REPORT ON GROW WITH US (GWU) ENTREPRENEURIAL FELLOWSHIP

This report is a narrative description of the extensive input of mentors as well as
interactive, and reflective processes and experiences from the fellowship so far.

WRITTEN BY

Marian Chukwuebuke Nwaokolo

(GWU Fellow)

12 th September, 2021

BACKGROUND

I was selected to be a part of the GROW WITH US FELLOWSHIP 3 rd Cohort, class
of 2021 to be equipped with a curriculum that factors in entrepreneurship,
mentorship and participatory learning, which are all embedded in feminist principles.

This is to support and boost my leadership and social entrepreneurship skills as an
activist dedicated to pushing back systemic oppression through promotion of Sexual
Reproductive Health and Rights of women who do not fit into the heteronormative
context.

The Fellowship commenced with taking the 2021 class through the journey of a
startup organization. During this class, the Executive Director of Choose Yourself
and the Grow With Us (GWU) Program Director articulated their experiences with
funding a new organization, maximizing funds and getting volunteers willing to
dedicate their time to social justice.

Through the course of this fellowship we have been engaged by successful
entrepreneurs and mentors with effective tools to achieve self-efficacy and
understand the cost of entrepreneurship.
The importance of entrepreneurial mental health as a catalyst that influences bold
and confident decisions in life, was not left out of the discourse. We were taken
through strategies to detect, prevent and act on burnout.

Recognizing the importance of managerial skills on personal finances, fellows were
made to read a book titled “The Richest Man in Babylon”. This was followed by a
dynamical session on Fundraising and Creating Feasible Financial plans. This was
such an eye-opening session facilitated by a trainer with over 11 years fundraising
experience and she engaged us on commitment to effective and realistic budgeting
for a nonprofit.

To further explore opportunities and sharing learnings, we were mentored by a youth
education and engagement specialist in tandem with being provided resources for
both individual and organizational grant application. We were mentored on how to
properly examine the values of philanthropic organizations to ensure proper
alignment of their politics and values with our politics and personal values of
accountability, integrity and transparency.

The above sessions have also been backed up by sessions on communication tools
to enable fellows properly interpret and utilize information being passed and translate
them into real life scenarios. These sessions captured errors being made by social
entrepreneurs, the mind as the battleground, strategies to position oneself, clear
understanding of the problem an entrepreneur is trying to solve, and communication
channels that can be leveraged on.

FELLOWSHIP MODUS OPERANDI

To begin the reflective process, the GWU Director of Programs assigned each fellow
the obligation of writing monthly reflective essays to examine and interpret our
experiences and journey to gaining and applying new knowledge.

All sessions have been very participatory with fellows constantly giving insights into
the work that they do and possible means of collaboration to build movements.
There were deliberate actions by facilitators to ensure that fellows were not under-
communicating themselves and the work they do, as it is important to increase one’s
visibility and attract the right audience.

The results of these engagements were a deepened knowledge of my responsibility
as a social leader and how to leverage my niche to create the social change I seek
and how to look out for resources that respond to the problem I am trying to solve.
Safe to say that I applied my skills gathered from the mentorship and have built
confidence to write more proposals for the organization I currently serve. One of
which attracted funding.

Also, I started up an independent consulting firm to enable me intersectionalize more
identities and explore gray areas that have not necessarily been explored in the fight
for non-heteronormative women. During this process of participatory learning, I have
affirmed my wish to remain connected and committed to other fellows.

CAPTURING MY REFLECTIONS

Why did I get involved? What excited me about participating? What do I hope
to achieve ?

1. To build alliances regionally with other fellows
2. To recommit to my work and community with newer strategies and application of skills through mentorship and collaboration opportunities
3. To access a safe space for learning and follow up that is committed to feminist principles and is inclusive of all groups of women and non-binary persons

The memorable moments

1. From the beginning, the deliberate commitment of facilitators and GWU Director to uniquely engage each fellow, allowed us co-own the process. The process has been so unique and we have learned and continue to learn from each other.
2. We have had conversations around feminism, entrepreneurship, challenges being faced and problem-solving strategies. It has been beautiful to see similarities across different countries in the continent and the commendable drastic steps women are taking to push back.

Reflecting on the WhatsApp Group

1. A tremendous amount of energy and effort is needed among fellows to ensure there is continual conversation on the group.

The key value of what has been possible in the past few months

1. Online classes can be smooth and seamless once there is commitment
2. Online classes can actually be much more organized than offline classes
3. The skills to being a successful social leader have become clearer
4. A community can be built from the comfort of your home

Looking forward to…

1. A community of young women and non-binary persons who will stay committed to sharing and gaining knowledge and then going out and using that knowledge to drive social change
2. More visibility for the GWU fellowship, Choose Yourself and the impact of the work on our lives as young women.
3. Updated CVs and bios of fellows that reflects them as GWU fellows in their respective areas of expertise
4. More communication and community organizing and volunteering of fellows at Choose Yourself
5. Fellow alumni forum dedicating their time to the work at Choose Yourself and liberating younger women regionally.

Possibility: Working together on a defined project would be interesting. This
would contribute to the work at Choose Yourself.

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED

Challenges

1. Combining work with classes.
2. Network/Internet problems

Lesson learned

1. Never assuming that everything being facilitated will stick to long term memory. Ensuring to jot down notes and request for the slides and resources at the end of every session as they help for a seamless report writing.

ABOUT AUTHOR

MARIAN NWAOKOLO (She/her, they/them)
Doctor of Optometry (O.D), Grow With Us (GWU) Fellow

Marian is a queer feminist, activist, trainer and researcher who is passionate about
the health and rights of marginalized minority groups of women; Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender (LBT) women, Female Sex Worker (FSW), Women With
Disabilities (WWD) and Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUD).

She is very passionate
about diversity, inclusion, intersectionality, and meaningful youth engagement in
decision-making processes.

She firmly believes that issues affecting marginalized/minority groups of women,
especially Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights needs, should sit firmly on the women’s rights agenda and must be integrated into mainstream women’s rights
programming in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Marian is very transparent, honest, passionate and a good team builder.
When not working, Marian enjoys reading, writing, and tending to her plants.
She can be reached on mariannwaokolo1@gmail.com