Fellow Project is an integral part of DKI APCSS’s long courses. It requires participants to undertake a project demonstrating their expertise by applying their acquired knowledge and skills. This process includes:

  1. Collaboration and Networking: Fellows work together and engage with faculty and experts, fostering relationships and mutual understanding.
  2. Perspective Sharing: Discussing local, national, and regional security challenges enhances networks and deepens understanding of a rules-based order and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
  3. Research and Analysis: Fellows leverage their experience to research a specific topic, increasing situational awareness, creating viable options, and forming practical recommendations through critical thinking.
Objectives
  • Expand capacity for critical thinking
  • Practice querying, dialogue, cooperation, and connecting with key stakeholders
  • Hone inquiry skills for future work
  • Produce outcomes of real-world value
Types of Fellow projects
  • Individual Fellow Project: Each fellow undertakes a project focusing on a specific challenge related to a policy, program, process, or practice. This project is completed independently, allowing the fellow to apply their unique insights and expertise.
  • Cohort Project (Group Project): In this format, fellows collaborate on a group project. To participate in a Cohort Project, each fellow must be preselected by their respective country’s embassy and DKI APCSS. This collaborative approach encourages teamwork and leverages the diverse perspectives of the fellows involved.

* If your country wishes to send a team to work on a Cohort Project, inform the US Embassy, the DKI APCSS Recruiter (recruiter@apcss.org), and the Fellow Project Team (fellowsproject@dkiapcss.edu).

Completed Fellow Projects

Project Phases

  Fellows Project Cohort Projects
Before Course
  • Receive course package
  • Identify a project
  • Consult your superior
  • Define classification level
  • Attend DKI APCSS pre-course virtual meeting
  • Government officials, the U.S. Embassy, DKI APCSS agree on a topic that has all the qualities of a Fellow Project
  • A team of 3-6 Fellows is selected to work as a group
  • The team attends virtual meetings with DKI APCSS mentor
During Course
  • Attend project seminars and plenary presentations to further develop project ideas
  • Submit project goal statements and presentations demonstrating progress
  • Coordinate with faculty lead/mentor on progress and assignments
After Course
  • Fellows report back to superiors on the project
  • Implement their plan; attend virtual update sessions at 2, 6, and 10 month intervals
  • Report back on completion/implementation
  • Cohort implements project with mentoring as required and reports on completion

Latest News and Guest Speakers

Mr. Krishna Bahadur Raut Receives the 2021 ‘Alumni of the Year’ award

DKI APCSS recognized Raut’s contributions as an alumnus who significantly improved the peace and security within his country of Nepal and in the Indo-Pacific Region.  Raut’s Fellows Project resulted in seven new provincial emergency operation centers. He drafted eight of the fifteen laws required to support the expansion of the EOCs. He also played an instrumental role in passing significant policies that included the Disaster Management Act, Risk Reduction Policy, and the National Strategic Action Plan.

Alumnus Dr. Novil Wijesekara speaks at the Comprehensive Security Cooperation 22-1

As part of his participation in CMC, Dr. Wijesekara began implementing a Fellows Project titled, “Build the Capacity of Religious Leaders to Prevent Violent Extremism in Sri Lanka through a Public Health Approach.” Due to the ongoing pandemic he was forced to redirect his efforts to produce a workshop titled, “COVID-19 and Beyond.” In partnership with DKI APCSS, he designed the workshop, recruited speakers and participants, served as a speaker, and co-hosted the event.  The workshop participants presented South Asia perspectives on COVID-19 prevention and mitigation. The participants shared best practices in responding to the pandemic and identified common challenges that the countries of South Asia were facing.