MasterPeace COOL Talk Series: Redefining Leadership Beyond Gender Norms

On 28 June 2024, MasterPeace conducted another COOLTalk as part of a series titled "Gender and Leadership: Redefining Leadership Beyond Gender Norms." The event brought together 25 participants from different parts of the world, spanning four continents, reflecting a truly global perspective.

The two speakers for the series were Elma Berisha, Head of the Research Department at SIT-Center for Counseling, Social Service, and Research Kosovo, and Ayush Joshi, Director for Advocacy, Campaigns, Communication, and Media (ACCM) at Save the Children International Nepal. The session was moderated by the human rights advocate and Creative Resource Mobilizer (CRM) at MasterPeace, Saugat Jung Pandey.

The event started with an introduction by MasterPeace's Creative Resource Mobilizer (CRM) Ashwini Dhakal, who provided an overview of the MasterPeace COOL Talk series and how the idea came about. He highlighted the diverse global participation and emphasized the representation of both the Global North and Global South among the speakers. This set the stage for the discussion on new leadership paradigms and the evolving role of women in leadership positions.

New Leadership Paradigm

The moderator started the discussion by posing a question about the new leadership paradigm and the increasing visibility of women in leadership roles. He mentioned that "leadership has no gender". He cited examples of prominent women leaders in politics, such as Kamala Harris, and in the corporate world, such as those leading organizations like PepsiCo and General Motors.

Elma Berisha responded by describing leaders as agents of change and transformation. She shared how a trainer from Harvard University reshaped her concept of leadership and criticized historical examples of brutal leaders like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Caesar. She emphasized that the new leadership paradigm contrasts sharply with the old, which was hierarchical and fear-based.

She explained that modern leadership is about inspiring and empowering others, promoting egalitarianism, and fostering a cooperative and inclusive environment. Elma also noted the generational shift, with Gen Z and Gen Y more inclined towards diversity and inclusion rather than traditional leadership modes.

Challenges and Opportunities in the Global South

Ayush Joshi offered a perspective from the Global South, noting that patriarchy remains pervasive and shapes societal roles and expectations. He discussed the unconscious biases that influence leadership perceptions, citing examples from daily life where women's decision-making is often overshadowed by male preferences. Ayush stressed the need to challenge these norms and biases to diversify leadership and recognize the capabilities of women and marginalized groups.

Gender Stereotypes and Social Norms

The moderator shifted the conversation towards gender stereotypes and social norms that limit women's leadership opportunities. He also cited the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report of 2023, which showed that the percentage of women in leadership is lower than that of men in every sector and, surprisingly, also lower in sectors traditionally considered to be women-dominated, such as healthcare, well-being, education, and NGO’s.

Elma highlighted the significant gender gap in leadership, with women making up almost 50% of the global workforce but only a quarter of leadership positions. She discussed unconscious gender biases and the importance of equal opportunities, emphasizing that women should be paid equally for the same work as their male counterparts. She also pointed out the dual influences of nature and nurture on gender roles and expectations.

Ayush, agreeing with Elma, added that gender stereotypes and norms hinder diverse leadership. He shared a story from Jajarkot, Nepal, which was recently struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake where a girl challenged a harmful norm related to menstruation where menstruating women were not allowed to touch cows or drink their milk as they were considered to be impure during that period. She challenged this norm and demonstrated leadership informed by knowledge and rational decision-making. Ayush argued that diversifying leadership requires addressing deep-seated societal norms and biases and that only when more women can be encouraged to take up leadership roles.

LGBTQ+ Leadership and Inclusion

The third question focused on LGBTQ+ leadership and the need for inclusive leadership. Elma connected this to the broader theme of diversity and inclusion, emphasizing that genuine leadership must embrace diversity for pragmatic gains, such as better innovation and financial performance. Ayush added that inclusive leadership should be continuous and intentional, not just limited to symbolic events like Pride Month.

Q&A

The session concluded with questions from the audience. One question addressed uplifting rural women's leadership, to which Elma responded that cooperation and support from urban leadership are crucial for women in rural area to come forward. Similarly, another question focused on increasing knowledge on inclusion, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ community in the Global South. Ayush suggested starting with sensitization training to address biases at home and school. He also shared a success story of sensitizing teachers and school management in regard to LGBTIA+ issues.

Elma shared an inspiring story of her senior partner, Rinida Das Frost, who founded the Frost and Sullivan Malaysia office, demonstrating how role models can make a difference. She added that Frost, who was initially there in Malaysia with her husband to take off their child and be a housewife, later was bored with staying at home and wanted to do something about her career. That it when she started Frost and Sullivan Malaysia Office. Similarly, Ayush emphasized the importance of positive role modeling and empowering underrepresented communities to diversify and achieve inclusive leadership.

