-University, located in Jena, Germany, is a renowned institution known for its excellence in research and education. With a rich history dating back to 1558, it offers a wide range of academic programs and is particularly celebrated for its contributions to the fields of philosophy, medicine, and natural sciences.
Where Collaboration Meets Global Citizenship.
The Global Citizenship Connect is the vital in-person component of the Global Citizenship Learning Program a fully funded, week-long experience for actively engaged participants. It brings together young changemakers to collaborate across cultures, engage in hands-on workshops, and co-create solutions to global challenges. It’s where global citizenship is practiced, lived, and celebrated.
What to expect from the program?
In its entirety, the program is a ten-month journey. While the eight learning modules form the crux of the Global Citizenship Learning Program, the journey begins with an onboarding month to help participants settle into the program, orient themselves with all the tools and methodologies used, and also get to know one another. In the last month, participants will experience another orientation month, this time into the life-long Melton Fellowship, which becomes accessible upon successful completion.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Applying to GCLP is straightforward, but we want you to feel prepared before you start. Download the full Application Guide for step-by-step instructions, eligibility details, and deadlines.
Application and Selection Process
Application Form
The first and most important step is to submit your application by the application deadline using the designated online application form.
Guidelines & AI Usage Policy
Note: We have put together an Application Guide to give interested candidates the opportunity to prepare their applications offline. Click here to download this application form as a PDF file to develop your responses in your own time and then submit them in the online form.
All questions must be answered in English and the word limits indicated with each question must not be exceeded. We only accept applications that are complete or submitted by the deadline.
While AI tools such as ChatGPT can be useful for polishing up language in a final draft for submission, we strongly advise against using them to generate or draft your application wholly. We value your authenticity and purely AI-generated applications will most likely be eliminated as part of the selection process.
*Due to the volume of incoming applications, we will contact only those candidates, who have qualified for the next round. (Please check your spam folders regularly – it has happened that promising candidates could not participate further because they did not see the email on time. And watch out for updates from Melton Foundation campus teams along the way, e.g. via social media.)
If you do not hear from us by January 15th, 2027, please assume that you have not advanced to the next stage of the selection process.
Local Assessment and Interviews
Our university partners will screen the applications and invite the strongest candidates to a local interview. Please prepare for the majority if not all of this local assessment and interview to be conducted in English.
Global Assessment Center
Following the above-indicated deadline(s), the local teams will submit their top ten candidates to participate in a Global Virtual Assessment Center conducted by the Melton Foundation’s Executive Office and Senior Fellows. The assessment center covers themes of teamwork, problem-solving, and discussions of the current challenges facing humanity. The assessment center is conducted in English. We also have a multilingual staff that is ready to support the translation of complex information if needed. Closed captions will also be made available to make the assessment center accessible for all.
Final Selection
Following the Assessment Center, a global selection team will select the best-suited finalists from across the globe to join the Global Citizenship Learning Program.
Note: For further information or queries, please contact the Melton Foundation team at the partner university. If questions remain, you can email us at info@melton.foundation, which will connect you with the program staff.
For more information, useful links, and insightful application tips, click through to the Frequently Asked Questions!
News from the Global Citizenship Learning Program
Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Women Through Technology and Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Participants in the project are actively involved in co-creating the platform, contributing to content design, selecting relevant resources, and testing the usability of digital tools. Through this process, they gain hands-on experience with AI integration, digital literacy, and platform development, while also learning to identify and address the real needs of women in their communities.
The Most Sought-After Skills for Global Citizenship in Today’s World
Global citizenship today demands more than an acknowledgment of difference. It requires the ability to reimagine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) as a living practice of learning, unlearning, and reclaiming space. At its core, this skill calls for self-location: the act of situating oneself in relation to broader cultural and historical landscapes. When individuals pause to reflect on where they come from, the sensory worlds of their neighborhoods, the foods that shape their memories, the sayings passed down in their families, the friendships that molded them, they begin to see identity not as a single narrative but as a collection of interconnected fragments.
From Fellowship to Leadership: A Life of Public Service and Global Connection
As a young student, Carlos stepped into spaces that brought together people from different corners of the world, where conversations moved beyond textbooks, touching on global justice, sustainability, and shared leadership. These experiences pushed him outside his academic comfort zone and offered a new lens through which to view his studies and his future. They didn’t pull him away from his path; they deepened it.
Looking Beyond Boundaries: Two Years of Learning Beyond the Law.
As the first law student from India in GCLP, I expanded beyond legal boundaries into work spanning AI literacy, digital equity, accessibility, and youth leadership. Through leadership roles as India Hub Lead Fellow and Melton Fellows’ Representative on the Foundation’s Board, I learned that leadership means listening and representing diverse perspectives and that the same global challenge looks different depending on where you stand. GCLP didn’t change what I study, but it changed the way I see what I can do with it.
Weaving Change: From a GCLP Project to The ReWeave Collective.
GCLP’s impact has extended far beyond the program itself — it changed how I think about problems, my role in creating change, and the people and ideas I choose to work with. Collaborating with fellow Melton Fellow Trueman Mabumbo on a sign-language education project showed me that social problems can be solved through creativity, technology, and engineering, not just advocacy. That mindset carried into my work with Ashesi’s iGEM team on coastal erosion, and eventually into founding The ReWeave Collective, which repurposes discarded clothing while creating skill-building opportunities for young women. Melton gave me the confidence to see myself as someone who could help solve complex problems, and taught me that meaningful change comes from listening, collaborating, and carrying an idea beyond its original project.