Belgium's 40 under 40

Passing the torch to the next generation of societal leaders

The program

A one-year accelerated leadership & impact journey

Forums

The Forums are 5 key moments over the year when the Cohort gets together. We meet for a day, sometimes with the Supporters and Alumni, to have collective reflections and discussions about society, shape ideas, explore societal topics, and accelerate the Fellows personal and leadership development. The Fellows embark on active reflections about their personal journey and the sense of purpose that drives their leadership. 

During the Forums we build the Community by enhancing the connections between the Fellows and we set the direction for the other streams… 

Conversation Circles

The Circles are groups of 8 Fellows who meet once a month under the facilitation of a professional coach. In these conversations, the Fellows are able to address different personal or leadership development questions in a safe and trustful environment. They benefit from the guidance of their peers, provide advice and reflections to the other Fellows, and connect with each other at a deeper level. The Circles bring stimulating and inspiring discussions with peers who are confronted to similar questions. 

Field Work

We provide a sandbox to explore societal change: what does it mean, how difficult it could be, how do we work with other leaders, how do we practice collective intelligence…? This hands-on experience widens the Fellows’ perspectives about society. They team up around a concrete societal challenge that drives them, explore different archetypes of impact, and try to shape a collective engagement for a better society. The Field Work is not a startup incubator. It is a real-life experience in which they initiate reflections and actions for society, and are confronted to the difficulty of changing complex environments. Through this experience, they emerge strengthened to lead in the world. 

The Field Work also serves a broader purpose: imagining  other ways to address societal issues and build positive solutions… but that’s a longer-term goal that doesn’t get achieved in a year-time! 

Individual Mentorship

Each Fellow is paired with a Mentor, an accomplished leader among the Supporters of the initiative, who shares with the Fellow his or her experience and advice, and help the Fellow grow as a leader. These Mentorship conversations, organised every 4 to 5 weeks, are often bidirectional and also help the Mentor explore personal questions and expand his or her societal perspectives. 

What Do you get out of it?

You will be part of a community that federates generations of leaders around a positive societal transformation initiative.

You will be part of an accelerated personal development experience.

You will develop transversal reflections and confront multiple points of view.

You will have a unique platform where you can lead by example.

You will meet 39 other talented individuals actively engaged for a better society.

You will connect with accomplished leaders and professionals who want to pass on the torch to you.

And according to the previous Cohorts, you will have a lot of fun!

Your participation will boost your societal leadership in three ways:

      1. You will engage in an active reflection on your personal journey and your sense of purpose.
      2. You will have stimulating and inspiring discussions with fellow young leaders who are confronted to similar questions and you will have a direct connection with accomplished leaders sharing their experience and offering mentorship and coaching.
      3. You will team up with your peers and through collective intelligence you will generate concrete solutions that address real societal challenges.

These reflections, conversations and interactions are the core of the unique development experience we offer you!

Be inspired by the stories of other leaders and shape your societal engagement...

Embark on a rich journey of co-development in a group of 8 Fellows...

Shape your engagement with your peers and get impact where it matters to you...

Benefit from the experience of an accomplished leader...

What do Alumni say about it?

Next cohort in 2024

We will launch a new Cohort of 40u40 in 2024, which will start the program in September 2024. 

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