Deadline: 10-Nov-22
Applications are now open for Pathy Foundation Fellowship, an intensive 12-month opportunity for graduating students (undergraduate or Masters) from five partner universities (Bishop’s, McGill, uOttawa, Queen’s, and StFX) who have an existing meaningful connection with a community anywhere in the world and an innovative initiative idea to strengthen that community.
Key Features of the Fellowship
- Supported Autonomy
- Fellows are afforded significant flexibility to optimize their opportunity for learning and growth, whilst being offered sufficient guiding support to create a safe and supportive environment to progress efficiently and effectively through the Fellowship.
- Community Engagement
- Fellows learn how to find creative and collaborative solutions to community priorities through experiential learning. Fellows are introduced to the Coady Institute’s innovative and blended approach to citizen-led, community-driven, asset-based community development and tangible participatory tools. Fellows will connect with other change-makers and will create and gain valuable networks within their community.
- Professional Development
- Fellows are introduced to all elements of the design, development, mobilization, and management of a socially-innovative community project (e.g., pitching, planning, budgeting, implementing, evaluating and reporting). Fellows develop as a leader and gain valuable connections and in-demand skills
- Personal Growth
- With dedicated personal leadership coaching, fellows tap into and enhance their capacities as an individual and leader, focusing on internally-driven intentions for areas of growth and development. Fellows face and overcome personal and professional challenges, building competencies that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
- Personal Development and Leadership Coaching
- Fellows have personalized support in the form of personal development and leadership coaching. Personal coaching enables each fellow to reflect on their individual leadership style and set intentions for areas of personal growth and development. Check-ins with the leadership coach occur periodically throughout the Fellowship, are non-prescriptive, and follow the pace set by each Fellow.
- Professional Development and Initiative Support Check-ins
- Fellows have continual support from, unfettered access to, and periodic check-ins with the program coordinator. During check-ins, fellows are encouraged to discuss their reflections on the nuances of their projects, significant learning moments, successes, concerns, and all things related to the Fellowship experience. Fellows receive informed, constructive feedback and resource suggestions, discuss and fine-tune project activity details, and receive leadership, skills-development and emotional support.
- Coady Resource Staff Members
- Each Fellow is paired up with Coady Institute Staff members who have significant experience in various areas within development. Fellows have the opportunity to work closely with Coady staff members who act as knowledgeable supports for project development, idea stimulation and network access; these staff members are experts in their field who Fellows are able to contact on a one-on-one basis for technical support and expertise throughout project planning and implementation.
- Triad and Cohort Check-ins
- Fellows develop and lean on a co-created system of peer support throughout the Fellowship. Triads (small group/Fellow pairings), and the cohort at large are unique, self-sustaining, and rich peer supports, where Fellows can provide and benefit from peer feedback, emotional support, shared learning, and resources. Fellows will build and sustain a community with their peers, and learn from and contribute to the diversity of experience which creates the fabric of the cohort.
- Alumnx Network
- The Pathy Alumnx network brings Fellowship graduates together through commonalities of experience to a space where past Fellows can continue to grow and contribute to the Pathy learning space with future Fellows and peer-to-peer engagement. The prestige of this Fellowship extends into the Alumnx space, where the collective wisdom and experience of former Fellows continues to benefit individuals and the program at large. As Fellows, and upon graduation, new cohorts will have access to this growing network of change-makers.
Funding Information
- Fellows are provided with comprehensive training, dedicated ongoing support and up to $40,000 to make a sustainable impact in their chosen community and to support their growth as active and effective leaders and change-makers.
- The year-long Fellowship is designed for students who have:
- Demonstrated the capacity and potential to develop as effective change-agents;
- A meaningful connection with a community of their choosing, locally, nationally or internationally; and
- EITHER an innovative idea of how this community could be strengthened or developed; OR
- A connection with a positive and sustainable community development initiative in any field already underway within this community that they would like to build upon in an innovative way.
- Upon selection to the program, Fellows are provided with up to $40,000 to contribute to:
- A living allowance (including housing, food, local transport and insurance);
- Travel and travel-related expenses, to cover airfares to and from home locations and the community (if required), and, for those traveling internationally, such things as visas, immunizations and health insurance; and
- Initiative funding, to cover expenses such as start-up and operational costs.
Benefits of the Fellowship
- Professional Development
- You will learn how to pitch, plan, budget, implement, evaluate, and report on a socially-innovative project. You will develop as a leader and gain valuable connections and in-demand skills as you kickstart your career.
- Personal Growth
- With personal leadership coaching you will tap into and enhance your capacities as an individual and leader. You will set and achieve areas of personal growth and development and build competencies that will serve you for life.
- Community Engagement
- You will learn how to find creative solutions to community priorities through tangible participatory tools. You will be introduced to leading development approaches, practices and principles.
Each cohort of up to 12 Fellows will participate in:
- The Foundations for Community Change (FCC) experiential learning component on-campus at the Coady Institute during which Fellows are introduced to the Coady approach to development; self-assessment and analysis of leadership styles and interactions with others; introduction to Fellows’ personal coaching sessions; working equitably with communities; and participatory project planning and management, including such topics as financial management and monitoring, evaluation and learning.
- A Pre-Community Phase (PCP) during which Fellows return home and further develop their initiatives based on learning from FCC. PCP includes regular check-ins with peers and Coady, along with further distance-based learning.
- A Final Planning Workshop (FPW) at the Coady Institute that provides opportunity for feedback and further development of Fellows’ concepts as well as preparing them for their engagement with the communities in which they will work, whether local, national or international. Sessions include such topics as equitable community engagement, Fellows’ roles and responsibilities, ongoing personal development, safety and security concerns, and any final logistic and administrative requirements.
- The Community Phase is when Fellows will work in and with their identified communities. During this phase, Fellows will receive ongoing support and distance learning from Coady, as well as regular sessions with the Fellows’ personal coach.
- A Debriefing at the Coady Institute when Fellows will evaluate personal and professional growth, outcomes from the community phase, next steps, and complete visioning of possibilities in their journey as change-makers.
Eligibility Criteria
- Fellowships are awarded to candidates who meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Hold Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residency
- Are a graduating, full-time student who will complete their final course requirements within this year’s eligibility window (i.e., AFTER last year’s Fellowship start date and BEFORE this year’s Fellowship start date. They operate on a June to June cycle. To check annual program start dates, please see the program schedule).
- They base eligibility on your end of studies date, not your physical graduation date.
- If you have already finished your studies (before the current Cohort’s program start date) you are not eligible to apply. If you complete your final course work after the start date of this year’s program, you are eligible to apply for next year’s cycle.
- Will be under 30 years of age by the program’s start date
- Attend one of the partner universities – Bishop’s, McGill, uOttawa, Queen’s or StFX.
- Have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree
- Candidates may be a current Undergraduate or Master’s student in any field or discipline (this includes post-graduate programs such as Law and Education).
- If you have previously completed at least a Bachelor’s level degree and are now studying towards a Diploma or Certificate at one of their partner universities, of at least one full semester’s duration, you are also eligible upon completion of your studies.
- PhD, Medical and Dental students are not eligible to apply.
For more information, visit https://pathyfellowship.com/about-pathy-foundation-fellowship/