Deadline: 21-Oct-22
The Obama Foundation opened applications for its six-month, non-residential leadership development and community engagement program that connects leaders across regions in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.
The Barack Obama Foundation’s Leaders programs aim to inspire, empower and connect regional cohorts of changemakers to accelerate positive and lasting change in their communities and throughout their region.
Programs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe will. For an average of 8-12 hours per month, the program will bring together 35-member cohorts of emerging leaders from across the regions. Participants (known as “Obama Leaders” or “Leaders”) will take part in weekly sessions that include:
- Practical tools and training for deepening values-based leadership
- Individualized coaching
- Community groups
- Conversations with thought leaders
- Cultural programming that showcases the richness of diversity in the region
- Curated spaces for deep personal reflection and interpersonal learning with peers
Upon completion of the program, Obama Leaders will become part of the Obama Foundation’s leadership network—a growing community of civically active, positive role models who are creating tangible solutions to the greatest challenges of their time.
The Leaders program offers practical skill building for social change, leadership coaching, discussion of critical issues, and small group support.
Details
- Each regional program will meet virtually over Zoom an average of four times per month, engaging with trainers, subject matter experts, and their peers to deepen their leadership practice. Each session will last approximately two hours. Additionally, each regional program will aim to host an in-person convening—public health, safety, and security conditions permitting—as a forum for deeper community-building, learning, and celebration.
- Upon completion of the program, Obama Leaders will become part of the Obama Foundation’s global leadership network—a growing community of changemakers who are advancing tangible solutions to the greatest challenges of their time.
- The Leaders programs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe will run between February 1 and July 15, 2023.
Geographic Focus
- Africa: All 55 nations and territories on the continent.
- Asia-Pacific
- American Samoa; Australia; Brunei; Cambodia; China; Cook Islands; Federated States of Micronesia; Fiji; French Polynesia; Guam; Hawai’i; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Kiribati; Korea, North (DPRK); Korea, South (ROK); Laos; Macao; Malaysia; Marshall Islands; Mongolia; Myanmar; Nauru; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Niue; Northern Mariana Islands; Palau; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Pitcairn Islands; Samoa; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Taiwan; Thailand; Timor-Leste; Tokelau; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu; Vietnam; Wallis and Futuna.
- Europe: Any of the 46 Council of Europe member states and Kosovo.
Eligibility Criteria
- Citizenship/Residency: You must meet one of the criteria below:
- You are a citizen of an eligible nation or territory OR
- You are a permanent resident of an eligible nation or territory OR
- You are a refugee or asylum seeker in an eligible nation or territory OR
- You have lived in an eligible nation or territory for at least the last 5 years, regardless of documentation status.
- Geographic Focus: Your current and future work is geographically focused on creating positive change for your local community, an eligible nation or territory, and/or the broader region.
- Leadership Experience: You can demonstrate at least three years of relevant experience in your issue area.
- Age: You will be between 24- and 45-years-old on July 15, 2023.
- Language Proficiency: You are professionally proficient in English (spoken and written).
- Political Campaigns: You will not be engaging in an electoral campaign for political office between February 1 and July 15, 2023.
- Program Commitment: You can commit to fully participating in the entire duration of the program between February 1 and July 15, 2023, which may include an in-person convening (public health, safety, and security conditions permitting) in late June or early July, and up to 12 hours of live virtual programming per month. Participants should have no more than three absences in order to attend the convening and complete the program.
Selection Criteria
The Foundation aims to assemble a Leaders cohort from a pool of candidates with a range of backgrounds, identities, and experience levels. They take all of these into consideration when deciding upon who is invited to become a Leader.
- Their ideal candidates have these characteristics:
- Possesses a clear issue of focus and can describe or measure their impact so far
- Holds a leadership position in their changemaking work, whether full-time or volunteer
- Demonstrates a deeply ethical, values-based, equitable, and collaborative approach to leadership
- Demonstrates a willingness to learn from and share with other leaders in a group setting
- They have learned over the years that while many candidates may possess most or all of these attributes, because of capacity limitations, they can’t enroll everyone who applies to this highly competitive program. Therefore, they try to curate a deliberate mix of participants whose perspectives and experiences will complement each other.
For more information, visit https://www.obama.org/leaders/