Fellowship Agreement

1. Upholding the Membership Agreement

1.1. The terms in this Fellowship Agreement are an addition to those outlined in the Membership Agreement and do not replace them. All CCD Fellows are also CCD Members.

2.  Becoming a Fellow

2.1. Fellowship Eligibility

2.1.1 Members who can engage with the CCD and its community in a steady and structured manner for more than a six-month period each year are eligible to acquire Fellow status.

2.2. Engagement Terms

2.2.1. A Member can apply for Fellow status by committing to a Project or a number of Projects that they will carry out during the year. Every year the Fellowship Agreement is renewed with new project commitments.

2.2.2. Projects are selected by a Fellow from the following list which outlines different ways to engage. They may already be carrying out these tasks as Members, or they could be a completely new type of engagement.

• • Operational Projects
    A Fellow can take on a Role that is part of the CCD’s operational functioning. The CCD has six teams: Administration, Community, Content, Social, Web, and Festival. An Operational Project requires the Fellow to be part of a team and actively contribute a minimum of 2 hours a week, for a period of 4 months.

• • Content Projects
    A Fellow can commit to contributing different types of content as part of their engagement throughout the year. The following, or a proposed combination of these are possible:

• • • Blog Posts
    • Articles
    • Peer-Reviewed Papers
    • Video Essays

• • Event Projects
    Organising an event either as a stand-alone, or as part of the Conscious Cities Festival.
  • City Chapter Activity

Setting up or continuing to build a local community, organising City Chapter events of publications.

2.3. Application

2.3.1. Any Member can apply to become a Fellow and commit to specific projects each year. The following are needed as part of the application unless otherwise stated in correspondence with a CCD Lead:

• • A 500 word Intent Statement sent to [email protected]. An Intent Statement expresses the reasons for your interest in joining The CCD. We also encourage applicants to share what they’re passionate about, and how The CCD may help them on a personal and professional level.
  • An updated CV.
  • A creation of one or more Project File using the website Dashboard.
    • Each Project File will require the following details:
      • The name of the project
      • The format, out of a number of options
      • The goals of the project
      • The names and roles of the people involved in the project
      • The number of hours that will be dedicated to the project
      • The key milestone dates, including the beginning and end of the project.

2.4. Other Commitments

2.4.1. Fellows will also need to commit to the following:

• • Attending the virtual annual Fellows Meeting, on a date that will be given in advance at the beginning of the year.
  • Attend monthly meetings for the 4 month term of engagement if they have taken on Operational Projects and are part of CCD Operational Teams.
    

3.  During Fellowship

3.1. Renewing a Fellowship

3.1.1 If a Fellow carries out their commitments according to their Project File, they are invited to renew their Fellowship Agreement. An existing Fellow who has carried out their commitments will not need to go through the initial application process again. However, new Project Files representing the Fellow’s intended future contributions must be created and approved by the CCD Community Team to ratify the new Fellowship Agreement.

3.1.2. A Fellow cannot hold the same Operational Role for more than two consecutive years if there is an available replacement.

3.2. Deactivating a Fellowship

3.2.1. If a Fellow realises during the year that they won’t be able to fulfill their commitment, they must communicate their decision to the CCD Community Team via email. Depending on the given reasons and causes, their status changes to either Inactive Fellow or reverts to Member.

3.2.2. The CCD Community Team will reach out to Fellows who have become inactive or have not met their commitments to establish a solution to the Fellow’s difficulties. 

3.3. Cancellation of a Fellowship by The CCD

3.3.1. If a Fellow is seen to be in breach of the Fellowship Agreement or the Membership Agreement, The CCD maintains the right to cancel a Fellow’s status as a Fellow and/or Member.

4. Publishing

4.1. Project Files

4.1.1. Members must first have a Project File approved before begging work on any content. A Project File is submitted for approval through the Dashboard.

4.1.2. The content created must faithfully reflect the details provided in the approved Project File.

4.2. Guest Contributors

4.2.1. If a Fellow is publishing content that is the contribution of a Guest Contributor (not another Member or Fellow), it is their responsibility to make sure that the content follows guidelines set out in this agreement and the Membership Agreement.

4.2.2. The Fellow must have the Guest Contributor sign the Guest Contributor Agreement. The agreement is an online form, it is password protected with the password “CCDGCA” which the Fellow can share with the Guest Contributor.

4.3. Access Rights to Published Content

4.3.1. The CCD reserves the right to make content exclusive to CCD members following a one year period of it being open-access.

5.  City Chapters

5.1. What are City Chapters?

5.1.1. A City Chapter is a collective of Fellows who are collaborating towards the following goals:

• • Creating a local Conscious Design community of practice.
  • Engaging with the local community to spur dialogue around the quality of the built environment.
  • Engaging with local decision-makers to encourage changes in approaches
  • Creating content that is either relevant to the locality, or is relevant to the locality but also to Conscious Design Principles as a whole.

5.1.2. A City Chapter cannot be or be directly and/or solely affiliated with, controlled or funded by a company, organisation, or a specific person.

5.1.3. A City Chapter cannot carry out commercial activities or provide paid services.

5.1.4. No individual owns a City Chapter. A City Chapter is an ongoing collaboration between active CCD Fellows.

5.2. Creating a New Chapter

5.2.1. The CCD supports the growth of the Conscious Cities community. Thus, it encourages the creation of Chapters worldwide that embody its mission, vision and values.

