Inaugural Cohort starts September 2025
Bopa DiPeo Fellowship
Deepen your capacity to catalyze cross sector collaboration
What is
Bopa DiPeo?
Bopa Dipeo means “shaping the seeds” in Sesotho, a language indigenous to South Africa, where Circle Generation is based.
The Bopa Dipeo Fellowship is a cohort based learning journey in collective leadership. This new fellowship enhances the ability to catalyze cross-sector collaboration. We bring insights from network practices and engage a relational approach to meet the real-world challenges faced by leaders who convene people to shape change together.
The fellowship emphasizes participatory learning where insights emerge through engagement. The focus on thought partnership and real-time application allows you to bring your existing work to the fellowship rather than take time off to learn. The integrative experience combines inner capacity development with skills and competencies to support fellows to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
Over 10 months, fellows engage in two in-person convenings and monthly online workshops, coaching, cohort calls, and events with other network leaders. Guided by facilitators and supportive mentors, the fellowship is a space where we collectively cultivate essential leadership skills for facilitating collaboration.
Inaugural Cohort:
Meet Our 2025-26 Fellows
Learning Approach
Our journey takes a relational approach to cross-sector collaboration, situating learning within your network and ecosystem. Participants gain hands-on experience with network processes and case studies to understand when and how to apply key tools and practices. Four principles guiding our design:
Ecosystem Approach:
The fellowship integrates leaders, consultants, practitioners, and funders in the field of impact networks. It works on multiple levels—offering tailored support, enhancing collective action, and shaping the narratives people use to co-create thriving futures.
Depth Education:
This relational approach reimagines traditional methods, introducing new organizing structures and governance practices that equip people to address complex global challenges. Tools alone are insufficient—practitioners must cultivate inner capacities to lead meaningful change.
Tacit Skills:
The fellowship goes beyond theoretical knowledge, enabling practitioners to acquire skills that can only be learned through direct experience. It emphasizes integrating these capacities through practice, allowing participants to embody relational approaches to collaboration.
Interactive Expertise:
Grounded in action learning, the fellowship fosters reflection cycles that directly influence action. Fellows develop a nuanced understanding of network practice by engaging with diverse perspectives and lived experiences, weaving theory into real-world practice.
A practical apprenticeship for Systems Change Leaders whose success depends on:
Fostering collaboration among diverse people, perspectives, and positions of power
Skills for navigating complexity while co-creating emergent futures
Stewarding ongoing engagement in a context of trust, connection, information sharing and learning
Supporting collective sensemaking
Coordinating decentralized action in service of shared purpose
Learning Journey
To facilitate learning within the fellowship, there are five key activities:
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Opening & Closing Convenings
Convenings in Nairobi, Kenya to Open and Close Fellowship. Relationship building, learning, sharing, and collaboration.
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Online Workshops
3-Hour Online Workshop with Fellows, Facilitators, and Guests. Learning, skill-building, relationship strengthening, broadening horizons with guests.
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1-on-1 Coaching
1-on-1 Coaching Hour with Fellow and Mentors. Customized support and professional capacity development.
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Small Group Peer Dialogues
Small Group Peer Dialogues with Rotating Fellows. Mutual support for integration and application to practice.
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Open Sessions
Open Sessions with Fellows, NLS Alumni, and Other Practitioners. Build relationships with diverse practitioners across the ecosystem through knowledge sharing.
Learn more about the Bopa Dipeo Fellowship learning journey and curriculum:
Fellowship Facilitators
Informed by their work in the field, Elsa Henderson, Nono Sekhoto, and Carri have been iterating and refining the inaugural Fellowship curriculum to bring you the most relevant learnings and up-to-date practice methods.
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Elsa Henderson
Elsa moves between the roles of facilitator, coach, and educator. In each role, her focus is on supporting individuals to learn, broaden their sense of what’s possible, and connect with a deeper sense of purpose. She brings an attitude of curiosity, respect, and care to all of her work.
Elsa has worked internationally as a facilitator and educator for 12 years. Her work focuses on capacity development and team alignment in corporate and nonprofit organizations. As an educator, she trains counselors and facilitators at the postgraduate level. Elsa holds a BA in Anthropology, and an MA in Process-Oriented Psychology and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies.
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Carri Munn
Carri is a systems strategist and masterful facilitator who partners with systems change leaders to cultivate thriving organizations and networks. Her clients include regional and global networks, coordination teams, and executives. She brings a bright spirit of generosity, detail-orientation, and a patient, caring essence that facilitates a relaxed state among individuals while navigating change.
She is based in Portland, Oregon and enjoys working globally. Carri holds a BA in Political Theory and a MA in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management. She is certified as a True Purpose Coach for individuals and organizations.
