What Happened: From September 2022 until December 2023, Mountaintop staff would sometimes share with fellowship candidates, hosts, partners, and funders that the work of Mountaintop is to "cheer on" the inspiring work of Fellows and hosts. While no one ever communicated with Mountaintop that they were concerned with this language, internally Mountaintop now views this language as creating an unnecessary and somewhat condescending dichotomy between Mountaintop and the civil society leaders that we work with.

 

How Mountaintop Responded: Mountaintop has established an internal policy to avoid using language that implies a one-way relationship of Mountaintop supporting leaders, as opposed to the more truthful poly-directional relationship of Mountaintop supporting leaders, leaders supporting other leaders in the network, and those leaders supporting Mountaintop.

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Mountaintop's Learning and Commitment: Mountaintop has learned that communicating in ways that positions Mountaintop as somehow "above the fray" of the work of its partners creates unnecessary distance, hurting collaboration with partners. Mountaintop is committed to communicating in ways that accurately portray its work as being part of a much larger global network of peer leaders working together to build flourishing communities worldwide. Mountaintop also commits to expressing to its partners how they are helping Mountaintop grow and achieve its own goals.