Earlier today, the Winston Churchill Trust shared a quote from Churchill himself:
For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use to be anything else.
I’ve always been an optimistic person. I’ve always believed that there’s good to be found everywhere in the world – especially in the pursuit of meaningful change. This outlook has been a driving force in my journey.
What drew me to the Churchill Fellowship was its core idea: Churchill wanting everyday people to have the opportunity to chase their passion whilst creating change. The Fellowship also aligned with my love of learning, travel, and people which is another reason why I applied.
I first applied for the Fellowship in 2017, and although I wasn’t successful, I remained optimistic. The Trust’s encouragement to apply again when I felt ready meant a lot to me. The application process is highly competitive, although I’m happy I gave it a go. Most people are awarded the Fellowship on their second or third attempt – it’s an excellent reminder that persistence pays off.
Having met numerous Fellows over several years, especially with the current cohort, I see optimism in every Fellow. Their optimism and passion are what drives them to create real change – not just in their communities, but across Australia and beyond. This is exactly the kind of energy we need in today’s world.
You don’t need any formal qualifications to apply for a Churchill Fellowship. People from all walks of life, as long as they’re Australian citizens, can apply. All you need is your passion, a desire to create change through your project, and willingness to share your findings with your community in Australia.
Project topics are limitless, and your passion will make you stand out amongst applicants. For example, Jacob Miller will be travelling around the world to reimagine op shop best practice and engaging Australia to celebrate the sector’s 100th year. Imagine that – a Fellowship focusing on visiting op shops around the world! Jacob has such incredible passion for op shop which was evident when I first met him in Canberra during the national onboarding program last year.
Leonie Jackson (1971-2021) was a 2006 Churchill Fellow, where she travelled around the world explore solutions for deaf and hard of hearing students using real-time captioning or speech to text technology in mainstream classroom settings. She was deeply passionate about the Deaf community, especially the future generations of Deaf people. She was also an optimistic person. I miss her dearly, but her legacy lives on in so many Deaf people like myself.
Leonie is one of only a handful number of Deaf people who are Churchill Fellows. It would be incredible to see that number grow in the coming years.
With a Churchill Fellowship, the sky is your limit. If you have a desire to create meaningful change for Deaf and hard of hearing Australians, now is the perfect time to start planning your project and apply!
Applications close on 28th February and close on 1st May, 2025 – I’m only an email away if you want to have a chat about your idea(s) for the Churchill Fellowship.
Important note: please make sure you read the Guidelines prior to applying.