Ujima Fellowship Program
The Ujima Fellowship is a leadership development program that aims to address structural racism and inequity by creating opportunities for diverse representation within advisory or decision making entities.
This fellowship aims to support African descent and other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or a Person of Colour) aged 16 - 30 who demonstrate the willingness to develop their leadership skills and want to serve on advisory or policy-making platforms.
The fellowship is named Ujima (oo-JEE-mah), after the third principle of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a week-long cultural celebration that honors African American and African culture. Ujima means collective responsibility and work. Ujima focuses on the foundation of community building and collaboration as a means to solve problems and stepping away from the individual mindset and moving towards a collective approach.
Program Framework
The Ujima Fellowship is a program in collaboration with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) and various community partners which consists of the following:
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35 hours of in-class leadership training
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Three-month placement with a volunteer agency, board, commission, or committee (ABCC)
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20 hours of volunteer work.
All classes will be in person instruction.
Program participants who successfully complete all the NAIT course requirements, host placement and volunteer components will receive a dual certificate in Leadership Development from NAIT and Africa Centre.
Program participants will have a transportation stipend that may be used during the duration of the fellowship. Recruitment will be done through an application process and the top candidates will be selected by representatives of the Africa Centre.
ABCCs will act as community partners. Each ABCC placement will require a designated person to support and provide guidance for the program participant. Host ABCCs must be able to accommodate and guide the program participant for the entirety of the placement.
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