Deadline: 31 August 2021
The Women for the Environment (WE) Africa leadership experience is a baobab tree grounded in the fertile soil of wellbeing and personal growth that culminates in strategic approaches to scale as a community of leaders. This is inspired and adapted from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, where the roots of the tree are WE’s five foundational leadership pillars, embedded in Maslow’s motivational pyramid. Only when our basic needs are met (e.g., wellbeing), are we able to invest in our own leadership development and that of others. A strong root system keeps us grounded and gives us stability. As we grow as leaders, we need continual nutrients (energy and inspiration) so that we are healthy and resilient and can pay it forward while being flexible enough to withstand the winds of change that arise, but our roots stay grounded. The more “healthy” trees/leaders we have the more seeds we can produce, creating a movement towards a different way to do conservation, ultimately leading to more lasting environmental impact.
The 12 month journey of WE Africa is traversed through six key phases, reflecting our connection with nature and the earth and the elevation of your personal and collective leadership from self through your relationships to collective impact and paying it forward.
Eligibility:
The WE Africa year long transformative leadership journey is for women who meet the following criteria:
African nationals, current citizens of a country in Africa, or those who have had permanent residency in Africa for a minimum of 15 years
A minimum of 15 years of experience working in the environmental space in government, NGO, or private sector in Africa including at least 5 years serving in a senior leadership role*
A commitment to investing in your personal growth and participation for the full 12-month program
A record of mentorship and desire to support future environmental leaders
Access to reliable internet
Able to speak and understand English conversationally
A commitment to: 1) contribute USD $500 toward the cost of the course to secure your place; and 2) cover your travel costs to two in-person retreats for an estimated $1,500. Together your contribution represents approximately 15% of the course value.**
*If you do not meet the requirements from the second point above, you may provide an explanation in the application about why you believe you are eligible.
**A limited number of scholarships are available to help offset costs for selected applicants.
Application Form
Important: This Application Form contains a short series of questions including both written and video responses:
Written Response questions have a response limit of 1,000 characters including spaces. To avoid connection issues with the website and losing your responses, you might draft your responses into a word processing file and then copy them into this form when complete.
Video Response questions will require you to record and submit a short video response. Your video responses should be no longer than 2 minutes each. Your videos do not need to be very formal or professional quality; we only need to be able to see and hear you clearly. You may use your phone camera to record your videos if desired.
All application responses must be in English.
What the WE Africa Leadership Program offers:
Membership in a community of passionate, experienced African women who are some of the most senior leaders in the environmental sector today
Access to twelve months of 1:1 leadership coaching
An opportunity to create a new leadership vision for yourself and to pursue personalized leadership development activities to realize that vision
Monthly online sessions designed to fit around and complement your work
Two in-person retreats for intensive community-building and personal and collective growth
Please note: The deadline for applications is Tuesday, 31 August by midnight East Africa Time. If you have questions about this application, please contact us at: applications@womenforenvironment.org.