Applications are now open for the Acumen Academy’s India Fellows Program 2022, for individuals who are building the solutions to tackle the toughest problems of our time.
About the Acumen Academy
Acumen Academy is the world’s school for social change. Their mission is to unleash a new generation of social innovators and leaders with the determination and grit to build a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.
About the India Fellowship 2022
The Acumen Fellowship is an intensive leadership development program for individuals who are building the solutions to tackle the toughest problems of our time. The Acumen Fellows Program will bring together exceptional leaders from across India who are daring to embrace the difficult journey of social change.
Over the course of the year, the Fellow will come together to learn with–and from–each other. As a deeply bonded cohort, they will engage with a curriculum that is based on practical skills and character, geared towards action and grounded in the value of moral leadership.
After they finish the first year of the Fellowship, the Fellows join the global community of more than 1000 Fellows.
Learning Goals
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Learn to catalyse and embrace the gradual and meaningful process of creating change at the personal, organisational, and societal levels
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Cultivate the ability to lead effectively when opposing but interdependent values are in tension
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Understand how to lead diverse stakeholders through recurring and complex challenges
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Develop the capacity to tell meaningful stories that speak across lines of difference and move others to action
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Examine your identities, values, and choices that have shaped your journey till now and cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself and your work in a broader context
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Explore the meaning of a just society and the moral and historical foundation of social change through text-based dialogue
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Navigate systemic problems and design more effective interventions using moral imagination
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Question your assumptions and beliefs about leading effective change
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Be supported and accompanied by a cohort of like-minded peers persevering in the process of driving social change
Note: Our curriculum draws on powerful leadership frameworks, tools, and approaches, including Adaptive Leadership, Authentic Voice, Good Society Readings, Immunity to Change, and Polarities Management.
Eligibility
Our fellows are extraordinary leaders who dare to embrace the difficult journey of social change. Here’s what we want from you-and what you can expect from your cohort.
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Entrepreneurs: Leaders of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations providing critical goods or services to the underserved.
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Intrapreneurs: Leaders who are bringing to life new initiatives or approaches within the organization. The focus is on designing, testing, incubating and implementing ideas that enable the organization to pursue its purpose.
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Organizational Builders: Leaders who play an integral role in building the organization. The focus is on building the internal blocks, systems & processes that enable the organization to pursue its purpose.
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An entrepreneurial attitude, mindset, and approach – people who don’t accept the status quo.
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No specific academic prerequisites.
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Neither a minimum age requirement nor a maximum age cut off.
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Individuals who currently have a leadership role in an organization or initiative committed to fighting poverty or injustice on a full-time basis.
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Applicants who are working part-time will be considered on an exceptional basis, as long as they demonstrate a full-time commitment to fighting poverty or injustice.
How to Apply?
Our application process consists of these three steps.
- Step 1: Apply online – what are you telling us?
- Open November 1, 2021 and close November 26, 2021
- Step 2: Complete your online assignments – what are you showing us?
- December 17, 2022 – January 6, 2022
- Step 3: Attend the Selection Conference – why is this the right time for you to be a Fellow?
Why Should you be a Part of the Cohort?
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Cohort-Based Seminars
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Virtual Content
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Self-Reflection
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Real-World Applicability
The Fellowship
Year 1
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Join a diverse cohort of social change leaders in a rigorous year-long experience
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Improve your capacity to innovate and drive change with a mix of in-person and online seminars
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Drive initiatives focused on fighting poverty
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Part-time — you stay in your job
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3-4 hour assignments every week
Beyond Year 1
Note: Every year, our India Fellows Program brings in 40 dynamic individuals as part of two cohorts, Spring and Fall. These individuals are committed to creating meaningful change within India. Fellows come from nearly every walk of life and have demonstrated the ability to have impact within their sector.
India now has a community of close to 200 Fellows practicing moral leadership across India. This diverse community becomes a space for deep knowledge sharing, partnership and peer coaching.
How to Apply?
Contact Information
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For questions about the Fellows Program: [email protected].
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For more information about the India Fellows Program, click here.
