The Archer Leadership Scholarship is a yearlong, experiential leadership development program for exceptional PNG tertiary students who have demonstrated leadership potential. It offers successful recipients a 12-month program of activities aimed at developing their leadership skills and abilities.
The premise behind the scholarship is that intensive leadership support and resource investment during a student’s final year of tertiary studies will provide the recipient with a new platform to engage in leadership work and activities after they graduate. The leadership scholarships identify, foster, and invest in an annual cohort of promising leaders and provide a range of opportunities and resources to grow their leadership skills.
Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF) has been running the Archer Leadership Scholarships since 2011 and has had 35 students to date participate in the program. Graduates from the scholarships enter the Archer Alumni and continue to access support from KTF for their ongoing leadership development.
Program Outline
The Archer Leadership Scholarships consist of the following activities and opportunities:
- Education investment – the scholarship covers a contribution towards the students’ tertiary fees for the final year of their studies at University or College in PNG.
- Living allowance – the scholarship provides a contribution towards the students’ boarding, travel, and food costs for the final year of their studies at University or College in PNG.
- Resource investment – each student receives an allowance to purchase educational and professional development resources for their tertiary studies and leadership development. Resources may include laptop computers, mobile phones, wireless internet connections, textbooks, reading books, and materials to assist specific study areas.
- Student exchange period / leadership course – the cohort of students participate in a 2- week exchange program during their mid-semester break where they travel to Australia. During this exchange period, students complete an intensive, experiential leadership program including work experience program, an adaptive leadership course, and mentoring opportunities with prominent Australian leaders.
- Mentoring – each student is matched with a prominent mentor in PNG or Australia who supports them with guidance and coaching during their yearlong leadership program. This one-on-one support is vital to students’ learning throughout the year and has been shown to have an enormous and transformative impact on students’ self-esteem, motivation, future goals, and leadership development.
- Community development placement – the students undertake a community development placement with the KTF. The community development placement explores how innovative individuals and organisations are addressing PNG’s social needs and creating positive change.
- Community Project – students undertake a community development project during the course of the year and are supported financially and with mentoring and project supervision to undertake this project.
- Work experience placement – the students undertake a 2-3 week work experience placement at the end of Semester 2 in an organisation relevant to their field of study. The placements are selected in consultation with the students’ mentor with the view to create a pathway to employment for the student after they graduate.
How to Apply
KTF opens applications for the Archer Leadership Scholarships between September and December each year. Prospective applicants should visit the KTF website during this period. They must be in their final year of tertiary studies (at a PNG institution) during the year of the scholarship.