ENGAGE – Wesleyan University

Intern, Reclaim Childhood: Reclaim Childhood is a 501(c)(3) certified non-profit organization based out of Amman, Jordan that employs the positive impact of sport and play to empower marginalized Arab girls and women. Reclaim Childhood offers a unique summer internship opportunity for students and young professionals to come work for us over the summer in Amman, Jordan. Every intern will gain hands-on experience in coaching our girls and women on sports and leadership, learn the dynamics and critical inputs of a non-profit organization, and have the chance to live abroad in the Middle East. (Deadline: Friday, April 25)

Various Positions, Columbus House, Inc.: In the U.S., Veterans make up over 26% of the homeless population with many more at risk for becoming homeless. In Connecticut between 3,000 and 4,000 Veterans do not have a home. Women and young vets aged 18 to 24 are increasingly unemployed and underemployed, are living in substandard conditions, and are at far greater risk of becoming homeless. Men and Women who have fought for our country should never have to fight to keep a roof over their heads. The Veterans Recovery Project of Connecticut is a multi-site AmeriCorps VISTA project consisting of a collaboration of organizations in the New Haven and Bridgeport areas that serve Veterans experiencing homelessness, unemployment, legal issues, and serious mental illness. (Deadline: Friday, April 25)

Policy and Development Assistant, The Tobin Project: The Tobin Project seeks a highly motivated and organized self-starter to join our small but growing team in Harvard Square as the Policy & Development Assistant. This is a key role in the organization and is an unparalleled opportunity to be intimately involved with the inner workings of an entrepreneurial, mission-driven non-profit. The Policy & Development Assistant will work closely with the Director of Policy & Communications to support our development and policy efforts. The position will be especially suitable for individuals considering future careers in the non-profit and public policy arenas. (Deadline: Friday, April 25)

Kate Weiner ’15, coordinator of this semester’s Food Justice Workshop Series, invites you to a public lecture by Tracie McMillan, Wesleyan’s 2014 Koeppel Journalism Fellow. The talk – on Food as a Social Issue – will be Tuesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in Downey 113.

Tags: food, food justice

StartingBloc seeks the next generation of Social Innovators! For over eight years, StartingBloc has helped social innovators address the most pressing global challenges of our time by giving them the skills and the tools they need to maximize their impact. Our signature leadership development program, the StartingBloc Fellowship exposes young leaders to new models for achieving social impact. The Fellowship begins with a transformative five-day Institute for Social Innovation, which is the gateway to the Fellowship. The StartingBloc community currently consists of 1900 Fellows representing more than 221 colleges and over 55 countries. The application to the 2014 Boston StartingBloc Conference is now open. Learn more about the Fellowship, and apply online! 

StartingBloc will also be hosting a New York Conference in August, check the website often to take advantage of when the application goes live.

And check out this list of past StartingBloc Fellows who hailed from Wesleyan:

- Raghu Appasani

- Adam Poswolsky

- Elizabeth Ghormley

- Bonnie Oliva

- Mira Wijayanti

- Rhoda Tamakloe

- Micaela Gutierrez

Tasmiha Khan ’12 is founder of Brighter Dawns, a charitable organization that provides preventative care and health education to lessen health disparities in impoverished communities of Bangladesh. In the 2013 Brighter Dawns annual report, Tasmiha writes:

Thank you for supporting Brighter Dawns! Over this last year, you’ve helped us make a difference in the lives of people in Khalishpur, Bangladesh – we would like to take this moment to remind you that you’re changing lives for the better, and we want to let you know just how much that means.

In 2013, we launched Project RENEW, an initiative using a maintenance-oriented approach to addressing water and sanitation issues. We also saw our biggest year yet in contributions through donations, which will help us further expand and improve upon our projects in Bangladesh.

Read more about Brighter Dawns and Tasmiha’s work, including ways that you can get involved as a volunteer, in the latest newsletter.

Tags: brighter dawns

The annual Social Capital Markets (SOCAP) Conference connects leading global innovators – investors, foundations, institutions and social entrepreneurs – to build the market at the intersection of money and meaning. This is the premier event for social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs looking to build the new economy and use money as an engine of social change.

In 2013, SOCAP founder Tim Freundlich ’90 donated two tickets which were awarded to Wesleyan alumni Raghu Appasani ’12 and Rachel Lindsay ’04. Stay tuned for an announcement about SOCAP14 tickets for GOLD alumni (graduates of the last decade) this coming summer. The conference will take place September 2-5 in Fort Mason San Francisco.

In the meantime, the Patricelli Center is pleased to announce that The Gratitude Network is offering 150 outstanding entrepreneurs a scholarship to attend SOCAP14, along with other perks and prizes. Awards will be in the categories of education, global health, and community development and will include funding, ongoing mentorship, and publicity. Applications are due June 15 at http://bit.ly/1noXQo5.

Finally, SOCAP is seeking your ideas for 2014 conference topics. Submit your thoughts on SOCAP OPEN by May 25. If your topic is selected and you are invited to lead your session, you will be offered a free conference ticket.

