⏰ Applications close Friday 5th December at 5pm GMT
Still considering your options? There's still time to apply for one of our Central Leadership in Action Projects! We've partnered with four incredible organisations offering hands-on leadership experiences across Colombia, Mexico, France, India, Nepal, South Africa, and the USA. You can also pursue an independent LiA at SOS Cape Town, with added support of a Laidlaw Alum helping you prepare and provide on the ground support. Whether you're drawn to creative industries, community empowerment, craft traditions, or youth education, each of these projects will put you at the centre of work that truly matters and gives you the chance to lead initiatives that create real impact.
Ready to explore your options? Browse the projects below and click through to their dedicated pages for full details and application links. Remember: you can only apply to ONE Central LiA project, so choose the one that speaks to you most!
👇 Here's what's available:
🌟Make_sense (Colombia, Mexico, France)
Join Laidlaw Scholars worldwide for a 6-week re_action for impact experience, co-creating real solutions with local communities. Build hands-on leadership while tackling projects in Medellín, Columbia (creative industries), Mexico City, Mexico (gender or climate), and Marseillem France (sea biodiversity or aging well). Choose your challenge and create meaningful social and environmental impact.
📘 Info: https://laidlawscholars.network/posts/new-2026-lia-program-with-make_sense?room_id=3234
📝Apply: https://americas.makesense.org/reactionforimpact/
💞 CraftHER (India)
CraftHER 2026 invites Laidlaw Scholars to Kerala for a transformative six-week journey with women artisans. From heritage looms to forest collectives, you’ll explore sustainability, entrepreneurship, and women’s leadership while creating real impact alongside craftswomen. Join us to learn, build, and grow in India’s living craft traditions.
📘 Info: https://laidlawscholars.network/posts/applications-open-crafther-lia-2026?room_id=4059
🎥 SOS Kinderdorf (Nepal)
Join SOS Children’s Villages in Nepal to make impact visible by documenting how this long-standing NGO provides family-like care for children without parental support and strengthens vulnerable families through education, healthcare, and income-building programs. Over four weeks, you’ll film and photograph real stories across multiple locations. Applicants need strong photo/video skills, English fluency, and a deep commitment to children’s rights.
📘 Info: https://laidlawscholars.network/documents/sos-lia-project-making-impact-visible-2026?room_id=4058
📝 Apply by email to david.becker@sos-kinderdorf.ch
💻 Timothy Smith Network (USA)
Spend summer 2026 in Boston empowering underrepresented youth through technology with the Timothy Smith Network. Laidlaw Scholars can join as Assistant Instructors for Tech Your Health, Assistant Instructors for the Digital Design Intensive, or a Management Analyst supporting programme planning and research. While experience in coding, 3D design, or digital tools is valuable, a passion for expanding equitable STEM opportunities is the key requirement.
📘 Info: https://laidlawscholars.network/documents/timothy-smith-network-2026-programme-guide?room_id=3237
🌈 SOS Children’s Villages (South Africa) — Submit Your Interest
Join Laidlaw alum Youness Rober-Tahiri in Cape Town in this semi-independent LIA. During this project you create your own six-week summer program for youth at SOS Children’s Villages! This hybrid opportunity blends independence with support: design and lead your project, live on-site, and collaborate with fellow scholars. Run programs in dance, coding, wellbeing, or anything you choose—leaving a real, lasting impact on vulnerable youth.
📘 Info: https://laidlawscholars.network/posts/lia-opportunity-sos-children-s-villages-cape-town-summer-2026
💬 Interest Form (Name + Email): https://forms.gle/kVzQH2nxNUZxSLw99