NiaTero - 2020 Annual Report - Flipbook - Page 29
LEADERSHIP FELLOWS
The Leadership Fellowship program serves several
meaningful purposes: it focuses on the needs of Fellows
and their communities, strengthens culture and spirituality,
promotes intergenerational and intercultural exchanges,
involves peer groups and regional cohorts, and
shares a learning-by-doing approach.
In collaboration with Indigenous elders, Nia
Tero met with the first Leadership Fellows
cohort in early 2020 to receive guidance on
how to strengthen the program. There, it was
recommended that the program take on a
regional approach, modeled after Indigenous
teaching methods and concepts of leadership.
The selection criteria of Fellows suggested
during this meeting included the following:
• Strong connection to their territory
• Proven motivation to work with
their people
• Mature—responsible and with some experience
• Emergent leaders—transition from youth to elders
• Nominated with acceptance from elders
• Considering gender balance when possible
Based on the approach to the Leadership Fellows program,
we hired a Leadership Fellows Manager who is fully
NIA TERO - THRIVING PEOPLES. THRIVING PLACES.
dedicated to rolling out the program in the Amazonia,
Pasifika, and Boreal regions. Though COVID-19 impacted our
program’s progress, we’re quickly advancing on developing
curricula for each priority region.
Thanks to the co-design of regional curricula
by both Indigenous peoples and leadership
development institutions, the updated 2021
Leadership Fellows program will be conducted
fully online with expanded regional cohorts,
taking on a more localized approach. Due to
travel restrictions, the idea is for Fellows to
learn from within—from community leaders and
spiritual elders alike—and conduct a diverse set
of exercises in their own communities. The 2021
program will pair Fellows with local facilitators
and mentors, focus on mother tongue
education, provide necessary seed funding for
project implementation, and support Fellows
and communities with much-needed communications
infrastructure for easy internet access. The updated
program will also provide Fellows with the necessary soft
skills to strengthen their ability to share their messages
outside their territories while connecting them to networks
of Indigenous leaders and others more broadly.
CROSSCUTTING, AMPLIFICATION & SCALING - LEADERSHIP FELLOWS
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