Cameroon Renewed: Bridge Builders to Drive Transformation in Cameroon

Last week I visited the beautiful country of Cameroon with a country size similar to France. The 28 million people live 50 -50 in urban and rural areas. Cameroon is one of the most fertile lands and green countries I ever visited, fully aware that 35-40 % of its population lives below the poverty line.

Our visits’ focus was to boost the impact and understand the progress of our project “Cameroon Renewed” that we run (co-funded by Erasmus Plus) together with our friends of Noorderpoort; https://noorderpoort.nl/; APRO International (https://international.aproformazione.it/en/) and three local NGOs as implementing partners (https://hope4abetterfuture.com/; https://www.sopisdew.org/ https://fap-cameroon.page.tl/.

Our approach is to train local trainers on renewable energy (by the experts of Noorderpoort), social entrepreneurship and growth mindset (by experts of APRO). Based on their new capacities, they train 200 youngsters and 100 engineers from business (learning by doing).

Our impact is creating sustainable jobs, growing the educational portfolios of TVET training centers, and implementing community projects to improve communities' prosperity.

Putting the spotlights on Cameroon and its domains related to our project:

• Quality education is a key theme that needs improvement. Funding, less overcrowded classrooms, quality curricula, and trained teachers will boost the prosperity of children, students, and society at large
• Access to electricity, as this influences the daily lives of all (they face so many electricity cuts a day). What struck me is the divide between urban and rural. In urban cities like Yaoundé and Douala, almost 90% have access to the national energy infrastructure. In rural areas, this is only a poor 20-25%. Lack of access impacts safety, daily life, productivity, and job perspectives. Renewable energy has a clear Return on Investment business case!

• Power dynamics are shaped by a blend of formal and informal structures that influence governance, social order, and economic activities.

1. Formal Power: Its political and administrative institutions define the formal power structure. Cameroon is a republic with a strong presidential system. Formal governance also includes regional and local authorities;
2. Informal Power: Informal power in Cameroon operates through traditional and social networks that often bypass formal institutions. Traditional chiefs and community leaders hold significant influence, especially in rural areas. They mediate disputes, enforce local customs, and have a say in local development issues. Informal economic activities play a crucial role, an estimated 90 % of the population are engaged in the informal sector due to high unemployment and bureaucratic hurdles in the formal economy;
3. Interplay of Formal and Informal Power: The interplay between formal and informal power in Cameroon is complex. While formal institutions govern the country, they often coexist with and sometimes rely on informal structures to maintain social order and deliver services. Patronage networks and personal connections influence decisions and access to resources. This dual system poses challenges for governance and development

It is not easy to drive the transformation of Cameroon’s societies in this context, but we identified key elements of opportunities. In my learning, it is evident that trusted and competent institutions like our 3 local NGOs are ideally suited to bridge the gaps between policies agreed upon by the formal institutions and societies led by informal leaders like chiefs and even Kings.

The 3 local NGOs prepared well for our visit. Formal powers will support our projects ‘sustainability as they understand that our goals align with their policies.

During our meeting in  #Foumbot, we received the heartfelt support of regional key stakeholders:

• The Senior Divisional Officer of the Noun.
• The Regional Delegates of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training (MINEFOP) for the North West and West Regions.
• The Regional Delegates for Small and Medium Enterprises North West and West Regions.
• The Regional Director of National Employment Funds North West and West Region.

In Yaoundé, we met the secretary general of the Ministry of Education. She is a great connector, as she invited our teams to co-create using their vocational training Centre. Vocational training is one of their top three key priorities.

Our strength is that we align globally via Noorderpoort's expertise on renewable energy, APRO International's expertise on social entrepreneurship, and MasterPeace's global grassroots network for scaling, communication, and dissemination. All three play a second-line supporting role to the three local trusted NGOs who co-create based on shared objectives and regional trusted networks in formal and informal powers.

During our visit, we met informal leaders who were able to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to train 10 youngsters, perform needs analyses, and design an implementation plan. The first phase will be July- December 2024 in 26 villages with 70.000 inhabitants.

This project is a great example of fostering prosperity, creating a jobs perspective, and building bridges with and between formal and informal powers by local trusted changemakers who excel as drivers of transformation. Cameroon will indeed be Renewed!

Succesvolle samenwerking en feestelijke activiteiten in de Gaarden

De afgelopen periode hebben buurtbewoners, jongeren en kunstenaars uit de Gaarden met MasterPeace samengewerkt. Deze samenwerking leidde tot veel betrokkenheid en activiteiten in de buurt en wijk. De graffitiworkshop, onder leiding van kunstenaar Qasim Arif, en in samenwerking met MasterPeace, BuurtKamer Vrederust en Staedion, waar enthousiaste jongeren uit de buurt en wijk aan deelnamen resulteerde in een indrukwekkend muurschildering-ontwerp voor een muur aan de Barbiersgaarde dat de wensen en dromen van de jongeren weerspiegelt.