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Nono Sekhoto
Nono is an experienced network coordinator, facilitator, and stakeholder engagement manager leading in the intersection of Africa’s agri-food system and systems change. Her work leverages building relationships to collaborate on curating enabling environments that foster co-learning, resources, and opportunity sharing, around shared value. She has led a network supporting network of network coordinators across Africa. Nono has infused her unique experience as a participant and facilitator of NLS into the curriculum. She is based in South Africa with access to a global network in agriculture and the network practice ecosystem.
She holds a BCom in Financial Accounting, a several certificates in business management and development, and is currently enrolled in a master's program in international agribusiness.
Fellowship Advisors
In order to gain practical experience and mentorship through the program, our Fellows work collaboratively with our trusted team of advisors. Learn more about their experience in network leadership.
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Sean Andrew is a collaborative governance practitioner who facilitates, accompanies, and teaches individuals, organizations, and networks to develop systemic ways of being, relating, and acting that embody and embrace complexity. His work is grounded in deliberative dialogue, transformative conflict, and liberatory forms of organizing, with a focus on social and ecological challenges.
He brings cross-sector experience—in government, civil society, business, philanthropy, and community—helping groups navigate difference, identify shared agendas, make decisions, and coordinate action. Sean takes a relational, principle-based approach to change, guiding people to work with polarities, ask generative questions, and take the next graceful step—both an expression and a seed of the futures they long to live, work, and play into.
He is currently the Learning Practice Partner Lead at the School of System Change and collaborates with other initiatives focused on democracy, peacebuilding, and governance.
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Guided by her ancestors and inspired by the promise of generations yet to come, Denise moves through life with the conviction that another world is not only possible but also within reach. As a trained Caribbean historian, she is captivated by the intricate threads that bind the past, present, and future of society—constantly seeking to illuminate the connections that shape our collective experience. Since leaving academia, she has spent nearly ten years nurturing relationships, cultivating collaborations, and enhancing connectivity among nonprofits and grassroots groups within Black Canadian ecosystems. When working with others, she moves at the speed of trust and operates from a sphere of care, love, and humility.
Lately, the professional question occupying her time has been: “How can digital maps support network weaving in a real-world context?” She is continually exploring and experimenting with new ways social system mapping can strengthen connections across and within the diaspora. Most recently, she has helped co-develop maps with the Weaving Lab, the FITO Network, and the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities (NABC). She sees her current role as Director of Network Weaving and Learning at NABC as both a gift and an opportunity—a space to share, learn, and discover the transformative potential of viewing networks as living systems.
Denise lives and works on Turtle Island (Canada), in the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples (Toronto).
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Lenka works with leaders navigating transitions, stepping into new system roles, and grappling with the tension between self-doubt and their desire to create change. Her coaching provides a reflective space to slow down, make sense of what’s emerging, and uncover the patterns shaping leadership—helping leaders reclaim agency and strengthen their capacity to lead with connection in the midst of uncertainty.
Drawing on humanistic psychology, narrative work, systems thinking, and foresight, Lenka has supported leaders, organizations, and networks worldwide on systems-change initiatives ranging from the future of open societies to building a world free of violence. She is a certified Transformative Coach (International Coaching Federation and European Mentoring and Coaching Council), a Human Systems Dynamics Practitioner, and a Foresight Practitioner trained at the School of International Futures.
Through this work, Lenka holds space for the seeds of change leaders carry—so they can take root in the relationships, networks, and communities they serve.
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Jannik Kaiser is the co-founder and CEO of Unity Effect, where he leads the area of Regenerative Measurement & Evaluation. With a background in sociology and international development—including 3.5 years in the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning unit at Fairtrade International—Jannik is dedicated to transforming how we understand and articulate impact.
His approach weaves together participatory methods, systems thinking, and a regenerative paradigm that values learning and relationships over rigid reporting. He has guided organizations such as the Kofi Annan Foundation and the ILO, developing hands-on tools that make evaluation an energizing and insightful process. As a mentor, Jannik is passionate about supporting purpose-driven leaders in measuring what truly matters, helping them tell the story of their work with clarity, confidence, and soul.
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Proudly African and passionate about growth, Oggy is your personal cheerleader on the journey to becoming your best self—without judgment or heavy lectures. He believes true transformation starts from within, so his coaching focuses on internal power first—unlocking the strength, joy, and clarity already inside you. Oggy meets people exactly where they are (no pretenses, no pressure), and together they walk the path of growth with curiosity, honesty, and laughter.
His coaching style is experiential, fun, and rooted in accountability, because real change isn’t just about setting goals—it’s about consistently and joyfully showing up for yourself. Whether someone is feeling stuck or simply seeking more alignment, Oggy is there to support, challenge, and remind them that they’ve got this. Coaching with him feels like a warm conversation, a loving mirror, and a high-five with every breakthrough.
Let’s grow—and enjoy the ride while we’re at it!
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Theresa is an executive coach and facilitator who works with leaders to develop their capacity to lead, and with teams to strengthen collective leadership.
