ALF 3.0 (2019-20)

​These eight fellows met for the first time in October 2019 to begin their eight-month Action Learning Fellowship journey. Power outages at the kick-off weekend foreshadowed 2020. Below is the transformation of what the fellows' focus was at the beginning of their fellowships and the highlights once their fellowships were completed. See what magic happened!

​RENEE BRADFORD
Author, Podcaster, Change Consultant

​I want to explore linking the positive role modeling of philanthropy, activism, and Authentic Leadership of Black women with the grassroots giving of the time, talent, and treasure of Young Black Millennial women to make greater impact in the global village.  I feel that I will be successful with this goal if I am able to set up and facilitate appreciative work group concepts that are useful to collective conversations with the development of a diverse learning community. 

Fellowship Highlights

• Published an E-Book, JUMP: A Woman's Guide To Getting Her Bank Back
• Brought gifts out of exile and served as a host on Redeem the 10, a 10-week virtual vigil series which had participants reflect “What will you do with your ten minutes?” (the presumption at the time was that it took approximately 10 minutes for George Floyd to succumb to the weight of the Officer's knee on his neck)
• Holding space on virtual platform for nourishing discussions about what is fueling us right now, honoring the wisdom that inward leading is just as powerful as an outward fight
• Created a podcast, “Lemonade Stand Leadership Oasis”, focusing on self-care, to give space for listeners to pause, check in, to be authentic self in leadership and in life

Learn more here

​MAYA CARLSON
Bioneers

​I currently work as the Youth Program Manager for Bioneers Conference, a non-profit whose mission is to inspire and realize a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations. Bioneers Youth Leadership Program (YLP), serving over 550 youth ages 13-23, is a hub for climate movement organizers, indigenous youth leaders and youth of color from across the country. In the process of designing initiatives beyond the conference that are more intimate, inclusive and youth-led around the theme of climate justice, I am in a place of deep questioning around how to deepen my work in a way that is truly more inclusive, accountable and relationship-based. 

Fellowship Highlights

• Grounding in a more expansive purpose and vision of my work in the world extended beyond the project(s) I was working on
  
• Trusting in the arc of the unfolding  
  
• Being affirmed, celebrated and seen in the work that I do and the ways I show up
  
• Building a sweet, supportive community with the BKF Goddesses
  
• My Project Showcase of "Telling a Better Story of What We Do" has evolved into a full blown 4-month youth storytelling training called Telling Our Stories: Re-Envisioning Our Future where frontline youth will work with mentors in the mediums of writing, audio, video and social media and share their own stories of resilience and resistance
  

Learn more here

CHERI-LEIGH ERASMUS
Accountability Lab

​I had such a meaningful learning experience in ALF 2.0 that I jumped at the opportunity to stay engaged, dive into deeper inquiry and also serve this community that has offered me so much. My role in this new cohort will be that of a “faciltant”, a fellow who also actively supports the cohort and convenings. As Global Director of Learning at the Accountability Lab in Washington, DC, an organization aimed at building a new generation of active citizens and responsible leaders all over the world (currently work in Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Liberia, South Africa and Mexico), I get geekily excited about Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, and co-creating projects with communities in ways that include the voices of the most marginalized among us. 

Fellowship Highlights

• Built meaningful learning relationships with change makers from different disciplines who could add new perspectives to my work;
  
• The Fellowship afforded me the spaciousness to really reflect on areas where I want to improve, which isn't always possible when you are focused on deliverables. This also encouraged me to create more space for reflection in general;
  
• My facilitation skills improved immensely through exposure to the AoC methodology, as well as being able to practice these skills in our peer group;
  
• Through mentorship, I was able to work on stretch goals I'd set for myself, including new ways of storytelling and bringing renewed creative energy to problem-solving.
  

Learn more here

​ROSE ESSIEM
Diaspora Giving Project

​I made a bold decision to start my MBA at the beginning of this year, which has clarified and validated my goals, and is challenging me to be more deliberate about my next steps. As I consider other meaningful ways to contribute to the unique African diaspora community that I cherish so much, I’ve developed a keen interest in closely examining how African diaspora giving has evolved, drawing out personal narratives of impact within the diaspora, and considering the ways in which our contributions can be fully optimized in moving the needle on the economic development agenda in Africa.

Fellowship highlights

• This Spring, officially launched the Diaspora Giving Project, a virtual hub for research, informed insights and collaborations focused on matters related to collective giving in global Black diaspora communities. 
  
• Curated a panel, 'The Future of Black Diaspora Giving', as part of the 9th annual Black Philanthropy Month. Video here
  
• Launched a micro-bakery and I'm so happy I did because baking/cooking/creating are my favorite things to do:)
  
• Writing and producing a short multimedia piece that encapsulates my journey so far with the work of black giving. Can't wait to share more!
  

