Draft of Terms of Participation in the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme and the Commitment by an Associate of the Tutu Fellowship

Candidates who are selected as Final List candidates should read the following text, comprising the terms of participation in the programme and their commitment to fully completing the programme.  Any candidate unable to commit to this fully should notify AFLI immediately of their withdrawal from consideration for selection for the upcoming cohort. Note that this is a draft and that this participation commitment text may change, e.g. dates of the workshops, or the required tasks between the workshops.

Text follows: 

Being selected for the Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme is an honour and an acknowledgement of your leadership potential, but as Archbishop Tutu once said in his video address to the Tutu Fellows, with this comes an enormous responsibility – a responsibility to be at the forefront of leading positive change in your country, region, or profession, but particularly to look beyond your own ambitions to seek a better life for all. By accepting your selection to the Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme, you commit to applying your leadership capabilities to leading or catalysing positive change on the continent and contributing to making life better for those less fortunate than you.

In order to lead in the ways we expect of our Tutu Fellows in the future, they must not only be African leaders, but also global leaders. The programme’s focus is thus “African leadership in a global context”, and whilst the Mont Fleur workshop is largely focused on Africa, our partnership with Oxford and other esteemed partners in London enables us to tap into global knowledge, expertise and perspectives, which are vital for the development of modern rounded global leaders. Leadership in Africa is the reference point, but Associates are expected to recognise and respect the value of access to global experts and practitioners in the complex field of leadership, and the value of a global context to Africa’s leadership challenges.

The Tutu Fellowship Programme is demanding, involving long hours of intensive formal and informal activities during the two workshops, as well as commitment of your spare time to complete the three tasks required to be undertaken between the Mont Fleur workshop and the Oxford workshop.  Associates have been selected because they have the potential to become top level leaders. The demand on leaders at that level, both from a time perspective as well as emotionally, is exceptionally high. We expect Associates to be able to work at this high level of intensity and pressure, and to commit to doing so during the workshops. This implies full participation and engagement in all activities during the workshops and between the workshops. If you are unable to give this commitment, it would be preferable for you to withdraw from the programme. Naturally, there will be free time during the usual breaks in the workshop and the end of the day to take care of personal matters and to reflect on the day’s learning. However, the workshop hours are comparatively long and intensive, and informal interactions outside of the formal agenda will also add to the demand on your time.

Commitment by Selected Associates to the Tutu Programme

The selected Associate will commit to:

1. Full attendance, participation, and engagement in all activities at both workshops – at Mont Fleur in April/May and at Oxford and London in August/September. Full attendance requires the Associate to be at the venue before the first session of each workshop, and only depart the morning after the completion of all activities of the workshop. It also implies participation in all sessions of the workshops. It is acknowledged there may be exceptional circumstances which require an Associate to miss a session, but where possible, these should be discussed in advance with the Programme Director.
   
   
2. Actively pursuing the three tasks required to be undertaken between the two workshops, namely:
   
   a.   Initiating and leading the development of your individual community project and ensuring that by the time you get to Oxford, you at least have a conceptual plan of how you will achieve the objectives of the project, having started engaging stakeholders, and taken steps towards implementation.
   b.   Active participation in the completion of the Group Project on the Future of Africa scenarios, fully pulling your weight within your group
   c.   Satisfactory completion of a written assignment on leadership to the standard expected of a high-impact leader
   
   
3. Upholding the Principles of the Tutu Fellowship, as outlined below, in one’s behaviour on the programme and in one’s private and professional life:

Commitment to the Principles of the Tutu Fellowship

• Collectively, and as individuals, we contribute to moving Africa forward by being active citizens in our respective countries and seek a better life for all Africans.
• We are accountable to each other, living our lives with a strong moral compass modeled - without religious connotations - by our Patron, Reverend Desmond Tutu. The Tutu Programme is a legacy programme of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation in a legally binding MoU and as such, Tutu Fellows, who carry the name of the Arch, are expected to behave in a manner that does not bring disrepute to themselves, AFLI, and the Archbishop’s legacy.
• As leaders, we set an example among all the people we influence and lead, living the values of integrity, honesty, humility and selfless living.
• As a network, we value and celebrate the diversity among ourselves: political views, cultural backgrounds, and socio-economic standing.
• We will treat as confidential all statements made and opinions expressed by faculty, guest speakers and Tutu Associates/Tutu Fellows during the workshops and any subsequent alumni gatherings and will not divulge them to others without the permission of the person making a statement or expressing an opinion or unless the context makes it clear that it may be divulged.
• We accept our responsibility as talented young leaders to be at the forefront of driving positive change on the continent.
• Working in a wide variety of fields, we actively seek out and support the best up-and-coming African leaders.
• We are friends first and as a family, we support each other

The African Leadership Institute (AFLI) bestows upon you the right to participate in the Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme under the terms and conditions outlined herein. Should the Directors of AFLI or their designated responsible parties deem that an Associate is not fulfilling his/her commitment or complying with the terms of the programme, or their behavior does not meet the standards expected of a Tutu Fellow, they have the right to withdraw the invitation to participate in the Programme, and the Associate will no longer participate in the activities of the programme and forfeit the chance to be awarded the Tutu Fellowship. The withdrawal could take place at any time during the 6-month period of the programme, but particularly following the Mont Fleur workshop, and is entirely at the discretion of AFLI.

Cancellation/No-Show Policy

Should you fail to attend the workshops or any days of the workshops after AFLI has already committed your attendance to third parties (e.g. accommodation or other commitments where numbers need to be confirmed in advance), you will be held liable for the costs which AFLI is committed to, should AFLI not be refunded. Even if the cause of non-attendance is a visa issue, you will be required to demonstrate that you applied for your visa timeously and have made every effort to ensure the visa is granted in time. If you withdraw yourself from the programme after the first workshop, you will be required to reimburse AFLI for the costs incurred by AFLI for you to attend the first workshop.

Conditions for the Award of the Tutu Fellowship

The conditions for the award of the Tutu Fellowship are:

• Full participation and active engagement in all activities of the 6-month programme, as further elaborated above:

a. During the two workshops
b. As a member of the Group Project Team

• Satisfactory completion of the three tasks required to be undertaken between the two workshops, as elaborated below:

a. The Community Project
b. The essay assignment
c. The Group Project

• Assessment of the quality and level of your input and participation in all the tasks of the programme
• Behaviour that meets the standards and principles of the Tutu Fellowship

Final acceptance onto the programme is conditional upon the candidate agreeing to these terms of participation.