WHO SHOULD APPLY?

The SYfoA Fellowship is a six-month journey that requires consistent presence, honest engagement, and active participation. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to commit fully to virtual masterclasses, peer reflection labs, mentorship engagements, project implementation activities, and the in-person residency, immersion, and graduation programme in Accra, Ghana.

A SYfoA fellow should be someone who has examined their own life experiences, including failures, delays, disappointments, and defining moments, and extracted meaningful lessons from them. Applicants should demonstrate resilience, emotional maturity, reflective thinking, and evidence of ongoing personal growth.

SYfoA fellows care deeply about young people and be committed to their growth and development. We seek individuals who are passionate about the communities they intend to serve. Applicants should demonstrate a youth-focused and community-centred mindset, with a clear desire to create meaningful and lasting impact.

SYfoA is built on a specific philosophy: narrative sovereignty, i.e., the ability to own, shape, and deploy your story as a form of leadership authority. Applicants should demonstrate a clear understanding of and alignment with this philosophy and articulate how their personal journey connects to the fellowship's mission.

We do not require applicants to hold titles. Applicants should demonstrate evidence of taking action, solving problems, organising people, serving others, or creating opportunities despite limitations and challenges. Leadership should be visible through action rather than position.

Great leadership costs something. SYfoA fellows understand this. They should possess humility, discipline, and a genuine orientation toward serving others not for recognition, but because it reflects who they are.

Because SYfoA's Story-Led Project is a real intervention, rooted in a real experience to address real challenges, fellows must be able to draw a clear line between what they have lived and what they intend to build.

SYfoA prioritises fellows who think beyond the grant cycle. We look for individuals who approach community challenges with creativity, innovation, resourcefulness, and a long-term mindset.

SYfoA seeks fellows who carry the spirit of a protégé; individuals who are teachable, humble, and willing to grow through mentorship, reflection, and constructive feedback. Applicants should demonstrate openness to mentorship, emotional maturity, collaboration, and a genuine desire for continuous personal and leadership transformation throughout the fellowship.