Accelerating Social Change
Spice Accelerator
The Spice Accelerator is our mentor-driven accelerator program for those at the margins of society. The selective 6-month program that equips a new generation of sustainable business leaders through mentorship, training and networking is cohort-based, and it leverages the passion and expertise of individuals and organizations across the globe to provide participants with the connections and resources needed to initiate social impact projects in their communities.
What do we mean when we talk about Social Change impact?
- An individual zooming into their personal life to search for an idea and discovering that which they can do to transform their own lives and that of others.
- An individual bringing their passion to life, and reaching out to make an impact through their idea as a business opportunity.
- An individual coming up with a unique technological design that tackle a community problem
- An individual starting a community empowerment space focused on horning basic skills for the underprivileged.
- It could be a musician or artist connecting with people through their medium and creating an open space for expression that brings out social transformation.
- Probably this individual is a documentary filmmaker or blogger telling the stories of under-represented communities and bringing out unheard stories.
- Yes! An individual who has a thought of doing something and has the determination to define their abilities.
Eligibility Criteria
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” ~ Farrah Gray
» You will need to be a woman or man aged 18 years or older.
» You will need to have social change or business idea that needs to be nurtured.
» You could be running a social change project already or wanting to start one.
» We respect individuals’ academic performance however; selection is not based on academic performance or qualification.
» Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking basic English.
» Basic knowledge in using a computer
» Willingness to learn and share your skills with peers and mentors.
» Ability to share your skills with your intended project beneficiaries.
» Have been faced by adversity and overcome a social ill.
» Be part of the social community you seek to transform.
» Ready to share your personal story to a public audience and have it published on our platforms.
» You must be coming from the East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi).
» Be able to personally travel to Eldoret City twice a month within the training period for a physical meetup.
» Must be ready to avail yourself when called upon by our Catalysts
» Pay a Tuition fee of Kes. 24,000/- for the six month mentorship and training period.
We do not discriminate applicants based on ethnicity, race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, socio-economic status or disability. Spice Without Borders reserves the right to verify all of the information provided during your application and in the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the applicant will immediately be disqualified. Any application not meeting the above eligibility criteria will not be forwarded to the selection team for consideration.
Participant Benefits
Individuals at the backyard of society across communities and globally need to join hands and work together to come up with solutions to new global challenges. At our Spice Accelerator program you gain from;
» Mentorship
Empowered to see the visible or invisible barriers in your life. We believe in sustained mentorship and that these long-term relationships provide participants with the lasting support they need to be successful. Our participants are exposed to mentors with a diverse realm of expertise. We leverage this network of mentors, many of whom are alumni of our accelerator programs, and their expertise to provide participants the opportunities to connect with the resources necessary to avoid potentially costly mistakes, develop and hone their business models based on individual passions.
» Training
On completion of the accelerator program, participants will possess the skills and resources required to lead a strong, ethical, accountable and sustainable social change organization that brings about measurable social change in their communities. Participants will acquire practical project management skills training and access to professional trainers.
» Resources
In addition to mentorship, participants have access to direct resources such as basic legal services, proforma development, pitch preparation, and graphic design support at special discounted rates. Additionally, participants will have full access to our coworking space. A dynamic and creative space to grow and develop yourself and your social change or business idea.
» Peer – to – Peer Networks
A dynamic and creative platform to grow and develop yourself and your social change initiative. Learning from different perspectives by fellow participants. We believe that some of the most valuable long-term connections an entrepreneur can make are with other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges at a similar stage. We work to build these peer-to-peer connections throughout the program between current participants as well as our extensive alumni network. As a cohort-driven program we celebrate wins, big or small, together.
» Pitch Development and Practice
Special pitching and demo opportunities where you get a Safe platform to share your personal story and validate your experience. Once you have the right story, a great pitch will help you sell it. We work with professional pitch coaches who will support you to hone your pitch narrative and materials. Participants finish the accelerator with a refined, compelling pitch and pitch deck to bring to any meeting with an investor or customer.
» Networking
Exposure to a community of change makers. Being part of Social Change Catalysts movement with new and meaningful connections and relationships. Throughout the program, participants are invited to exclusive networking events hosted by Spice Without Borders. These events, which are in both physical and virtual environments, are attended by alumni, board members, investors, and change makers that provide opportunities for participants to connect and form part of the growing creative spicy accelerators movement of individuals committed to creating a better world for all
» Certification
At the end of the training you will be issued with a certificate of completion to those who successfully complete the course
The Training
What you will experience during the sessions
[1] Cutting Edge Experiential Content: Conceptualized Frameworks, Tools and an Entrepreneurial mindset to move business forward.
[2] Meaningful Community Networks: Peer Mentorship, Small Group Breakouts and Fun moments.
[3] Clarity of Vision, Purpose & Goals: Opportunity to refine and share a Vision and to make an Ask of the room on our SpiceTalks platform.
Our Participants
Activists:
Activists are the catalysts who accelerate change by raising awareness through inspirational talks and have the courage to voice out pressing issues in their backyard and seek to urgently stop discrimination and harmful cultural practices at the backyard of society.
Creatives:
These are individuals who see the world differently and their expressions stir the emotions of others Creatives use music, the spoken word, film, design and other creative abilities as a tool for accelerating social change.
Entrepreneurs:
Entrepreneurs create social justice through business with a goal of making profit while accelerating sustainable social change at the backyard of society.
Initiators:
Initiators are social change provokers who accelerate social change by coming up with new and innovative ideas to solving urgent social problems at the backyard of society.
Innovators:
Innovators are social project architects who accelerate change by designing technical inventions for making a social difference. They come up with unconventional inventions that positively impact the living conditions at the backyard of society.
Anatomy of the Spice Accelerator
The Spice Accelerator is highly experiential and interactive. Every training session is customized based on local content and who is in the room. Each session brings in subject matter experts, speakers and facilitators.
[1] Integration: We set intentions to know the participants and learn conceptual frameworks on adaptive/ emergent leadership and organizational design.
[2] Owning your vision: Learn cutting edge tools to effectively manage across conflicting values and viewpoints. We spend time honing in on the how to craft and share a compelling vision.
[3] Articulating Justice: We explore social justice through the lens of personal identity and organizational change. Participants explore examples of transformative justice and restorative practices.
[4] Exchange your vision: We learn how to reach our objectives more effectively through empowered networking. Each participant has the opportunity to facilitate content at our unconference.
[5] The Journey ahead: We hear from a subject matter expert or speaker within the social impact field. This session also introduces the Spice Without Borders global ecosystem of support and resources.
[6] Pitch your idea: Participants join other social change leaders on our platform, SpiceTalks, These are physical meetups where leaders creatively share their innovative social change ideas that have an impact in their backyards.
Cost of Logistics
[1] Tuition for the 6 – month training is Kes. 24,000/-
The actual tuition fees is higher and has been partially sponsored by our partners reducing it to Kes. 24,000/-. This will cover cost of daytime programming as well as teas and lunch on each physical meetup. It does not cover travel.
[2] Duration of the Training and Mentorship
[a] Training lasts 6 – months with site visits, phone call follow-ups 2 compulsory monthly physical meetups in Eldoret City.
[b] Extended off session mentorship program for a period of 6 months after a successful graduation of the participants.
[3] Travel & Accommodation
Travel and accommodation are not included in the price of tuition. We recommend participants stay close to the venue, arrive on the day before the program starts and return home on the evening after the program ends.