Learn more here

​VALENTINA HELO-VILLEGAS
The Primary School

​Originally from Colombia, I am a trained psychotherapist specializing in severe trauma, currently working as Director of Parent Program at The Primary School. We’re a new initiative that merges education, healthcare, and parent support. The Parent Program focuses on the relationship between parent well-being and whole-child. Wellness coaches accompany parents in their journey to self-actualization through deepening relationships with themselves, their families, and the community while building Protective Factors to mitigate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences. We’re currently in East Palo Alto and Hayward, CA, and plan to expand our Early Childhood and Elementary services to include Middle School. 

Fellowship highlights

• Belonging to a group of likeminded yet profoundly diverse individuals that stretched and supported me
  
• Infusing creativity into work and self-care practices
  
• Having acquired tools to successfully shift in-person programming to remote/virtual
  
• Having built the courage, with the support of the fellows and the weavers, to do public-facing things like videos, speaking at conferences, writing and publishing articles to talk about the work of the Parent Program at The Primary School
  

Learn more here

​HEERA SHARMA
Go Laadli

​I founded Go Laadli (aka ‘beloved daughter’ in Hindi), a social impact organization focused on empowering young women to become problem solvers, change makers and leaders. We do that through investing in their education, providing mentoring, and leadership opportunities and engaging them in their communities in real world problem solving with programs such as The Lead Like a Girl Challenge and Girl Advisory Board. Looking to sustainably scale our work in the coming years in India as well as globally (starting with the US)!, I want to build a community of support around Go Laadli to anchor and sustain our efforts. In this fellowship, I am finding my village – my tribe – to immerse in interchange of ideas, knowledge and learning to be a better collaborator, community builder and leader so that Go Laadli can truly be the movement of women problem solvers, changemakers and leaders I envision it to be. 

Fellowship highlights

• ​Learned by observing what works and by observing the big picture for ways to improve results  
  
• Changed the program's focus because of the pandemic, including making sure participants from poorer backgrounds were able to participate in the programs.  The Corona Warriors campaign empowered 84 girls from 35 schools in 16 cities across India with tools to educate their communities. Girls created videos, games, and chats to educate their communities about Covid-19 facts and bust myths that were being spread.
• Young women were able to use their voices to action during the pandemic, supported by volunteers on three continents, and over $170,000 in donations
• Built on the existing success of 273 girls enrolled in the “Lead Like a Girl” campaign

Learn more here

​MEG VAN DEUSEN
Feedback Labs

​At Feedback Labs, a nonprofit organization that works to democratize aid and philanthropy by putting constituents at the center of decision making, I am trying to flip the norm by fostering cross-sector problem solving across nonprofit, aid, philanthropy, impact investing, and local government. Too often, people who benefit from social services have decisions made about them, instead of with them. Over the next eight months I am excited to explore how classroom engagement strategies translate into the feedback field, and vice-a-versa, and the role that listening plays in the co-creation of development programs through the development of a Feedback Fellows Program. This program will cultivate, support, and connect the next group of feedback professionals and movement makers. 

Fellowship highlights

• Applied what I learned through the BKF Fellowship (tying to the BK Foundation mission, convening intentionally, getting to know the person behind the project) to my work at Feedback Labs, supporting 10 Feedback Fellows from across the world in better listening and responding to their communities.
  
• Discovered that I am creative, finding a love for group facilitation, and applying the principles of both creativity and facilitation in everything I do.
  
• Discovered, through "walking the talk" and listening to the Feedback Labs community further ways to support the fellows, the wider community, and truly make feedback the norm by building a network, providing feedback tools, and ongoing training support.
  
• Developed multiple Feedback online trainings (including “Feedback 101,” “Feedback 201 Short Course,” and “Feedback Crash Course”) to help fellows create their own feedback loop processes. Creating a virtual environment allowed the tools to reach more people and organizations across the world and enabled deeper uptake over the course of multiple weeks.
  

Learn more here

​JULIE WEINSTEIN
Civil Conversations

​I run a fundraising group called Collective Power (CP). The originating idea behind CP is that when small donors work together they can make lasting and impactful change. Over the last two years, I have also been focusing on creating community through conversation, with diverse people from different backgrounds spending time in conversation with each other. I host a semi-monthly conversation group, open to the public, called Civil Conversations where members of the community come together and discuss a topic of the night. Topics have included ‘A life well lived’, ‘Forgiveness’, ‘Truth’ and ‘Abortion’. I also facilitate another conversation group, a nationally run program, called a Benjamin Franklin Circle. This group will meet for 13 months focusing on one of Franklin’s 13 virtues each month.

Fellowship highlights

• Learned new ways to gather in meaningful community
  
• Met and learned from passionate woman who want to change the world
  
• Gained a better understanding of the work that I do including the how's and why's
  
• Helped me move through the world with a stronger presence
  

Learn more here