De feestelijke opening van de binnentuin in de Barbiersgaarde was een gezellige en verbindende bijeenkomst vol diversiteit, gastvrijheid en heerlijke poffertjes. Met een nieuw pannaveld van gras, een speel- en ontspanningsveld, en een indrukwekkende muurschildering is deze ruimte nu een plek waar bewoners van alle leeftijden samen kunnen komen. Het was een geweldige dag vol activiteiten en plezier, waar de hele buurt en wijk met een glimlach op terug kan kijken.

Marouane, een betrokken jongere uit de buurt, knipte samen met de bekende freestyle voetballer Rowdy Heinen het lint door. Daarna volgde een energieke bootcamp sessie door Sabras Bootcamp en indrukwekkende freestyle voetbaloptredens van Rowdy. Er was voor ieder wat wils, inclusief heerlijke hapjes van Oma Toos en gezonde snacks verzorgd door de buurtmoeders van Gaardedreven.

Deze succesvolle samenwerking heeft niet alleen geleid tot een prachtige muurschildering, maar ook de gemeenschap in de buurt en wijk versterkt. Jong en oud kwamen samen om van creatieve activiteiten te genieten en elkaar beter te leren kennen. Het was inspirerend om te zien hoe betrokkenheid en samenwerking positieve veranderingen in de buurt kunnen brengen.

Onze dank gaat uit naar alle wijkpartners die hebben bijgedragen aan deze geslaagde opening!

Dit project is mede mogelijk gemaakt door: 

COOLTalk : AI for Good

On 31 May 2024, MasterPeace conducted its COOLTalk series with an engaging session titled "AI for Good: Challenges and Opportunities for AI in the Social Realm." This session featured two distinguished speakers: Lewis Janssen, founder of GAIDE and expert in transforming organizations with AI, and Akash Raj, co-founder of Whispp and expert in strategic uses of AI.

Raghda El Halawany, co-leader of MasterPeace and an expert in inclusive AI and innovation, moderated the session. Around 25 individuals from various countries and backgrounds participated, creating a diverse audience.

Lewis Janssen opened the session by discussing AI's positive and negative aspects. He highlighted AI's potential to improve social goods and services such as healthcare, transportation, food supply, and education. Lewis emphasized that AI could make education more accessible worldwide, revolutionizing learning opportunities for all.

Akash Raj shared inspiring insights from his work at Whispp, focusing on using AI to assist people who cannot speak to communicate in their daily lives. He shared a great example of AI being used to recreate voices for individuals who lost their ability to speak due to throat cancer,  laryngectomy, and other diseases. Akash’s visit to a stutter café in the Netherlands, where people who tend to stutter when they speak come together to support each other, showed him the profound importance of speech and communication in a person’s life. This visit to the café motivated Akash’s dedication to working for social good through AI.

Moderator Raghda steered the discussion with questions, starting with why the speakers chose to work on AI for social causes and healthcare, among others. Lewis spoke about his AI initiatives in ophthalmology, where AI reduced the time for eye examinations from 15 minutes to just 2-3 minutes. This can be considered a revolution in the field of healthcare. Similarly, Akash shared stories from his experiences, emphasizing the transformative power of AI in improving inclusivity and accessibility and how it can actually be used to make every other tool more inclusive. However, these technologies are available only in first-world countries, while the Global South still lacks access to them.

Raghda also shared a case study from UNPOL, showing how AI analysis of satellite imagery and data helped reduce harassment and rape cases in Indonesia by 80% through the installation of light bulbs in dark areas. This is a great example of the usage of AI for social good. Similarly, Lewis emphasized the importance of AI in meeting basic necessities in third-world countries, predicting significant strides in education and healthcare.

Participants raised important concerns about the ethical use of AI, legal complexities, and the concentration of AI power in the hands of a few organizations. Lewis and Akash addressed these issues, acknowledging the need for awareness, education, and potential regulation. Lewis referred to the European AI Act and the potential of blockchain technology to address deepfake issues in the future. Both speakers believed that innovations should be regulated strongly.

Lastly, one of the participants asked a question about how AI can combat climate change in regions like Africa and how we can leverage this technology to improve food security. Akash answered by mentioning that there are many technological advancements. Many companies are developing better wind farms and working on carbon capture. Big companies are also using AI to develop tools to predict weather more accurately, which can help us combat climate change. An NGO in the Netherlands called Space for Good is using satellite data to predict which areas are suitable for afforestation. Lewis added that bringing these technologies to other parts of the world is important. Technology can be used for market assessment and determining crop prices. There are developed technologies that can help. It is important to improve accessibility and then let technologies such as AI assist them.

The session concluded with a few Q&As, leaving participants inspired and more informed about AI's transformative potential and challenges in the social realm.