“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

What do you call an experience that is partly structured, mostly open, non-linear, and diverse in culture, nationality, age, and topics of conversations? The kind of experience which relies on possibilities which are continuously expanding while holding space for both conversation and silence? When people meet in such a space for the first time, only to then work and learn together for the preceding eight months, and develop life-changing connections and insights — I call that experience magic!

“One important connection I made during the Fellowship was with a Chicago Peace Fellow, Parrish Brown. It was especially meaningful for me because it made me realize that certain things we sometimes overlook in communities can be assets for the development of communities and the improvement of lives of the people.”

Celine Osukwu, 2024 Goldin Global Fellow, Nigeria

To me, the word magic best describes the 2024 Global Fellows experience which took place between March and November 2024. From a pool of 100 applications, 20 grassroots leaders representing 16 countries were selected to be the 2024 Global Fellows. Countries represented include Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Uganda, USA, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

 

Developing Principles for Shared Learning

After the launch in March, Fellows spent the first two months becoming familiar with their peers, developing principles for shared learning, and reflecting on GATHER’s distinctive approach to community-driven social change—an alternative to conventional leadership and management approaches. Some of the principles they developed for their continued learning experience included active listening, empathy, respect, transparency, willingness to unlearn and re-learn, etc.

Furthermore, Fellows shared their key inspirations for joining the Fellows Program. Fellow Mark Devon Maitim from the Philippines said:

The spark that ignited my desire to become a 2024 Goldin Global Fellow was the unwavering spirit of empowerment among Indigenous People in our community. Witnessing their resilience and determination has been nothing short of inspiring.  My hope is to be a catalyst for positive change, to create ripples of impact that resonate far beyond my own efforts. I envision a future where more leaders emerge from within our community, armed with the tools and knowledge to effect meaningful change. Through this fellowship, I aspire to nurture the seeds of progress, cultivating programs that not only address immediate needs but also lay the groundwork for sustainable growth. Together, we can sow the seeds of empowerment and reap a harvest of collective prosperity.”

Within these two months, Fellows uncovered and shared their individual strengths as well as the assets of their neighborhoods. This process of identifying, sharing, and activating both personal and neighborhood assets allowed Fellows to know each other and their communities better. They also had a chance to attend a workshop on self-compassion led by Director of Mutual Aid Collaborative, Burrell Poe.

One of the assets in Hopley is its Youth Center and Clinic” – Charlene Taruwona, 2024 Global Fellow, Zimbabwe

Exploring Asset Based Community Development

In May and June, Fellows delved deeper into Asset-Based Community Development, engaging in a unique roundtable with the 2024 Chicago Peace Fellows. Each Global Fellow was paired with a Chicago Peace Fellow to explore asset-building through meaningful dialogue. They practiced asking engaging questions to help communities recognize and activate their gifts in pursuit of shared goals. The discussion also emphasized why best principles often hold greater value than best practices when adapting successful solutions from other communities.

“The approach I learned from Gather is different from what we have been used to, especially some of us with development backgrounds in which we were taught how to identify, analyze, propose solutions, and implement said solutions towards solving a problem, which most often provides just band-aid solutions without getting to the root cause of why certain problems exist.”

Arrey-Echi Agbor-Ndakaw, 2024 Goldin Global Fellow, Cameroon.

A key outcome from this period was the Fellows’ Asset Maps highlighting key community assets. Here are examples from our Fellows in Africa, Asia (including the Middle East), Eastern Europe, and North America:

Asset Maps created by Goldin Global Fellows

Bringing Global Communities Together

In June and July, Fellows focused on building inclusive teams. They began by exploring strategies to identify adaptive challenges and the leadership needed to address them. Next, they gathered local learning partners, formed teams, and developed skills for hosting effective meetings and navigating difficult conversations. With support from their teams, Fellows organized visioning summits, bringing community members together to share insights, expand asset maps, and co-create a vision for the future. The Community Visioning Summits, held across 14 countries, marked a major milestone for the 2024 Global Fellows cohort.

