Celebrating the Inaugural Bopa DiPeo Fellowship
At the end of June, Circle Generation celebrated an important milestone: the culmination of the inaugural Bopa DiPeo Fellowship. Fellows gathered in Naivasha, Kenya, for a final in-person convening. It was a chance to reflect on their shared journey, celebrate what they had accomplished together, and look ahead to the ripple effects of their work.
Designed to strengthen network leadership across Africa, the fellowship brought together practitioners committed to creating systems change through collaboration. Throughout the programme, fellows explored new ways of leading relationally, cultivating networks and facilitating collective action. The closing convening offered an opportunity not only to celebrate those learnings, but to put them into practice.
Rather than simply participating, fellows co-facilitated the convening alongside Circle Generation's Nono Sekhoto. Working in pairs, they designed and led sessions that reflected the approaches they had developed throughout the fellowship, putting their learning into action by creating spaces that balanced meaningful connection with rich content, storytelling, case studies and collective sense-making.
Together, the cohort explored themes including patterns of relationships, fundraising strategies for evolving networks, understanding the network tool stack, and establishing an alumni network that will continue to strengthen connections long after the programme has ended.
Beyond the learning itself, the convening was an opportunity to deepen relationships. Spending dedicated time together allowed fellows to strengthen the trust and sense of community they had built over the course of the fellowship. There were moments of celebration alongside moments of emotion as the cohort realised this would likely be the last time they gathered in this way. The joy and the tears were a testament to the depth of the relationships they had cultivated together.
As we reflect on the inaugural fellowship, we are filled with gratitude—for the commitment each fellow brought through their active participation and their willingness to consistently show up for one another's learning, for the relationships that were formed, and for the many lessons that emerged along the way.
The programme's mid-point evaluation already showed encouraging signs that the fellowship is having an impact. Fellows are applying the tools and practices in their own organisations and networks, sharing what they have learned with colleagues, incorporating new approaches into their work, and collaborating with one another beyond the programme itself. The seeds planted throughout the fellowship have already begun to germinate, taking root in organisations, networks, and collaborations across Africa.
One of the strongest themes to emerge from participant feedback was the value of the fellowship advisors. Fellows consistently highlighted the advisors' guidance, encouragement and the diversity of wisdom they brought as an essential part of the programme. We are deeply grateful to every advisor who partnered with us to bring this inaugural cohort to life, and we look forward to continuing these relationships in future cohorts.
During the closing convening, fellows also took part in reflective activities, including Most Significant Change storytelling and ripple effect mapping. These exercises offered a glimpse of the wider influence the fellowship is already generating and the many ways its impact will continue to spread across networks, communities and ecosystems throughout Africa.
This fellowship would not have been possible without the partnership and generous support of the Small Foundation. We are also deeply grateful to Carri Munn, Nono Sekhoto and the wider Circle Generation community, whose vision, leadership and care shaped this inaugural experience.
As we celebrate the close of this first chapter, we are excited by what lies ahead. We hope the stories, relationships and impact emerging from the Bopa DiPeo Fellowship will inspire new supporters and partners to join us in cultivating the next generation of network leaders across Africa.
Stay tuned as we continue to share stories and insights from the convening, including fellows' Most Significant Change reflections, ripple effect mapping, and what we are learning about strengthening systems change capacities through the Bopa DiPeo Fellowship.