5.2.2. A City Chapter can be set up by creating Project Files representing new City Chapter activity.

5.3. Participating in a City Chapter: Projects

5.3.1. Submissions of Project Files that relate to work done as part of a City Chapter must be approved by the City Chapter’s existing fellows. 

5.3.2. Not all Fellows affiliated with a City Chapter have to take part in every City Chapter related Project. However, all City Chapter Fellows must be notified of any new intended Project, and given the opportunity to object or suggest changes.

5.3.3. City Chapters must credit the Fellows involved in each Project on the CCD website and when posting related content on Social Media, unless asked otherwise by the involved Fellow/s.

5.4. City Chapter Communication

5.4.1. Communication within City Chapters must adhere to the standards set within The CCD Membership Agreement.

5.4.2. Any significant changes to a City Chapter’s Mission, composition or intended Projects must be communicated to all affiliated Fellows.

5.4.3. City Chapters must hold at least one annual City Chapter meeting with all affiliated Fellows invited to communicate future plans and update Fellows on their City Chapter affiliated activity. It is the responsibility of the City Chapter Representative to organise this meeting.

5.5. Selecting a City Chapter Representative

5.5.1. One Fellow within a City Chapter must be elected every year as a City Chapter Representative, who will act as a representative when communicating with The CCD, other City Chapters.

5.5.2. The City Chapter Representative is not responsible for the activity of Fellows within the chapter. The City Chapter Representative is only responsible for communications with the The CCD and other City Chapters, and in organising a minimum of one chapter meeting annually. 

5.5.2. If a new City Chapter has been formed, the Fellow which initiated the formation becomes the City Chapter Representative.

5.5.3. If no City Chapter Representative is elected, the City Chapter will be considered inactive and its assets must be returned to The CCD by the last City Chapter Representative.

5.5.4. If a City Chapter Representative realises during the year that they won’t be able to fulfill their commitment, he or she must communicate their decision to the CCD Community Team. Depending on the given reasons and causes, their status may be changed  to either Inactive Fellow or Member. The City Chapter in this case can nominate the stand-in Representative for the remaining period. 

5.5.5. A Fellow cannot be in the role of City Chapter Representative for more than four consecutive years under no circumstances.

5.6. Voting/Nominating/Transferring the Role

5.6.1. To make sure every Fellow has the opportunity to confirm their intention to remain in a given role or assume a new one, on renewing their Membership and Fellowship Agreement, they should communicate their decision to the CCD Community Team. The City Chapter’s decision as to who is the Representative should be communicated as well.

5.6.2. To create a sustainable way to transfer information regarding any Role – including City Chapter Representative -, we request Fellows to engage with the CCD actively, complying with the Project File, attending the necessary meetings, and managing their role-related information in an organised manner that could be easily understood by their successors.

5.7. City Chapter Assets

5.7.1. Any content or assets created by a Member, Fellow or Guest Contributor for a City Chapter will remain a City Chapter asset, including if the Member or Fellow terminates their Membership Agreement or Fellowship Agreement and/or is no longer involved with The CCD or a City Chapter.

5.7.2. Any assets created by the City Chapter will be kept by The CCD for use by the City Chapter, and by The CCD when referring to City Chapter activity.

5.7.3. Social Media accounts created and used by Fellows for a City Chapter will remain for the exclusive use of the City Chapter. No individual can claim for themselves, rename the account or delete it. In the case that the City Chapter becomes inactive, the CCD Social Team will keep the account credentials and release it to the City Chapter if reactivated.

5.7.4. Social Media accounts of City Chapters shall use the same name and logo used by the City Chapter on the CCD website. Content shared on these accounts must follow the shared vision and mission of the CCD. 

5.7.5. The CCD will create a Youtube channel for each City Chapter and designate the City Chapter Representative as a manager of the channel.

5.7.6. During the Conscious Cities Festival the CCD Content Team will issue guidelines for festival promotion of Social Media, these guidelines must be followed.

6.  Upholding the Agreement

6.1 Amendments to this Agreement

6.1.1. The CCD may from time to time make amendments to this agreement as it works to develop a healthy and thriving Conscious Design Network and Conscious Cities Movement. All Fellows will be notified of any amendment, and all amendments will be recorded in a Change Log within the agreement. 

6.1.2. After January 1st 2026, any proposed amendment to this agreement must be ratified by at least 70% of active Fellows who participate in a vote. All active Fellows shall be contacted and presented with the option to vote, with a clear explanation of the proposed amendment and the reasoning behind it. The results of the vote can be counted 30 days after the vote has commenced if not all Fellows have cast their vote, or before that if all Fellows have already cast their vote.

6.2 Agreement Termination

6.2.1. A Fellow can voluntarily cancel their Fellowship and return to Member status.

6.2.2. The CCD holds the right to terminate the Fellowship if a Fellow is deemed to be acting in violation of the terms and values outlined in the Membership Agreement and/or Fellowship Agreement. In such a case, there will be no refund of the Membership Fee.

6.2.3 The consequences of violation of this agreement can have a detrimental effect on the community’s overall experience. It is in everyone’s interest to uphold these standards. In this regard, any unwelcome behaviour such as expressing hate, discrimination, harassment, or any form of harmful behaviour towards individuals or the community will be sanctioned in accordance with this document. All terms set out in the Membership agreement are also relevant to Fellows. If a violation of the agreements arises that creates a conflict between Fellows, our Terms for Conflict Resolution will be followed.

7.2.3. A Fellow can cancel their Fellowship if they are unable to or do not want to agree to a new amendment in the Fellowship Agreement.