Call for Expressions of Interest in a Senior Fellows Focus Group for the Global Convening
The Atlantic Institute will host the inaugural Senior Fellows Global Convening 2022 in Thailand. The Atlantic Institute is therefore seeking to form a Senior Fellow Focus Group of 15 Fellows that can co-create and co-design the program for this convening.
Our last Global Convening was in 2019 due to the constraints of COVID-19, so this will be only the second time that we have been able to offer this opportunity to Senior Fellows from across the seven Atlantic Fellows programs. Many countries have now opened to visitors, so although there are still some limited restrictions the chance to come together in person has emerged.
The Senior Fellows Global Convening is a flagship event for the Atlantic Institute and an entry point into our global community. The 2022 event will focus on a world returning from the isolation and devastation of the pandemic, drawing on the energy of the Atlantic Fellows community to focus on the next stage of the recovery and create the conditions to reduce global inequalities. Sessions/activities will include a keynote address, poetry, music, dance, open space, creative workshops and various forms of dialogue.
The scale of the next Senior Fellows Global Convening
The Atlantic Institute is excited to bring together in Thailand approximately 400 recently graduated Senior Fellows from the years 2019 onwards. The main aims of this convening are to:
- Connect to each other across programs, disciplines, cultures and ideologies and come together in the spirit of curiosity, reciprocity and collaboration;
- Be exposed to courageous content that challenges, inspires and offers new perspectives in one shared space;
- To experience a deepened sense of belonging to this community of fellows and program staff alike.
Co-creating the program: Senior Fellow Focus Group
Because this convening is for Senior Fellows, the Atlantic Institute is committed to providing space for input into program design by Senior Fellows. We wish to establish a Senior Fellow Focus Group to contribute to and test ideas about the convening design
This group of 15 fellows (two per program and a total of three from Southeast Asia) is not intended to be representative of their respective programs, but important "voices" as members of the community with incredible and diverse experiences and expertise. See the illustration of the convening design process.
The emphasis, as highlighted, is to ensure that there is space for the Senior Fellows' voices (red boxes). We are also seeking a Senior Fellow Consultant (based in Thailand or SE Asia) to support the delivery of the program in a socio-culturally appropriate manner.
The Senior Fellow focus group will:
- Be part of a generative space with the Atlantic Institute and Atlantic Fellows community on the design of the Global Convening, shaping the space, potential speakers, conversations and methods. It will also act as a communication channel between the Institute and Senior Fellows attending the Global Convening, connecting with peers within their program and across programs.
In designing the program, the Atlantic Institute's role will:
- Facilitate meaningful input and the testing of ideas across the Atlantic Fellow ecosystem.
- Ensure a continuous loop back to the ecosystem.
- Make final decisions on the convening design and program, facilitators and speakers, pre-convening preparation and curriculum alignment, logistics and communications, event management, evaluation and impact.
The Senior Fellows Focus Group - proposed meetings
A total of three Zoom meetings will take place, with the first one focusing on connecting as a group to gain an understanding of the nature of the Global Convening through presentations and discussions. A second meeting will build on the ideas shared, looking at specific activities for the event. The final meeting will be a loopback on the decisions taken and the final program design.
Proposed dates for the virtual meetings:
- Feb. 25 (first meeting)
- March 3 (second meeting)
- May 6 (final meeting)
If you are interested in being part of the focus group, please send a one-page Expression of Interest and a short resume or CV to Tanya Charles at the Atlantic Institute: [email protected]
The closing date for applications is Monday, Feb.14 at 9.00 am GMT.