Cultural Leaders Pod: Networking & Partnership-Building
ABOUT THE ‘CULTURAL LEADERS POD‘
MCH is initiating the ‘Cultural Leaders Pod’ as a small-scale, supportive space for learning and reflection on leadership practice, for people working on art and social action in Asia.
Each ‘pod’ will be just three people, plus Frances, Director of MCH, all of whom work in art and social action in Asia, and all of whom are required to practice leadership in the work that they do. Each ‘pod’ will be formed around a specific area of leadership practice, so there is some common interest and objectives shared by the group. But at the same time, the people in the pod will come from different countries, different contexts and be doing diverse work in the sector. This diversity will allow the group to benefit from different perspectives and ways of looking at the opportunities and challenges they face.
Each pod will be supported by MCH for three months, through a structured program of group and individual coaching. It is our hope that the peer-relationships built through participation in the pod may continue to be beneficial to the participants (Fellows) after the program ends.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
● Open Call (Deadline: March 16th 2025)
● Program Overview
● Application Form
Cultural Leaders Pod April-June 2025: Networking & Partnership Building
The focus for this Cultural Leaders Pod is Networking & Partnership Building, which is something we are often required to do in our work but at times can be challenging or daunting, pushing out of our comfort zones, or take a lot of effort but feel like you are not getting much result. Maybe you feel a responsibility to grow networks for an organisation or a collective you are part of you but you find yourself getting stuck on where to start, perhaps you want to feel differently about how your present yourself and represent your work, or maybe your challenge relates to building partnerships effectively once you have found someone you want to collaborate with.
Probably your challenge is none of these, and something much more specific to your experience! What’s important, is that all three Fellows joining this Pod will bring with them specific leadership development goals related to Networking & Partnership-building relevant to their situation. Through the group and individual sessions, all Fellows will have the chance to explore the issues they are facing and identify actions they can take to move forward.
Interested?
If you are interested to be part of a Cultural Leaders Pod, and feel that Networking & Partnership building is something important and relevant to your work and your leadership practice at this time then please consider applying. We would love to hear from you! At the top of this page there are links to more details about the program and the application process.We also welcome you to contact us directly with questions, at info@mekongculturalhub.org
Q&A about the program
We held an online Q&A session on March 4th at 5pm Bangkok time. Please see the questions and answers that were covered below:
What citizenship do I need to have to be eligible for this program?
The Cultural Leaders Pod is open to citizens of Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Will Fellows have to do homework?
Fellows will not be expected to do homework between the sessions. It might be the case that from the coaching sessions, the Facilitator suggests tools or activities that Fellows might find valuable to try in relation to their goals and what is discussed in the sessions, but it will be optional and up to each Fellow whether they decide to do this or not.
How will you manage the group sessions vs the individual ones?
The individual sessions will be personal to each Fellow, and will likely be where we can work on the specific goals and objectives that they have brought with them to the program. The approach to the group sessions will only be finalised after the Fellows are selected.
One possibility is that there are some common themes among the Fellows’ goals, and therefore there will be some areas it might be valuable to explore all together in the group sessions e.g. communicating authentically, considering how your beliefs and values influence how you build partnerships.
Another possibility is that we may use the group sessions as an opportunity for individual Fellows to hear questions and reflections from both their peers and the facilitator, so they can get input from diverse perspectives. This will only be decided once the Fellows are selected, and will likely be adapted during the program itself.
What kinds of goals can I bring related to networking and partnership-building?
You can bring whatever goals feel relevant to you. They could be connected to things you want to be better at or things you feel stuck on. They could be related to practical issues, for example improving your follow-up with people you meet so that your efforts in networking bring more results; or to do with your self, for example perhaps you lack confidence when meeting certain types of people, or struggling to be authentic when you are in a professional situation; they could be to do with past experience, e.g. maybe you keep having issues with partnerships that go wrong, and would like to change that pattern or forward looking – you have a networking opportunity at an important conference coming up and you want to be really well prepared for it. It is very open – and will depend on each Fellow’s situation. They must be connected to your real experience.
What do you expect from Fellows after the program? Would we need to do anything?
We do not expect and won’t ask anything specific from Fellows after the program. We hope that you will stay part of the MCH community, and continue to participate in programs and events. And we very much hope that the Fellows will build relationships with each other that continue to serve them and keep connected after the program, but this will be totally up to the Fellows and there is no formal expectation from MCH that you do so.
ABOUT THE Facilitator
Frances is the Director of MCH, and has been working in art, culture and development in the Mekong Region and Southeast Asia since 2011. She is directly experienced in strategy and management of small and medium cultural organisations, with fundraising and partnership building being a key part of her role. She is passionate about leadership development, with experience running various Fellowship and training programs for cultural practitioners in Southeast Asia. She lived in Phnom Penh for 10 years, and now is based in London travelling to Asia 2-3 times per year.