Some people are happy to keep living in the world as it exists today; others dream of a more beautiful tomorrow.
Some dreamers just dream; others work to materialize their dream by pursuing change.
Some eventually give up their change effort, because change is hard; others strive on in their quest to advance humanity.
Some among these relentless change agents wish to alleviate humanity’s outer hunger by building a more prosperous world, where more and more people will enjoy freedom, justice, basic income, and a long life. Others go deeper. They wish to serve humanity’s inner hunger, the hunger for joy, love, meaning, growth and understanding by building a more principled world. They recognize that the more people develop strong mental, moral and social fibers, the less they will experience war, greed, violence, social divisions, injustice, loneliness, mental illness, drug addiction, environmental damage, chronic disease, and the other ills that we struggle with today. They focus on kindling humanity’s inner flame to make people’s lives more luminous from within. Besides chipping away at society’s flaws, they are committed to smoothing out their own rough edges.
These are the changemakers we honor at Mentora Foundation, and these are the changemakers we aim to forge.
If you’re a current college student and feel a deep stirring to create this kind of change in yourself and the world, we invite you to apply for Mentora’s Youth Changemaker Fellowship. Youth Fellows go on a 12-14 month journey where they gain life-changing principles, tools and experiences to deepen their inner mastery and expand their outer impact, while building a lifelong fellowship with talented peers, gaining hands-on experience in changemaking, and learning from Mentora faculty and mentors – people with extensive experience and accomplishments in the research and practice of changemaking across many disciplines and contexts.
Here is a sampling of activities you will engage in during your time in the Fellowship.
- LEADING YOURSELF
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Create greater clarity for yourself on what your values and purpose are,
how you can express these in your work, and how you can harmonize with
the world around you when your values conflict with others’ values and
behavior.
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Go on a journey of self-discovery to identify which impulses, desires,
emotions, thoughts and beliefs are true to you and which of them are
“false friends” you should seek to conquer.
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Use adversities that strike you, or have struck you in the past, to make
you better – not bitter.
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Ground your life in the one true source of happiness, your Inner Core,
and in the form of service to humanity that you are uniquely gifted to
manifest in the world.
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Build a connection with your inner voice as a source of clarity and
wisdom to guide you on your life path.
- LEADING OTHERS
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Understand people not only for who they are but also for who they can
be, and practice forms of communication and connection to inspire people
to become the best versions of themselves.
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Master the science of relationships, so you can build trust, inspire,
influence, communicate with impact and cultivate growth partners.
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Develop a library of personal journey stories from your life and use
them to build your personal brand and inspire and influence people
toward a common purpose.
- LEADING CHANGE
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Develop a more nuanced, balanced and illuminated understanding of issues
faced by you and by today’s society, thus preparing you to operate with
wisdom, a sincere and open search for truth in all matters, as you go
through life.
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Build out a change vision based on the purpose you want to pursue in
life, and learn how you will adapt and express this vision in different
roles and contexts you find yourself in as you progress personally and
professionally in the years ahead.
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Engage in an Inside-out Change Project where you formulate a vision,
engage in deep discovery, develop a change strategy, plan and execute a
pilot, learn and iterate your approach, all with the aspiration of
having real impact and building assets that can be of lasting value in
driving your change agenda in the years ahead.
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BUILDING A CIRCLE OF GROWTH PARTNERS
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Develop a keen intimacy with lives of exemplary inside-out changemakers
across history - like Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor
Roosevelt, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and more -
who can be valued inner mentors for you in your changemaking work in
life.
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Forge deep connections with other talented young changemakers, forming
relationships that are grounded not simply in shared experiences or
interests but shared values and beliefs and a commitment to supporting
each other’s growth.
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Build a new, uplifting dynamic for social interactions with your
Fellow-peers.
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Be part of a growth circle where you can share perspectives, feedback,
guidance and accountability, and surface and resolve differences.
- GAINING A LIFELONG FELLOWSHIP
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[Mentora Foundation will roll out a set of services and an annual series
of events to foster exchanges, connections and mutual support among
Youth Fellows in partnership with Mentora Faculty, Coaches and Mentors.]
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Be part of a Mentora Youth Fellowship that can yield support, insight
and inspiration for you in years to come – and the opportunity to serve.
