This blog post was written by Joanne Li, Fellowship 2022 Co-host & Fellowship 2021 Alumnus.
The RADIUS Fellowship is back – and I can’t help but feel nostalgic.
Reflecting on my past experience as a remote fellow, I’m reminded of how digital has both bridged and widened divides; how virtual programming allowed folks to convene across time zones, and how accessibility to connection was at times dim when the fatigue of just being was so prominent. How I held so much gratitude for those pockets of closeness in a time when a pandemic end felt so distant.
I know I’m feeling the urgency to forget those collective and vicarious pandemic pains – to run towards productivity and community-building to atone for lost time – but I’m also reminded of how much I haven’t made time to pause, reflect, and grieve.
In a quote from amb’s “Holding Change,” Malkia Devich-Cyril reminds us that to commit to social change is to commit to inviting grief: “On either side of change is loss. To reimagine and reshape the world, grief is a skill we need.” I also acknowledge how, for so many, the effects and lasting impacts of a global crisis are still being felt.
I see the RADIUS Fellowship program as a space to acknowledge loss – for reflection and action on what we might bring with us and leave behind as we enter a not necessarily post-pandemic world but an era of allowing restoration, reflexivity, and rebuilding.
We’re committed to meeting fellows where they are – to cultivate spaces where folks feel heard, seen, and understood with the time and cadence needed to form, incubate, and realize ideas for social and economic transformation.
I’m more than excited to share that I’ll be joined by veterans Nigel Mojica and Ilhan Abdullahi as co-hosts this year. The program is delivered in person for the first time in two years, running Sept 14—Dec 7, 2022. We’re still accepting applications to find twenty-five social innovators who demonstrate relentless dedication to creating positive impacts in their communities.
Applications for the 2022 Fellowship close on Sunday, July 31 at 11:59pm PST. Apply now for the 2022 cohort and become a part of the RADIUS community!
Learn more about the Fellowship and apply here. If you have questions about the applicaton process, program, or anything else—email the Fellowship Team at fellowship@radiussfu.com.
The RADIUS Fellowship program is made possible by funding from the RBC Future Launch, Scotiabank, and SFU’s Beedie School of Business.
