About the New Voices Fellowship

The Fellowship offers development experts from Africa, Asia, and Latin America a year-long program of media support, advocacy lessons, training, and writing under the guidance of experienced mentors and trainers. On average, Fellows devote 10% of their working time towards the Fellowship over the course of the year.

The program helps Fellows sharpen their messages, elevate their stories, focus their media targets, and communicate their insights across a variety of media platforms – illuminating crucial perspectives for a broad worldwide audience in order to champion policy change.

Fellows come from a variety of disciplines, ranging from public health to education to poverty alleviation, agriculture, and community activism. All Fellows are experts in their field with a deep understanding of broad development challenges and a passion for communicating their views.

The Fellowship Year at a Glance

February

Fellows meet in Nairobi, Kenya for a week-long intensive media and advocacy boot camp.

March – May

Fellows complete one-on-one remote work with their selected mentor. Fellows and mentors focus on the Fellow’s customized program goals, such as publishing op-eds, giving speeches, and working towards tangible advocacy and policy objectives.

June

Fellows meet in Aspen, Colorado for the Aspen Ideas: Health Festival and an intensive story-telling training.

July – September

Remote work continues as Fellows receive support to write, pitch, and publish Op-Eds, complete media appearances, advocate for their work and broader policy change, and share their stories with targeted audiences.

October

Fellows meet in Washington, DC for the Aspen Institute’s foundational seminar program. Fellows also explore advance advocacy strategies and prepare for their futures as Senior Fellows.

November – January

Fellows receive continued support from their mentor until the next class is announced. At that time, Fellows graduate to become Senior Fellows and receive continued guidance and support from the New Voices Alumni Coordinators.

Brenda Moore

The Impact of the Op-Ed

Brenda Moore used advocacy and Op-Ed writing skills learned over the course of her Fellowship year to ban classroom floggings. After her friend’s niece was flogged 175 times in school as part of a corporal punishment, Brenda wrote a condemning Op-Ed in her local Liberian newspaper. The Op-Ed made national news and as a result, Brenda was invited to speak before the Ministry of Education. Within a month of her Op-Ed’s publish date, Brenda convinced the Ministry of Education to not only issue a statement on flogging, but also commit to issue a new national policy banning the use of corporal punishment in schools.

Meet the Fellow
Mohamed Bailor Barrie

Advocacy in Action

Mohamed Bailor Barrie credits the advocacy training he received during the New Voices Fellowship’s February Training to a major professional victory. Bailor had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Health of Sierra Leone in July 2020. He was at the Ministry of Health to advocate for the construction and investment into a new National Maternal Center of Excellence. Bailor said he thought about the New Voices advocacy training, specifically how to be concise how to phrase his pitch, before he met with the Minister. Within ten minutes of his visit, after pitching his idea, the Minister approved the first ever Sierra Leonian National Maternal Center of Excellence.

Meet the Fellow