Who we are
An opportunity to reimagine leadership
Programme Outline
Public leaders
from political, business, public sector and civic society
Duration
7 months
(September – March)
Undertake a Design Thinking project
Symposium days
across Northern Ireland
Residentials
in Oxford and Dublin
Graduation
at Hillsborough Castle
Time for self-refection and self-development
Access to the Good Friday Agreement Online Course
Registration Fees
The Fellowship Programme is a heavily subsidised initiative, made possible through the support of our partners and funders. The fees reflect a commitment to making the programme accessible across all sectors while maintaining the highest quality experience for all participants.
Business sector Fellows: £3,000
Public sector, NGOs, and political Fellows: £1,500
The programme fee includes:
- Accommodation during the residentials in Oxford and Dublin.
- All meals during the residential components.
- Programme materials and resources.
- Full access to the Good Friday Agreement Online Course.
Please note: Fellows are responsible for covering the cost of their travel to and from Oxford and Dublin.
Financial Support
We are committed to ensuring the Fellowship Programme is accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances. A range of financial support options are available, including:
Full scholarships (including fees and travel costs)
- Fees scholarship (full or partial)
For more information and to discuss available support, please contact fellowship@democracyandpeace.org.
What to Expect
The Fellowship is designed to be an immersive yet manageable experience alongside professional and personal commitments.
Fellows will meet one full day per month from September to March for in-person workshops and seminars. In addition, the programme includes two residential sessions (one in Oxford and one in Dublin), providing space for deeper learning, reflection, and connection.
Between sessions, Fellows commit 2 to 4 hours per month to group projects, reflective practice, and optional readings.
There will also be an opportunity to engage in alumni events once a quarter.
Programme Outcomes
Our vision is a society where capable, credible leaders who embody integrity, creativity, and effectiveness work together to build thriving communities rooted in a shared commitment to a better future. Our mission is to develop a vibrant network of 1,000 political, civic, and business leaders across Northern Ireland over the next decade, instrumental in driving change and shaping the policy agenda for years to come.
Lead with agility and purpose
Fellows will strengthen their adaptive leadership skills to inspire change, respond to uncertainty, and mobilise others across political, civic, and business sectors.
Navigate through complexity
Fellows will develop the ability to understand and respond to complex challenges using systems thinking and a strategic, whole-systems approach.
Communicate and collaborate across sectors
Fellows will build advanced communication and collaboration skills to influence stakeholders, build trust, and co-create solutions in cross-sector environments.
Deliver better outcomes for the public good
Fellows will enhance their governance, financial literacy, and ethical leadership to drive improved outcomes, steward resources responsibly, and build a culture of integrity.
Build enduring relationships and networks
Fellows will join a unique network of over ninety leaders from across political, business, and civic society sectors.
Programme Residentials
Who we are
The Oxford experience
Fellows will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the history of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Here in the ‘city of dreaming spires,’ Fellows will enter an oasis of learning, where the world’s greatest leaders and thinkers have studied for over nine hundred years and where research breakthroughs continue to be made today.
Who we are
The Dublin residential offers Fellows a unique opportunity to deepen their learning in the heart of the island’s largest city. Through immersive sessions and conversations with colleagues from Trinity College Dublin and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Fellows will explore diplomacy and innovation. The experience fosters reflection and connection as the Fellowship journey nears its conclusion.
Fellow Testimonies
The wide range of experience from both the public and private sector across our cohort really challenged my thinking on how the Health sector gets its business done. The Fellowship has created pathways for me to explore how Health can benefit from working across all sectors.
The CDP team, along with its supporters and sponsors, demonstrate unwavering dedication to the programme and its Fellows. I leave with a renewed sense of hope, a strong network of conscientious leaders, and a clearer path for my own growth and development, with a curiosity for what comes next.
Being part of the Fellowship Programme has been a really meaningful experience. It has given me time to step back, think differently, and learn from people with a wide range of views and backgrounds. Having finished the programme, I feel more hopeful, more focused, and very grateful to have been part of this journey.
The Fellowship Programme has been a transformative experience. I have built lasting relationships with remarkable leaders across Northern Ireland. The diverse learning environment, guided by world-class experts, broadened my horizons and significantly supported my leadership development.
I’ve learned so much in a very short time. Getting outside perspective has been enlightening and a great education for me. It is also surprisingly encouraging about how people outside the arts value what we do and how much will there is to help.
I have gained branches of Fellow leaders, that I can lean on, that I can encourage and that I can work with and who I cannot wait to work with.
A pivotal experience and space for rethinking, learning and transformative exchanges. It has re-ignited my passion and commitment to do better and to be better, as well as enhanced my skills and capacity. I am better equipped to continue to contribute more effectively to a peaceful, progressive and prosperous Northern Ireland.
The journey with the Fellowship Programme provided me with the courage to enter a period of reflection, taking the time to become curious about where I could have more impact directly on people’s lives and connect all my experiences, networks, drive, and passion to make Northern Ireland a fairer place for people to live, work, and thrive.
I had a fantastic experience that took my thinking to places I didn’t expect. My cohort were superb, and we remain in regular contact. The learning was both excellent and varied, and we were supported throughout, particular by fantastic partner organisations. The learning opportunities continue through the alumni network, and I would recommend the Fellowship Programme to anyone.
The Fellowship programme meant so much to me as a community peacebuilder. It not only helped me learn and self-reflect in both a personal and professional capacity, but it also helped me build networks and links with those working in the business, civic, and political sectors. Now a year later, I am proud to be part of the Fellowship Programme alumni network and I still have sustained positive relationships with all of those who were Fellows in 2023.
