ENGAGE – Wesleyan University

A program of the International Youth Foundation, YouthActionNet pursues a bold mission: to strengthen and scale up the impact of youth-led social ventures around the world. Through its local and global initiatives, YouthActionNet provides training, mentoring, funding, advocacy, and networking opportunities to social entrepreneurs, ages 18 to 29, who have pioneered solutions to urgent global challenges. Joining us are universities, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and individuals—all united in their support of young leaders whose innovations are changing the world—one community at a time. Become a part of this amazing organization through the Laureate Global Fellows program and gain valuable experience to help further your social enterprise.

Laureate Global Fellows are all young founders/CEOs who have pioneered cutting-edge solutions to urgent societal challenges. Sponsored by the Sylvan/Laureate Foundation, the Fellowship recognizes 20 leaders, ages 18 to 29, annually. Fellow projects are distinguished by their innovative approaches, their proven track records for success, and their potential to be sustainable over the long-term.

Fellows benefit from a yearlong experience that includes leadership training, coaching/mentoring, advocacy, and networking opportunities. Part of what distinguishes the Fellowship is the opportunity for young leaders to get away from the day-to-day demands of running a social venture through a seven-day retreat held in a different international setting each year. Retreats are designed to provide transformational learning experiences, enabling Fellows to connect in profound ways with their peers as they share their motivations and strategies, move through obstacles, and identify leadership goals for themselves and their organizations.

Other Fellowship benefits include:

• Recognition at a global awards ceremony, through related media outreach, and blogging and speaking opportunities made available through YouthActionNet
• Year-round learning opportunities and one-on-one coaching based on Fellows’ individual needs and YouthActionNet’s proven leadership development framework
• Being part of a global network of young change-makers, with the chance to connect and collaborate with peers leading change throughout the world
• Access to ongoing learning and networking opportunities as a YouthActionNet alumni

Learn more about the Fellowship by checking out our Frequently Asked Questions, our Approach to Social Entrepreneurship, and Testimonials from previous Fellows.

The 2014 Laureate Global Fellowship is now accepting applications.

Through a 24-month residency program, Inspired Teaching Fellows are prepared for successful and sustainable careers as teachers and changemakers in Washington, DC while earning a DC teaching license and a Master of Arts in Teaching.

The Inspired Teacher Certification Program is rooted in the belief that teachers, as Instigators of Thought, can be changemakers in their classrooms, schools, and society as a whole. Becoming a part of Inspired Teaching means joining a movement to change the way children are educated. Inspired Teaching believes that it will be teachers who ultimately change schools in our country so that they can achieve the promise of ensuring all children reach their full potential.

The Inspired Teaching model for teacher preparation ensures that teachers are well-prepared for effective careers as teachers in urban-environments. Through a year-long residency, Fellows learn the skills and dispositions of an Inspired Teacher under the guidance of a lead teacher, arming them with the knowledge and experience necessary for a smooth transition into their teaching career. In their second year, as teachers of record in District of Columbia public schools, Fellows continue to receive intensive classroom mentoring. During both years of the program, Fellows are enrolled as full-time graduate students at Trinity Washington University, completing coursework that results in a Master of Arts in Teaching.

Key aspects of the program:

Tags: education

Next Generation of Service connects young people to social change organizations by offering vocational mentorship and promoting community and international service as a component of any career path.  NGS “empowers young people to chart professional lives that work toward the betterment of humanity.”

For students who are unsure of what to do after graduation but know they want to make a difference, NGS offers peer guidance to help them uncover their passion and put that passion into action by becoming an innovator at a social change organization.

NGS guides (mentors) are all in their twenties and are alums of varies long-term service programs (ie. AmeriCorps, World Teach, etc), they are trained in neuroscience techniques such as meditation and journaling (in partnership with Dharma Express) to help students uncover their passions. NGS guides are prepared with resources and an understanding of unique long-term service opportunities that offer a great start to a rewarding, purpose-driven career.

NGS offers free one-on-one guidance sessions.  Learn more here: http://ngsmovement.org/services/mentorship/

The Byron Fellowship is an interdisciplinary course in leadership and community development that uniquely engages participants through place-based learning in Indiana and North Carolina. Each Byron Fellowship program is available to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates. Apply by March 29 for priority review.

Mission

The mission of the Byron Fellowship is to inspire leaders of the emerging generation to engage their unique abilities in leading generative efforts within their own communities.

Vision

Our vision is to achieve a renaissance in the health of human and natural communities.

Overview

During the 5-day program, participants learn alongside a collection of academic teachers and active practitioners. Fellows and mentors represent a wide spectrum of disciplines including the arts, natural science, social science, humanities and theology. The teaching methods include tutorial mentoring, collaborative dialogue, individual and group reflection.

The Indiana location at Turkey Run State Park places participants in an area of rich cultural and natural heritage and has hosted Byron for 10 years.  This year, we add an additional Byron Fellowship program at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, North Carolina.  Both programs immerse participants in the landscape and encourage exploration. Byron inspires a sense of wonder, awe and respect for the complexity and beauty of life.

Byron Fellowship incorporates a mix of informative and transformative learning. Throughout the Fellowship, participants are invited to contemplate their own unique abilities and personal values, to develop a clear vision for their vocation, and to articulate it for others. Participants are encouraged and challenged to reflect on and call into question their existing assumptions or mental models and to play with expanding their repertoire of ways of being in the world.

