FELLOWSHIP COMPONENTS

For most of the fellowship, Fellows participate remotely. They work on their compassion-in-action projects while engaging with DLF’s online leadership curriculum and receiving virtual coaching and mentorship. At the beginning of the fellowship year, Fellows gather for a week-long Contemplative Leadership Assembly in the United States. More details on each component of the fellowship follow.

Compassion-in-Action Projects

During the fellowship year, each Fellow works on a compassion-in-action project in a community with which they have strong relationships. These projects allow Fellows to apply the concepts and practices they’re learning through the program to their social innovation work, thus distributing their personal growth to far wider networks in the ecosystems with which they are engaged.

Compassion-in-action projects engage with one or more of the following categories:

• Health and Well-Being

• Education and Youth Development

• Social Justice

• Environmental Sustainability

• Cultural Understanding

• Contemplation

An Integrated Leadership Curriculum

DLF’s unique Head, Heart, and Hands curriculum offers each Fellow a dynamic learning journey informed by the latest theories and research on leadership and social innovation alongside age-old wisdom from our world’s contemplative traditions. The curriculum doesn’t merely deliver intellectual knowledge, but provides regular opportunities for active learning and practical applications of the content to Fellows’ everyday lives and social innovation efforts. Learning modules cover topics including mindful awareness, emotional intelligence, creating meaningful connections, navigating uncertainty, using power with care, storytelling, and more.
The curriculum is rooted in three main themes:

• Head - Training the mind and attention, cultivating self-awareness, understanding systems

• Heart - Harnessing the wisdom of the heart, deepening compassion, working across differences, navigating uncertainty

• Hands - “Getting the hands dirty,” enacting wisdom and compassion in social innovation work

1-on-1 Coaching and Mentoring

Fellows receive personalized 1-on-1 coaching and mentoring to support their ongoing development. DLF coaches have a wealth of expertise and experience working at the intersection of contemplation and social innovation, and each coaching call is a space where Fellows receive care, guidance, and the opportunity to find answers to their most pressing questions within themselves.

“The coaching calls have been absolutely incredible. They are one of the most powerful forms of holding space that I have ever experienced. They help me to reflect on how the curriculum topics are showing up in my day-to-day life and work, how my contemplative practices are evolving, how to better understand and address challenges I'm facing, and most of all to continue believing in myself.” -Sima Gatea, 2020 Fellow, Germany

Community Learning

Throughout the year, Fellows engage in small-group and full-cohort learning experiences. In addition to receiving further guidance from coaches during community learning experiences, Fellows also learn from each other’s experiences and wisdom.

“Group learning calls were always so refreshing because it gave us a chance to connect together, even though we're countries apart, but also to hear about each others' journeys, struggles, challenges, successes, victories, and stories. It reminded me of the strength of our community we have and how much we support each other.” -Elisa Tran, 2018 Fellow, United States

Contemplative Leadership Assembly

Fellows attend this annual week-long event, where they have the opportunity to learn contemplative practices and new perspectives on leadership and social innovation. The Assembly invites each Fellow to show up fully as themselves, bringing their rich personal and cultural gifts to a space that harnesses each individual’s uniqueness as part of an affirming and dynamic learning environment. DLF covers all costs for attending the Assembly such as visa fees, travel, and lodging.

“I've never been part of a gathering like [the Assembly]. The quality of care and concern and camaraderie challenged every internalised story of a ‘big bad world’... I felt incredibly seen and appreciated. This changed me for the better.” -Vuyo Henda, 2020 Fellow, South Africa

A Lifelong Commitment

DLF is not only a one-year experience. Upon completion of the program, Fellows become LifeLong Fellows and continue their personal and professional journeys in community with other program alumni. DLF continues to support LifeLong Fellows through networking connections, small group coaching, thematic webinars, contemplative retreat experiences, and so much more. LifeLong Fellows also have opportunities to contribute back to the community in a number of ways.

Fellowship Impact

“Dalai Lama Fellows has radically changed my perception of leadership. Previous to this experience, I had a narrow conception of leadership. Now however, I frame leadership as building relationships, listening to others, stepping back and seeing whose voice can be included. I view leadership as a long term process of investing in others because I believe when we do this we can create a world that is mindful of the needs of all individuals. I am so grateful to DLF for challenging my way of being in the world and providing a moral framework that I can always turn to.” -Sofia Gomez-Doyle, 2015 Fellow, United Arab Emirates

“I’ve seen how my experiences of burnout were tied to a loss of purpose and questions about the impact of my work. But by better understanding myself and my place in the system I’ve been able to re-align with my core values, bring more mindfulness into my leadership, connect more deeply with my team, and create a more supportive work culture. Now I’m feeling re-energized to continue my work.” -Hamza Arsbi, 2020 Fellow, Jordan

Representing the World’s Diversity

As of 2023 there are 229 Fellows hailing from 56 different countries. DLF strives to be a fully inclusive program and values diversity in all its forms including diversity of religion, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, class, ability, and much more.