Scholarship / True leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. MA in Arts Management in Cultural Policy [2]

Chevening Leadership and Influence essay

Dear all, I am looking for a first review for my leadership and influence essay for a Chevening award, I am planning to pursue a MA in Arts Management and Cultural Policy, thank you for your time and inputs in advance, I really appreciate!

I have a strong belief that a true leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
In fact, with a sensitive passion for arts and culture, my leadership journey started in middle school when I was actively presiding my school environment club and running a cinema club that I co-founded with some like-minded friends while I undertook music courses at the Municipal Conservatory, where I quickly have been distinguished as a remarkable flute player regionally and joined many jazz bands and the local traditional orchestra, which was very challenging for me.

The challenges I faced, motivated me to follow my intuition for a positive change, and take my first leadership role out of school. Right after my graduation from high school, I organized a fifteen days youth training project named Ť Music For All ť that aims to promote tolerance through musical tolerance. This successful and impactful project inspired many people, and was a turning point in my life: I got my first work experience as a music teacher. Furthermore, I won a scholarship from the US Department of State to pursue a short course on social entrepreneurship at the University of Connecticut in summer 2011.

Since then, an incredible adventure full of achievements and limitless positive energy just started : Once back home, I founded and introduced brightly AIESEC, Young Arab Voices, Y-Peer and Generations For Peace in Constantine and co-organized a TEDx event in Algiers. I also won the first prize of a Startup Competition, giving me the opportunity afterwards to train/coach in numerous inspiring youth and entrepreneurship initiatives as Startup Pirates Constantine, Social Leadership Academy, Algerian Youth Camp or SEA XChange Program. I played an important role as a creative decision maker and problem solver in most of this projects. Thanks to the resourceful teams I collaborated with.

In addition, I have been invited as an influencing speaker featuring exceptional public speaking skills in several events such as Bil conference in Batna, or the University of Guelma, but also regionally representing Algeria in eminent occasions, such as Artwatch meeting in Morroco, MEPI and MED Culture conference both organized in Tunisia.

In 2012, I have been selected among thousands of young people worldwide by the DO School in Germany to pursue a one year hands-on innovative program called Ť Music for Social Change ť, that lead me to create my own music development non-profit organization in early 2014, featuring creative activities such as jam sessions to increase peer music learning.

Last but not least, I think that leadership is an exciting and endless experience full of lessons.
This said, I am absolutely convinced that Chevening is a honorable scholarship that perfectly meets my profile, as it is a unique life defining experience, gaining world class knowledge that will help sharpen my leadership and influence skills as an already active change maker, but also go far and sustain my path as a pioneer leader in the field of arts of culture professionally and academically.

Scholarship / Realizing my dream of creating the first arts management company in Algeria and the region [4]

Chevening Career Plan - MA in Arts Management in Cultural Policy

Dear all, I am looking for a first review for my career plan essay for a Chevening award, I am planning to pursue a MA in Arts Management and Cultural Policy, thank you for your time and inputs in advance, I really appreciate!

With its strategic geographical location, Algeria has witnessed throughout its history by peoples from various movements, that placed the country in at the crossroads of diverse cultures, arts and languages. Even if culture is considered as the fourth pillar of sustainable development worldwide, and considering the richness and diversity of Algerian culture and arts today and its crucial need for an alternative creative economy considering energy resources challenges, the country has still, after more than 50 years of independence, not adopted a clear and concert cultural policy.

An effective and inclusive citizen-led policy, respectful of creative forces and guaranteeing the freedom of artistic expression and independent cultural action that can lead the country to a peaceful and strong social and economic development that will reopen the county perspectives to productive and limitless collaboration with the region and the world.

My immediate plan upon completion of my MA, is to work for the first 5 years as a consultant and junior expert for key regional and international organizations such as UNESCO, El Mawred Ethaqafy, or Arterial Network, that are engaged on cultural policy in my country through research projects, allowing me to directly apply, as a professional pioneer and critical leader within sector, the robust and solid theoretical knowledge and understanding I gained through my research and analytical skills during my MA journey in the UK, and help me have a clearer idea of my research topic in the future.

In the meantime, I want also to build myself a recognition as an aspiring arts/artists manager and imaginative individual by working on a freelance basis for some inspiring and impactful projects, that will enable me to contextually sharpen my arts management skills, and keeps me connected to contemporary arts challenges and practices within the artistic sector in my country, making the best use of the rich network, unique hands-on and extensive arts administration experience accumulated during my MA work placements at various worldwide leading arts and culture organizations in the UK.

In the longer term, as I am concerned to endow my country a cultural policy that takes into consideration all dimensions related to the cultural and artistic sector, I do envision myself undertaking a PhD related to cultural policy in Algeria after my in-depth mid-career confirmed expertise in research, and have a decision making role through positive academic contribution that will definitely influence the shaping, implementation and promotion processes of a responsive and transparent Algerian cultural policy.

This said, I am also determined about realizing my dream of creating the first arts management company in Algeria and the region, that will respond immediately to urgent needs of Algerian artists, missing cruelly expertise in talent management, artistic career management, and local and international professional diffusion and promotion by creating innovative and creative business and administration models and approaches, that will also expand possibilities of creative entrepreneurship and have a decisive role in the framing of a creative industry in Algeria.