27 January 2026 – I arrived at the Club of Rome looking for career alignment. At the time, I was trying to make sense of my filmmaking skill and its place in a world that views it rather narrowly. I was taking on corporate social media roles without fully understanding the scope of communications work, often carrying the weight of being a one-person production team. While this sharpened my technical skills, it also left me overwhelmed and quietly dissatisfied. I knew my work could not end at outputs alone and wanted to contribute more meaningfully.
That conviction led me to apply for NGO-oriented communications roles, only to discover how unprepared I was for that world. It was in that space of recalibration that I encountered the Club of Rome Communications Fellowship. Even from a brief overview, something resonated deeply. I sensed that this was a space where my work in media and communications could blossom. After a rigorous interview process, I was accepted, and with that came a quiet reassurance that this path was indeed within my scope.
What followed was anything but a gentle introduction. From the outset, the fellowship demanded full presence. I was struck by the clarity and organisation of the communications team: comprehensive documentation, shared access to communication materials, structured roles and clear timelines. The work orbited around collaboration, something I had long craved for. Despite being spread across regions and time zones, the team functioned with coherence and accountability. This was my first immersion into a truly global communications environment, where transparency and collective ownership were daily practice.
I worked alongside 2025 communications fellows: Martin Mbewe, multimedia journalist and development communications specialist from Lilongwe, Malawi and Alifiandi Yusuf, a communications specialist from Jakarta, Indonesia. Our roles were shaped by both organisational needs and personal strengths. While my background is in filmmaking, the fellowship was not limited to video work. However, it was natural that video-related tasks frequently came my way and through them, I found myself growing into the role of an editor with confidence I had not previously claimed. This was about being relied upon within a team that valued contribution over titles.
What surprised me most was how intellectually demanding communications could be. To communicate responsibly, we had to understand. Reading reports and publications across education, economy, peace and diplomacy, intergenerational leadership, ecology and conservation became essential to the work. Over time, my thinking expanded. I began to hold multiple perspectives at once, recognising the hidden sophistications behind concepts I had once limitedly approached. Without intending to, I found myself becoming a student and learning for practise.
This learning was strengthened through the projects and exchanges the fellowship enabled. Early on, I worked on a project contributing feedback to Europe’s circular economy . From an African standpoint, the work initially felt distant. That shifted through close engagement with professionals such as Lewis Akenji, whose work focuses on sustainable consumption and production Janez Potočnik , a leading voice on systemic environmental policy reform, alongside environmental policy professor Saleem Ali. It became clear that circularity cannot be framed as a shared aspiration without first addressing responsibility. Regions or institutions that have benefited most from extractive systems must also lead in accountability. This clarity stayed with me and shaped how I approached subsequent work.
That sharpened way of thinking carried into a member profile series. We interviewed individuals whose ideas I will carry on. Lesley Green reframed conservation as beginning with responsibility to place, Yoshitsugu Hayashi spoke to human-centred infrastructure and the role of art and culture in bridging the gap between policy and everyday life. Bayo Akomolafe challenged linear approaches to change altogether, opening space for imagination and different ways of knowing. These conversations strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity and intent.
I especially enjoyed working on the Club of Rome history series. Digging through archives and situating today’s work within a longer intellectual lineage was exceptionally motivating. Through this process, I engaged with figures such as Mamphela Ramphele honorary president of the Club of Rome, whose leadership in activism, governance and education reaffirmed the importance of upholding ethics in peaceful co-existence. Speaking to Gianfranco Bologna felt nostalgic, like stepping back into a lecture hall. Working on the history series alongside my colleagues offered a hopeful reminder of what sustained collaboration can produce and how a shared commitment to ideas can grow into an institution with lasting relevance.
Beyond the Club of Rome itself, collaboration with its projects such as Earth4All, the Fifth Element and the 50 Percent expanded my exposure to international cooperation. These engagements reinforced that communications is a space where futures are negotiated.
As I reflect on my journey, I recognise a profound shift. My path in filmmaking no longer feels isolated from the world it seeks to represent. It now sits within a broader ecosystem. I progress from the fellowship with sharper editorial judgment, greater confidence in collaborative work and a deeper sense of purpose in media, communications and public relations. More than anything, aware that communication shapes how we understand the world and how we choose to act within it. That awareness, I have learned, is where meaningful work begins.
The application period for the 2026 Communications Fellowship with the Club of Rome is now open until 20 February 2026. Learn more and apply here.
