.png)
Earlier this year we launched the new OHT Strategy for 2021-2022 and as we started to implement all the whizzy and exciting new ideas and plans, we started to consider the inevitable aches and pains of transitioning a community and how it operates. This largely affected how the OHT volunteer community operates. As you probably know by now, OHT is 100% volunteer-led. Our volunteers are what makes us (hopefully!), warm and welcoming and also evolve based on the passions and interests of these amazing community-builders. Our volunteers run Hubs, run Campaigns, or help behind the scenes to ensure OHT runs effectively as an organisation; from business development and impact measurement to looking at our community culture.
Over the years, and particularly in the last 12 months through activities like the OHT Week and our strategy development we have learnt that OHT volunteers have enjoyed:
Short, sharp bursts of work
Focussed tasks
The option of flexible and dynamic commitment
Working with and learning from different people
We've also recognised that we have mega super proactive highly-engaged volunteers who are leading great activities. Through this work they are also becoming better leaders based on their experiences the OHT community has given them.
And then the penny dropped...💰
And here was born the OHT Fellowship (the jury's out on the name)...🎉
OHT Fellows are the most “engaged” OHT volunteers across the whole community (they can be a [what we currently call] a Support Volunteer, Hub Volunteer, Campaign Volunteer). OHT Fellows “lead” or are part of a small team that is responsible for a discrete part of the community, for a specific period (cohort perks including future retreats, opportunities for funding, career development bonuses like invitations to partnered events).
By making this a “Fellowship” we hope it will encourage:
Better responsibility and clarity on the tasks and asks of the community
Provide opportunities for skills development by leading something
More formal recognition of the role and time of volunteering in OHT
As a community the OHT Fellowship helps us achieve our goals by supporting people to gain experience in running projects/tasks/programmes in a manner aligned with the values OHT is trying to promote. In turn we hope this will create a global network of awesome healthtech leaders who are driving the type of culture and innovation that is inclusive-by-design. The ethos with which we live by.
Keen to get involved and learn more? Check out our OHT Fellowship webpage. We'll be launching more information soon.
Any questions? Get in touch at info@onehealthtech.com