Based in Kenya, Theresa has coached leaders across the globe. Her coaching focuses on supporting leaders to stay true to their purpose, focus on what matters most, and shape a future that creates lasting, positive impact. She is open, listens deeply, and works in partnership with her clients to help them realize their potential.
Theresa was a participant in the NLS and has contributed to research aimed at strengthening the impact of networks in East and West Africa—through a focus on mission, membership, and collaboration—which continues to inform her work.
She is a certified Executive Coach and Systemic Team Coach, holds LL.B and LL.M degrees in law, and is currently completing her PCC accreditation with the ICF.
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Claudia Piacenza is a systems coach and strategist with a 20-year career dedicated to transforming food systems, building climate resilience, and advancing social equity. Across her work with the World Food Programme, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), social enterprises, and consulting, Claudia has consistently brought together people, ideas, and action to solve complex challenges—and to grow the leadership needed to sustain that change.
At the heart of Claudia’s work is a passion for helping people lead with clarity, courage, and care. As Food Systems Lead at Wasafiri Consulting, she curates the African Food Fellowship, a dynamic impact network of over 200 food system leaders across the continent. In this role, she blends systems thinking with deep listening and coaching to guide Fellows as they tackle intractable problems—from climate-smart agriculture to inclusive value chains and urban food access.
A trained coach, Claudia supports leaders in moving from insight to action. She helps individuals and teams find alignment, navigate uncertainty, and cultivate the habits of effective systems leadership. Whether facilitating strategic workshops or offering one-on-one coaching, Claudia creates reflective spaces that build confidence, surface wisdom, and unlock new possibilities.
Her career spans senior roles in development and humanitarian organizations, most recently as Head of Resilience and Social Protection for the World Food Programme in Uganda, where she led a $30M portfolio and positioned WFP as a key player in anticipatory action and social protection policy. Previously, as a Livelihoods Advisor for DFID, she worked across Kenya, Syria, and global teams to design and deliver high-impact programs in fragile and complex environments.
Claudia’s leadership is rooted in empathy and purpose. She believes that transforming systems starts with transforming how we show up—how we listen, relate, decide, and adapt. Her own leadership journey has been shaped by living and working across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East—and by learning to navigate both institutional power and grassroots energy.
She holds an MSc in International Rural Development, a degree in Political Science and International Relations, and multiple certifications. She is currently training as a transformative coach to take her practice to the next level. She is fluent in English and Italian and can embarrass herself in Kiswahili and Spanish.
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Sam Whelan-Curtin is a Communications Consultant and Storyteller specializing in social issues.
Primarily working with philanthropic organizations, social enterprises, and state agencies, Sam takes a co-creative approach to developing communication strategies and shaping stories that increase knowledge and awareness, foster empathy with key issues, and motivate action.
Over the past 16 years, Sam has worked on service reform and systems change agendas across the Irish social sector, on ethical and representative storytelling in his international development work, and takes a special interest in working with individuals on the frontlines of social change—equipping them with the skills and confidence to tell their own stories.
Capacities, tools, and practices to meet the complex challenges of our times
Are you looking for…
A deeper understanding of networks that can only come from engagement and lived experience (not book learning)?
Opportunities to integrate diverse network practices in your current work?
Language to communicate about the process of collectively navigating complexity?
Ways of encouraging your participants, organization, and
stakeholders to embrace collective work ?A community of caring thought partners offering expertise to support you in the day-to-day challenges of your work?
A program to amplify your capabilities to lead others in co-creating positive impact?
Become A Fellow!
Our inaugural cohort begins September 2025 and culminates June 2026. Applications are now closed for this cohort.
The fellowship is based in Africa for leaders deeply committed to network practice and social impact. In this first year, we are accepting 12 fellows and priority will be given to those residing in Africa and practitioners leading cross-cultural global networks.
If you are a systems catalyst dedicated to creating a more just, joyful, and thriving world, join us. If you believe that our collective future will be created through connection, coordination, and collaboration and you want to facilitate it, join us.
Ideal fellows may be:
Dedicated practitioners who recognize collaborative changemaking as a calling
Relational Leaders, Consultants & Facilitators
Ambitious, lifelong learners with balanced left-right brain awareness
Leaders with at least 5 years experience coordinating diverse networks, coalitions, or initiatives
NLS alumni or equivalent familiarity with network practice
Stay Tuned for Next Cohort
Applications for 2025 are now closed. Want to be the first to know about future Bopa DiPeo Fellowship cohorts? Want to join us for our free monthly POP Up sessions?
Subscribe now, and we’ll keep you posted!
You will also receive our monthly e-news full of network insights, resources, and inspiration from Circle Generation.
In Partnership with Small Foundation
Small Foundation is a philanthropic foundation based in Ireland with a vision and mission of eradicating extreme poverty in Africa by catalyzing income-generating opportunities, particularly for those in rural areas.