“The Community Visioning Summit activity allowed me to visit different cities and connect with different people in my country. I learned important things about human rights, and learned many challenges and opportunities facing my community that I did not know before.”

– Zohreh Solati, 2024 Goldin Global Fellow, Iran.

Community Visioning Summit in Punakha, Bhutan, with the Monastic Community at Phochu Dhumra Buddhist Monastic Central School

In August and September, Fellows took action in their communities, implementing ideas that emerged from the summit. This process was driven by ongoing meetings with their local teams, where they reflected on key insights from the summit. Some Fellows concentrated on developing or refining projects they had envisioned throughout the Fellowship. Some of the projects implemented include:

Country Project
Cameroon A two-day Resin Art Workshop to empower sickle cell warriors in Yaunde, Cameroon.
Ethiopia International Peace Day pre-celebration workshop in Dire Dawa city (City of Love) themed: “Cultivating a Culture of Peace: Lessons, Challenges, and Prospects”
Iran
  1. Ecofeminism photo exhibition project documenting environmental and women injustices from across the country.
  2. Photo exhibition themed ‘War in War With War’ depicting the devastating impact of war on women and children.
Nigeria A community forum in Owerri, Nigeria, aimed at promoting inclusive participation by persons with disabilities in development planning.
Pakistan
  1. Preventing rabies, promoting animals’ rights, and fostering co-existence between humans and animals in Pakistan on the World Rabies Day.
  2. Press-conference on Inclusive Society for Peaceful Coexistence in Pakistan arguing everyone to uphold the constitution and making Pakistan a peaceful country a top priority.
Uganda
  1. A 6-kilometer parade raising awareness on the rights of people with disability and the need to protect the environment.
  2. Baking workshop for women and youth in Northern Uganda to promote self-employment through baked goods such as breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, etc.
USA Creative pacemakers: A website directory connecting creatives from various fields to make their work visible and connect with like-minded creatives.
Zimbabwe Hopley Empowerment Project: Building Skills for Sustainable Livelihoods among marginalized individuals in Harare on how to make washing soap, bathing soap, and cakes to promote self-sufficiency and income generation.
Zambia A two-day community-based training program for young girls in Chelstone, Lusaka, on making reusable sanitary pads.

“Through the peacebuilding project, I learned new skills: how to do a project, how to work with different people and receive feedback,  how to combine different ideas and opinions from team and community members to make progress”

– Otile C. Edwin, 2024 Goldin Global Fellow, Uganda

Abubaker and his community members during the disability awareness parade in Uganda

Creating Peace Building Projects and Sharing Stories

As Fellows planned and implemented their peacebuilding projects, they continued meeting weekly for workshops with invited experts. Several sessions focused on the importance of documenting experiences. Aaron Nunes-Zaller, an instructor at Florida Gulf Coast University, taught Fellows how to capture compelling photos and videos. Award-winning author Ethan Michaeli guided them on distinguishing between op-eds and news articles. Zeki Salah, a Goldin Institute Communication Associate, provided insights on digital storytelling and building an online presence. Finally, April Donor, owner of Aprilart Studios, introduced Fellows to the foundations of storytelling through an asset-based community development lens.

“Documenting your story is both a legacy of your contribution and “a call to action” that can inspire others as well.”

– Marielle Angelica Keshia Villasper, 2024 Goldin Global Fellow, Philippines

Finally, October and November prepared Fellows for their graduation. They learned about the importance of planning, cultivating trust, and strategies for sustaining progress. Fellows used this time to reflect on the critical moments from their entire learning journey based on the timeline below. They further spent time planning together how they wanted to celebrate their graduation event. Learn more about what transpired at the 2024 Global Fellows graduation event in this article.

Road map representing the eight-month learning journey of the 2024 Global Fellows.

 

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