RISING LEADERS FELLOWSHIP > JOIN
who can join?
To join the Aspen Rising Leaders Fellowship you must be:
- aged between 21 and 35, and based in the UK
- recognised as a leader or prospective leader in your professional life, or in your community
- be fluent in English
The Aspen Institute UK is committed that its Rising Leaders come from a wide range of backgrounds, communities, geographies and affiliations.
*Please note you must be no older than 34 and 6 months when you apply
Your background
You will need to demonstrate that you have at least one of the following:
- a leadership position at work or in your community
- are working on/have delivered an innovative or impactful project
- are leading a team of people
- proof of a dedication or passion for a particular cause
Your outlook
For you and your fellow participants to get the most out of the programme, your application should demonstrate you:
- have an interest in effecting change in your organisation/community
- have a desire to learn from people with different views and life experience
- have a willingness to engage respectfully with people from different professions and areas of society, in conversations on challenging and polarising topics
“Aspen showed me how young leaders can connect with, impact and influence established leaders. The process has made me believe in what I have to say and do for society.”
How do I apply?
Application and selection process
If you are interested in joining the Fellowship, you must first be nominated by someone who knows you well. They should be able speak candidly and objectively about your background and experience. Please use our nomination form below.
*If you are struggling to find someone who can provide a nomination to support your application, please contact the Aspen UK team at [email protected]. We will be happy to provide some guidance and support for your application.
When a nomination has been processed, candidates will be sent an application form to complete. All applications undergo a rigorous review process by the Aspen UK Admissions Panel. We try to let you know the decision within 6 weeks but please note due to the high volume of applicants we are unable to provide individual feedback – apologies. There are some common reasons why we don’t accept applications. They include: insufficient evidence of leadership experience/potential; a lack of understanding about the programme; or simply that people don’t meet our participant conditions (for example, age or geographic location).
We construct each Fellowship group to accommodate different forms of diversity, including professional background and experience. Because of this we may not be able to accept someone at a particular time if their professional background is already heavily represented within the Fellowship.
In the application form, you will be asked to select which seminar dates you prefer. If you are accepted, we will try to meet this preference, but we may be in touch to discuss alternatives. The Aspen UK team constructs each Fellowship group to include a broad range of experiences and backgrounds, which means we ask for a degree of flexibility from applicants.
If you are accepted on the programme, you will be asked to complete a brief registration form.
PARTICIPATION FEE
The Fellowship is fully funded by some funding partners (including the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Reid Hoffman’s Aphorism Foundation) and therefore there will be no fees for the participants to pay.
UPCOMING SEMINAR DATES
Participants start the Fellowship by joining a virtual Rising Leaders seminar – these take place throughout the year and you can select the date that is most suitable for you. The Fellowship is competitive, and Aspen UK will not be able to welcome all applicants. If chosen for the Fellowship, we may not always be able to assign your first choice of seminar, as we will curate each cohort to make sure there is real diversity of participants. The upcoming seminar dates are listed below.
Thursday 7 and Friday 8 September 2023 (0900-1700)
Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 October 2023 (0900 – 1700)
Thursday 9 and Friday 10 November 2023 (0900 – 1700)
Friday 12 and Saturday 13 January 2024 (0900 – 1700)
Monday 5, Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7, Thursday 8 February 2024 (evenings – 1730 – 2030)
Thursday 7 and Friday 8 March 2024 (0900 – 1700)
Monday 29 April, Tuesday 30 April, Wednesday 1 May, Thursday 2 May (evenings – 1730 – 2030)
*September & October are now full*
FIND OUT MORE
If you have any questions about the Fellowship, how the seminars are conducted, seminar dates or anything else about the programme or Aspen UK, please email fellows@aspenuk.org