World Scholarship: Understanding Worldview Gymnastics

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Dear Quipi

The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation was reminded of the old Chinese blessing at the beginning of this year, which simply says: "May you live in interesting times." By this measurement we have certainly been very blessed, as it is hard to imagine any more interesting times than those which we have experienced over the last year, starting with the Arab Spring uprising, closely followed by the Japanese earthquake, continuing ever faster most recently to the possible collapse of the Euro. The truth is that such times create powerful opportunities for those who are able to understand and harness their complexity and volatility. We are therefore convinced of the importance for our Allan Gray Fellows to gain exposure to these dynamics, which we have broadly termed "Worldview Gymnastics".

In recognition of the pivotal events of this year, this last edition of Imagine for the year reflects back on the past twelve months under the theme of Worldview Gymnastics. We start with a word from our Executive Director, Margie Worthington-Smith, who unpacks the science of Worldview Gymnastics and how as a Foundation we take such a multi-faceted approach to this challenge, including both internal and external events as well as harnessing the potential of technology with the iShift platform.

We are proud to report back on one of our Fellows, Ludwick Marishane, who quite literally has conquered the world, by winning the Global Student Entrepreneur Award in New York. Other Allan Gray Fellows were fortunate to be selected to attend the One Young World Summit in Zurich. This event, which equates to a youth "Davos", brought together 1300 youth leaders from 170 different countries. Our Fellows share their insights from this remarkable gathering in the article below.

Not to take away from the other Fellow achievements which we share, including our very own South African Minister of Finance at the G20 Youth Summit. We are sure that this list will increase as we look forward to a new group of future leaders that will be applying to the various programmes offered by the Foundation in the New Year, as well as welcoming those who have made it successfully through the selection process and join the Allan Gray Fellowship and Scholarship community.

In closing, we would like to wish you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. We hope that everyone comes back rejuvenated and ready to set their energies loose on the extraordinary opportunities that the world will certainly bring in the New Year.

Yours in interesting times,
Anthony Farr
CEO

Innovation

Margie Worthington-Smith, Executive Director of the Alan Gray Orbis Foundation unpacks the Foundation's philosophy of creating opportunities and conditions where success can thrive. Along with emphasising the power of technology in getting in touch with young minds that are further afield, she shares her insight into Mind Gymnastics and the success of this multi-faceted approach. This year, two rich examples of these kinds of opportunities included the National Jamboree, held in Cape Town and attended by all Fellows, and the One Young World Summit, held in Switzerland and attended by several of our Fellows and Talent.

It brings us great pleasure and pride to celebrate the success of Ludwick Marishane, Allan Gray Fellow and University of Cape Town student. This young man's conceptual idea for a simple antibacterial cleanser led him to become the first sub-Saharan African to win the Global Student Entrepreneur Award. His invention, DryBath, came tops among more than 2000 other contestants' business concepts at the contest which was run by the Entrepreneurs' Organisation and sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the New York Stock Exchange.

Inspiration

In September this year, Three Alan Gray Fellows and two staff members headed off Zurich to attend the One Young World Summit ? a global forum for young people that display exceptional leadership potential. In this article, they share a bit about their experience at the summit as well as their highlights which include an inspiring word from Desmond Tutu, Jamie Oliver on the Food Revolution and a call for leadership from Bob Geldof amongst others.

We look back on the past successes and challenges of 2011 as we celebrate the bright young Fellows of the Alan Gray Orbis Foundation. From winning and speaking at international award ceremonies to entrepreneurial accolades and social investment, our Fellows have proved they're proud to represent themselves as dynamic and positive thought-leaders in South Africa. Their achievements inspire us to continue to develop and inspire a future generation of leaders in our country as we look forward to welcoming new faces on board in the Fellowship programme next year.

2011 Fellow Achievements