Introducing the Inaugural AMECYS Mentorship Program: New for 2026

Posted on behalf of the AMECYS:

Join the AMECYS Graduate Student Mentorship Program as a Mentee or Mentor
Are you a graduate student studying Middle Eastern and North African children and youth and/or
their diasporic communities? Are you seeking guidance from experienced scholars in the field?
Or are you an experienced scholar eager to mentor the next generation of researchers and
leaders in the subdiscipline? The Association of Middle East Children and Youth Studies
(AMECYS) is excited to announce the launch of our Graduate Student Mentorship Program!

About the Mentorship Program
We are building a mentorship network that pairs AMECYS graduate student members with
established scholars who share overlapping research interests. Noting that some graduate
students often have little to no contact with relevant specialists at their home institution, the
AMECYS mentoring program seeks to provide greater opportunities for interaction with
established scholars. The program will work to provide students with invaluable academic
guidance, professional development, and networking and growth opportunities, and established
scholars, an opportunity to pass on knowledge and experience to engaged students. The
program and pairing is expected to begin in February 2026, and last for one year. It is targeted to
students at any stage of their graduate program beyond coursework. Mentor-mentee pairs may
sign up and request to continue or new pairs may be formed in future years, as relevant.
Throughout the mentorship and as feasible, the AMECYS Graduate Student Committee will
continue to offer additional support to ensure meaningful engagement overtime for both
mentees and mentors.

About AMECYS
AMECYS is a private, non-profit, international association for scholars with an interest in the
study of children and youth in the Middle East, North Africa and their diasporic communities.
Through interdisciplinary programs, publications, and services, AMECYS promotes innovative
scholarship, facilitates global academic exchange, and enhances public understanding about
and by Middle Eastern and North African children and youth in diverse times and places from
any disciplinary and methodological approach.

Be the First to Help Shape this Pioneering Program – Take Our Survey by May 10!
To best serve our community, we are administering a survey to determine the needs and interests
of graduate students and scholars working in this subdiscipline. Whether your focus is on the
Levant, the Gulf and/or Maghreb, children, adolescents, and/or youth, whether you study these
populations in the past or present, and whatever your disciplinary or methodological approaches
might be, whether in the social sciences, humanities, or natural sciences, we want to hear from
you! Your feedback will help us to build an effective and tailored mentorship program.

Graduate students are kindly asked to complete this brief survey located here:
(https://shorturl.at/71AYY )
Established scholars, kindly complete this survey: https://shorturl.at/1v2BL )
Virtual Graduate Meet & Greet – Open to All!

We invite all graduate students, scholars and anyone interested in AMECYS to join our virtual
meet-and-greet session. This event will answer general questions about AMECYS, its history and
aims, and this mentorship program, in particular. It will also offer attendees a space to share their
academic interests and thoughts about the subdiscipline and ways they would like AMECYS to
advance it. We seek to work together as a community, to support one another, and the
subdiscipline.

📢 How to Get Involved:
✅ Graduate students: Sign up for mentorship & take the survey! (Mentee Survey:
https://shorturl.at/71AYY)
✅ Established scholars: Join as a mentor & help guide future scholars! (Mentor survey:
https://shorturl.at/1v2BL)
✅ Everyone: Attend our virtual Meet & Greet: May 7 12-1 PM CST/10-11 AM PST/1-2 EST! (zoom
link: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94263413498)
We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting new initiative and strengthening the AMECYS
community together!

For any questions, contact the Chair of the Graduate Committee and Graduate Representative,
Melis Sulos, melissulos@gmail.com and cc. the Faculty Advisor, Hilary Falb Kalisman,
hilary.kalisman@colorado.edu