Field Notes (December 2023):
A Trip to Chiang Mai & Welcoming New Fellows into the Fold
The Firetree Senior Fellowship is a pilot programme of Firetree Philanthropy to support experienced senior leaders from Southeast Asia who are transitioning out of their existing organizations and are exploring their next initiatives. This flexible one-year fellowship offers mentorship, learning sessions, and a small community of support for senior leaders who are working to support youth and families in Southeast Asia. Fellows are also offered stipends on a case-by-case basis.
In this blog series, we hope to quickly share some of our thoughts and the lessons that we’ve learned as we facilitate and hold space for this fellowship. If you found this helpful or if you have your own insights to share, we would love to hear from you (fellowship@firetree.org).
Welcoming Lida & Bowie into the Fellowship
We are excited to welcome into the Firetree Senior Fellowship two inspiring leaders — Lida Loem from Cambodia and Bowie Lam from Hong Kong.
During her fellowship year, Bowie will be exploring different ways of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Hong Kong.
Lida will be exploring inclusive ways to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and changemaking among young Cambodians.
Last November, we were grateful for the chance to welcome Lida and Bowie in-person during a gathering in Chiang Mai, Thailand which brought together the larger community of Firetree partners, fellows, and staff members.
Presence Matters
The gathering in Thailand was a much-needed reminder of how important physical presence can be when it comes to human connections and our ability to build trust within a group.
Zoom calls come with a set time limit, a deadline by which certain goals need to be met and an understanding that keeping people together online for more than an hour is asking for a lot.
On the other hand, in-person gatherings, despite their logistical challenges, offer the opportunity for more unstructured and unscripted time — the in-betweens, the meal-time chats, the morning walks before breakfast. It is in these moments that trust and a powerful sense of connection are much easier to forge. We have time to slow down, settle into comfortable silences, and perhaps hear what is not being said.
Let’s Share Stories, Not CVs
During the fellowship sessions, we facilitated with openness and flexibility knowing that explorations need time and space to wander and wonder.
One of our very first activities was to create together a visual timeline of our lives and see where our stories connected and diverged. The stories that we choose to share can tell a lot about who we are, what we value, and what we’ve learned. Throughout the fellowship day, we focused on these stories because they provide the “why’s” that drive the fellows’ next initiatives and help define the boundaries of how they wish to implement these ideas.
Fellow Recruitment: Looking by Listening
Lastly, we had a chance to reflect on our recruitment process as we spoke with friends and trusted partners.
Can we expand the way we think about the search for new fellows? Beyond nominator outreach and calls for applications, how can we contribute to or create supportive spaces for experienced leaders who may be considering future transitions? Can we take some of our curated fellowship topics or conversations and move them upstream so that they are open to a wider audience of leaders?
How can we push our conversations beyond “who can you nominate or are you a potential fellow?” By facilitating and listening to conversations about the needs of impact leaders in Southeast Asia, we may have a better chance to connect with values-aligned leaders who need support. We are keeping these insights in mind as we plan our activities for 2024.
