The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announced the introduction of its new Lead Scholarship Program at the Re:co Symposium on 19 April.
Lead is aimed at increasing diversity of leadership within the global coffee community by enabling access to professional development resources to people from underrepresented or marginalized communities. The program has been made possible by the support of S&D Coffee & Tea.
As a global nonprofit organization, the SCA recognises that access to benefits of membership and participation in coffee events and education differ for people depending on identity, background, and access to financial resources. The coffee industry has a lot of work to do to diversify its leadership at every point in the value chain and overcoming these obstacles will require proactive efforts and dedicated resources. Lead is designed to be a small but important step towards progress in this field.
Applications to the inaugural Lead Scholarship Program are open until 30 June 30. Five scholarships will be awarded in the first year of the program.