Tags: conferences, SOCAP

How many times have you heard the phrase “I’m starving!” before going to eat dinner at Usdan? Is that what hunger really looks like? What about on a global scale?

Attend the Hunger Banquet–an interactive simulation of global inequality related to food, hunger, and income.

Upon entering the event, each attendee is assigned an income bracket—low, middle, or upper class—in correlation to the global distribution of wealth. Attendees then share a meal based on their respective income level.

During the meal, Professor Sarah Mahurin will be leading a discussion about the program and attendees’ reactions.

Tickets MUST be purchased in advance for a minimum $2 donation, with proceeds going to Oxfam America and Amazing Grace Food Pantry. They will be on sale during Usdan lunch April 17-23rd.

*Sponsored by Oxfam America, Haveli, Earth House, Farm House, Full House, Rho Ep, and Shoulder to Shoulder Homelessness Awareness Month.

Tags: hunger and homelessness

From our busy friends at Unite for Sight:

On Thursday, April 24, 4-5pm Eastern Time, Unite For Sight’s Global Health University will host a “Tools for Responsible Engagement” webinar.  The webinar will include guidance and advice from five panelists, as well as ample opportunity to ask the speakers questions about responsible global engagement for students and professionals.  Learn about the complexities of international work, the critical aspects of cultural competency and respecting local communities and professionals, and ethical considerations of participating abroad.  This webinar is ideal for students and professionals interested in global health, as well as university advisors and faculty.

Registration: Attendance at the free webinar on April 24th requires advanced registration by April 22nd. Please RSVP athttp://slate.uniteforsight.org/register/globalengagement, and you will thereafter receive participation instructions by email, as well as an opportunity to submit your questions for the panelists.

The expert webinar panelists include:

• Ned Breslin, CEO, Water For People
• Michael Fairbanks, Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
• Tricia Morente, COO, Kangu
• Natacha Poggio, Assistant Professor, Visual Communication Design, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford; Founder, Design Global Change
• Aron Rose, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine; Associate Clinical Professor, Graduate Entry Prespecialty in Nursing, Yale University School of Nursing

Tags: WesFest

Impact Network is a US-based non-profit organization that provides technology-based education solutions to children in rural Zambia. Impact Network is currently recruiting for the Impact Advocates program. This program provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience running an advocacy campaign and developing and executing a fundraising project. The program is also a great way for college-level students to gain knowledge of the educational landscape in an international context.

In 2011, the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame launched the Ella T. Grasso Leadership in Action Grant Program*, designed to honor the late Governor Ella Tambussi Grasso and her lifetime of public service and civic engagement. Believing that there is no better way to learn leadership skills than by developing and implementing a project plan and also that young people have the potential to find creative new ways to address community issues and problems, we strive to encourage and applaud their ingenuity. Our goal is to provide opportunities for college students to have real-world leadership-in-training experiences that foster real social change. Grant recipients will design and implement a community action project from start to finish. A faculty advisor/sponsor’s involvement is required, but it is the student who will develop the specifics of the project, outline goals and objectives for its outcomes, put together a plan for its implementation, create budgets and timelines, follow through with the project’s implementation, and report on successes, failures, and the true impact of the project on the community.

Grant Details

Grant(s) will be awarded each fall to young women enrolled at Connecticut colleges or universities to fund or partially fund community action or public service projects. The project must be completed within one year following the grant award. Deadline for submission of applications: July 15. Download Application Form (PDF)

Eligibility

Young women entering their junior or senior year at a Connecticut college or university are eligible to apply. Second-year students enrolled at two-year community colleges are also eligible. Students enrolled in a graduate program are also eligible to apply. Applicants intending to carry out a community action project in Connecticut during the grant period are eligible to apply for the grant. Applicants are eligible regardless of their primary area of study.

What kinds of projects are eligible?

Any community action, community service, or community outreach project is eligible for consideration.  Additionally, because of our 2014 theme, Shaping our World: Women in Design & Innovation, eligible projects can address a community problem or issue in an innovative way. Possible examples include educational programs; STEM-focused programs for girls; projects affiliated with a community service/non-profit organization; community service projects that help the homeless, the aging, women in crisis, or other underserved groups; and projects that help preserve the environment, advance technology or scientific study. Preference will be given to projects focusing on serving women or raising awareness of women’s issues and/or projects that pertain to this year’s STEM-related theme.

Interim and Follow-Up Reporting

Each grant recipient will be required to present her project and its final results to a special committee composed of CWHF staff, Board of Trustee members, and/or representatives from CWHF sponsoring organizations. In addition to final reporting, interim progress reports will be required with the schedule for these reports to be determined based on the timeline submitted for the project. Electronic versions of the project and results reports will be archived on the CWHF website to serve as a resource for future students and researchers. The project must be completed and its resultant reports submitted to CWHF no later than one year from the date of the grant award.

At the discretion of the CWHF, its Board, and sponsoring partners, applicants selected for final consideration may be asked for an in-person interview prior to grant awards. Awards will be presented at the CWHF’s Annual Induction Ceremony.  Attendance of grant recipients is expected at the event.

*Amber Smith ’14 won the Ella Grasso Grant in 2013. Read more here.