For more than a decade, the Pathy Foundation Fellowship has supported young leaders working alongside communities to create meaningful social change. Fellows have launched initiatives across Canada and around the world addressing the issues they care about most and demonstrating what is possible when we invest in young people. Since its inception, the Fellowship has supported more than 100 Fellows working across 25 countries.
The past decade has brought a tremendous sense of pride, commitment, and community, alongside deep reflection. As we look toward the next decade, the Pathy Family Foundation and Coady Institute have mutually agreed that the Pathy Foundation Fellowship has reached a point in its evolution where it would benefit from a full redesign to continue offering young leaders the best possible learning experience. With this shared understanding, the two organizations have agreed to conclude their foundational ten-year partnership. Additionally, the Pathy Foundation Fellowship has paused recruitment for Cohort 12 to make space for this redesign.
The Pathy Foundation Fellowship was created through a shared commitment between the Pathy Family Foundation and Coady Institute to invest in young people and community-led change. Together, these organizations built an experiential learning program that enabled emerging leaders to develop their skills while advancing initiatives rooted in community priorities.
Over ten years, this partnership helped grow a national and international network of Fellows, mentors, facilitators, university champions, and community partners. What began as an ambitious idea became a nationally recognized model for youth leadership, community engagement, and experiential learning.
We are deeply grateful to Coady Institute staff, partners, and associates who helped shape the Fellowship’s first decade. Their contributions will continue to be felt through the Fellows, communities, and initiatives connected to this work.
A Moment of Pause
As a program committed to meaningful impact and transformative learning potential, we have decided to make intentional space to reflect and adapt.
Pausing Cohort 12 gives us time to consider how the Fellowship can continue to serve young leaders and communities while staying grounded in its founding values. It also allows us to reflect on the program’s structure, curriculum, and delivery model with the benefit of ten years of learning.
We recognize that many prospective applicants, Fellows, partners, and community members care deeply about the Fellowship and its future. Our intention is to carry forward the program’s strengths while thoughtfully shaping its next chapter.
Looking Ahead
Eligible candidates who were considering the Pathy Fellowship as their next step will have their eligibility extended to the 2027 cycle. We understand this pause may be disappointing, and we look forward to sharing more about the renewed Fellowship experience in due course.
The values that have guided the Fellowship remain unchanged. We continue to believe in youth-centered leadership, community-driven change, and the transformative potential of experiential learning. Over the coming months, the Pathy Foundation Fellowship will reflect on its first decade, engage with its network, and consider how the program can best serve the next generation of community-rooted changemakers.
To every Fellow, champion, mentor, facilitator, community member, and supporter who has been part of the Fellowship’s story so far: thank you. To our colleagues at Coady Institute, thank you for more than ten years of collaboration, commitment, and shared belief in the power of young people to create positive change.
We look forward to sharing the next chapter of the Pathy Foundation Fellowship’s story.
