Back

Call for Nominations 2024 Leading for Humanity Cohort

“You are the indispensable agent of change. You should not be daunted by the magnitude of the task

before you. Your contribution can inspire others, embolden others who are timid, to stand up for the truth

in the midst of a welter of distortion, propaganda, and deceit; stand up for human rights where these are

being violated with impunity; stand up for justice, freedom, and love where they are trampled underfoot

by injustice, oppression, hatred, and harsh cruelty; stand up for human dignity and decency at times when

these are in desperately short supply.” ― Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, based in Cape Town, South Africa was established as the vehicle for the Tutu’s legacy to continue across South Africa, the African continent and the globe. Our new strategy prioritises the work of deepening societal healing. It focusses the work of the Foundation on the core legacy of Desmond Tutu – his role in securing peace, justice, and healing.

As a valued partner, we kindly invite you to nominate candidates to be part of the first Leading for Humanity (LfH) cohort of 2024 for 20 participants. The programme will take place in the greater Cape Town area between 2-10 March 2024, followed by 2-month online sessions planned till the end of May.

Leading for  (LfH) Programme

The goal of the LfH programme is to catalyse the ‘million ripples’ that make up, in the Arch’s words, “the tidal wave of change”. It aims to break down sectoral barriers and definitions and strengthen the interconnectedness of humanity (living real Ubuntu – an Afrocentric philosophy that regards life as interdependent, relational and keeping the common good in mind); to counteract the mobilisation of violence and hatred as the response to despair and inequality and enable the world to feel a wave of possibility through this new approach to human leadership.

The immersive Leading for Humanity (LfH) programme focuses on bringing together small but diverse cohorts (across sectors, backgrounds and professions) to collectively explore the work of leading for humanity. This requires an intentional depth of engagement with one’s internal world in order to make impact on the world outside of ourselves.

Structure

The 9-day residential programme is designed as an immersive journey of recurring themes, not a linear, sequential process. It is based around the Truth to Power exhibition at the Foundation, courageous conversations, peer-to-peer exchange, storytelling, personal reflection and access to an eco-system of thought leaders. It is rooted in universal humanity while encouraging mindfulness. This is followed by bi-weekly online engagements with the cohort for a 2-month period deepening learnings from the programme.

What will the participants take away from the programme?

  • –  sensing of the interconnectedness of self and society, and the ability to be compassionate, caring and courageous for the wellbeing of both
  • –  a strong human compass: doing the right thing (even when it does not benefit them)
  • –  the courage and ability to lead from where they are
  • –  the insight and intuition to navigate across cultures, spaces and sectors
  • –  a deep sense of purpose, the strength in partnerships and belonging to something bigger than themselves: a movement, a diverse community of shared values and experiences – a Circle of Courage

Participant profile

We are looking for young individuals (25 – 40 years) who have the potential to embody the Arch’s values and the courage to lead from where they are for the betterment of humanity. They may be community organisers, entrepreneurs, activists, corporate or public sector employees, or from any other sector.

NB: The programme is residential, and candidates must be available to attend the full 9- day period between 2-10 March 2024 in the greater Cape Town area. While the Foundation covers all costs of the residential programme, we do not cover travel costs to Cape Town and back.

Nomination deadline

Kindly submit your nominations by 12:00 on Sunday, 5 November 2023 to the Programme Assistant, Olwethu Rani at lfh@tutu.org.za with the following information:

    • Nominator’s Name
    • Candidate Name
    • Relationship to candidate
    • Contact details of candidate
    • Motivation for nomination (max 500 words
    • Please attach a recent CV of the candidate (date of birth must be clearly stated in the CV)

Nominated candidates will thereafter be shortlisted, invited to apply, interviewed, shortlisted again, and offered a place to participate in the programme by Friday, 26 January 2024.

Please feel free to contact the Programme Manager, Jacob Meiring (jacob@tutu.org.za ) or phone 021-552 7524 for any further information you require.