Mekong Cultural Hub

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. And we will hold an online Q&A session on March 4th at 5pm Bangkok time. You can sign up here. We also welcome you to contact us directly with questions, at info@mekongculturalhub.org

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.