Find Your People; Find Your Place

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged it all. You, newly minted grads, faced severe levels of isolation, experienced new ways of working, and maybe didn’t step foot on campus.

VFC’s Fellowship Training Camp is back and better than ever before. We’ll be back, meeting a person in person to make the most of our flagship program flagship event. 

Sam Daviau (Co-Chair of VFC’s Alumni Council and Co-Founder at UpBeing) recently reminisced about his VFC experience at Training Camp, just shy of its 7th anniversary. 

“The VFC community has been more than just a Training Program. The foundations of the community all go back to those unforgettable weeks at training camp and continue to get stronger every year. After completing my fellowship, my fellow Alumni form much of the backbone of my support network and circle,” said Sam. 

How? His partner is VFC Alumni,  he’s attended multiple weddings among folks in his cohort and others (what can we say, ambitious people, are attracted to other ambitious people), and many of his closest friends are VFC alumni. 

“When I need support on a work challenge, my fellow Alumni are the first place I look. More importantly, when I need support on a personal challenge or trying to live more meaningfully, my fellow Alumni are the ones I seek counsel from,” said Sam. 

2020 is an extraordinary opportunity to build key entrepreneurial skills, and more than that: it’s three weeks to find, develop, and invest in a like-minded community.

VFC Fellowship Program Training Camp is a multi-week conference built on the same three pillars it stands on today.

Competencies. 75+ hours of interactive and practical sessions offer the entrepreneurial way of identifying opportunity; solving problems; leading a team; mobilizing support, long-term thinking, and how to bring your ideas to life. 

Community. Peers who are as curious and driven as you are. Startup leaders seeking new talent. The Fellowship is for recent grads who are ambitious and ready to succeed in a pretty ambiguous work environment where you’re expected to innovate and take ownership. 

Confidence. Confidence is trusting your skills, choices, and values. Besides actual sessions on imposter syndrome and self-confidence, we also know that each participant will see their skill development clearly throughout the Camp experience; will meet mentors and role models that clarify the choices ahead of them; and get clear on what really matters.

When we look at just those 36 graduates who experienced Training Camp six years ago, it’s pretty impressive to see where their careers have taken them. 

From Sales and Marketing Leaders at Billion dollar companies to founders to innovators working applying their entrepreneurial mindsets to policy, government, and community organizations. 

Relationships are a key factor in the development of both self concept, and a productive career journey. The Fellowship Program, and particularly the Training Camp, offers a consistent space – in the unpredictability of the world right now – for recent grads to make meaningful connections at all levels of their network.

One thing we can guarantor is that:  

• Find peers who will grow in their entrepreneurial careers alongside you.
• Find mentors who will invest back in you.
• Find employers who are looking for someone like you.
• And just maybe, find a business (or life) partner that will change the course of your life.

Look out for our 2022 Training Camp Catalogue with the insider scoop on what every week looks like. 

ps: our social skills are a little (read: a lot) wonky at this point, too. We’ve designed gentle and supported ways to help you make new connections this year. 

Pps: financial barriers should never prevent your participation in the Fellowship Program. Our Scholarships are designed to ensure you get access, and we provide travel subsidies and fully-covered accommodations for your Training Camp experience.