Topics of exploration include:

1. Values Systems and Theological Foundations for Sustainable Community and Action
2. Stories of Place, Local Cultural and Natural Heritage
3. Natural Systems, Human and Environment Interfaces including Agriculture
4. Authenticity, Vulnerability, Mindfulness, Ontology and Transformation
5. Presence, Dialogue, and Co-creation
6. Pitfalls, Pathways and Paradox in the pursuit of Sustainability
7. Integral Theory, Systems Thinking, and Design
8. Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Deviance
9. Envisioning and the Creative Process
10. Crafting, Sharing and Inspiring Vision, Values, Purpose, and Passion
11. Systems, Policy, Economic and External Structures in support of Flourishing
12. Fostering Trust, Relationship, and Design for Community

Eligibility

Each Byron Fellowship program is available to 20 upper class undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates from throughout the world by application. With the addition of the North Carolina program this year, there is now room for 40 Fellows per year between the two programs.  Prospective Fellows are evaluated based on their demonstrated academic, civic, and professional leadership. Strong attention is paid toward crafting every Fellowship with diversity capable of supporting a holistic exploration of sustainability.

Cost

The tuition fee of the Fellowship is limited to a subsidized cost of food and lodging, $250. A number of full scholarships are available based upon the financial need and academic excellence of candidates. Students from developing countries may also request travel support. To request a financial assistance application, please email us at: info@byronfellowship.org

Application

Rolling admissions are open for both programs at least until March 29th or until the program is filled. During our enrollment and registration period, we review applications on a bi-weekly basis.  Priority is given to the first students to apply from their particular area of study to create diversity for a hollistic exploration of sustainability. For instance, should we receive for review applications from two strong architecture students, priority will be given to the applicant who first completed their application. As such, we highly suggest applying as soon as possible within our enrollment and registration period.Participants who are not admitted because their academic specialties overlap with other participants may be directly admitted or given early priority to apply in the following year.

Interested participants for the Fellowship should submit an application as soon as possible to make certain your application is considered. Nominations are not required to participate.

Submit one application to apply for either or both North Carolina and Indiana. We encourage you to apply for both programs to maximize your opportunity for participation. There is a field within the application to state your preference for one program over the other.

To access the online application, please click here.

Clean Water Solutions Virtual Information Session
Tuesday, March 11
7:00p-8:00p 

Learn how you can make a sustainable impact taking on the global water crisis through a life-changing, eye-opening three week Ghana experience.

The CWS Fellowship Program is a three-week volunteer trip in Northern Region Ghana. You’ll learn about the water crisis while making a significant, lasting impact on this global problem by helping the very village you’ll come to know and live in.

Join Samantha Reilley, Director of Operations, during this online session as she explains the application process and how you’ll:

• Work with a specific community to build a water treatment business

• Train local women entrepreneurs how to run it

• Educate hundreds of families how to live a more healthy life with clean water

There will be a live Q&A where you can ask questions specific to the Fellowship or about the rewarding 3 year adventure it’s been hosting hundreds Fellows in Ghana, launching 60 water businesses in rural villages, and providing clean water for tens of thousands.

Info session space is limited, register now to reserve your seat.

Tags: global health

Wesleyan’s Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 PCSE Seed Grant Competition. These student-led social ventures will each receive $5,000 in unrestricted startup funds as well as trainings, advising, mentoring, incubator workspace, and other resources from the Patricelli Center.

Recipients were selected from a strong pool of finalists who submitted written business plans and pitched to a panel of expert judges comprised of alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Applicants were assessed on their project design, leadership qualities, and potential for social impact.

The 2014 PCSE Seed Grant winners are:

Boundless Updated Knowledge Offline (BUKO)
Joaquin Benares ’15
Boundless Updated Knowledge Offline (BUKO) aims to bring the video lectures, e-textbooks, and other online education tools to those who need them most.

JooMah
Kwaku Akoi ’14, Will Durney ’14, Oladoyin Oladapo ’14, Olayinka Lawal ’15, Maxwell Dietz ’16, Geofrey Yatich ’16, and Michael Yee ’14
JooMah is a web and SMS platform that will connect job-seekers in Sub-Saharan Africa with targeted employment opportunities nearest them.

Wishing Well
Tavo True-Alcala ’15 and Brent Packer ’15
The Wishing Well project will help universities design portable water stations for use at large campus events. These stations will reduce the use of disposable bottles as well as be a visible sign of the university’s commitment to sustainable practices.

BUKO, JooMah, and Wishing Well exemplify the spirit of innovation shared by so many members of the Wesleyan community. They have well-designed business plans, address a clear need, and are led by star individuals.  ”We are thrilled to support the early development of these three breakthrough projects, led by extraordinary emerging social entrepreneurs,” says Echoing Green Senior Vice President and PCSE co-chair Lara Galinsky ’96. “Their ideas to address education in the Philippines, job access in Africa, and environmental sustainability in the United States have considerable promise and potential for impact.”

All of the Seed Grant applicants follow in a long line of successful Wesleyan-connected social ventures — from SHOFCO to RefugePoint, Sustainable South Bronx to Musician Corps, and so many more. “The strong talent in the applications demonstrates Wesleyan’s unique ability to combine drive and motivation with social purpose,” said Sarah Williams ’88, a philanthropic consultant and Co-chair of the PCSE Advisory Board. PCSE Director Makaela Kingsley ’98 commented “Wesleyan students and alumni have an edge in the field of social impact. They combine passion for a cause with academic rigor and innovative, interdisciplinary thinking. It is a privilege to be able to support Kwaku, Joaquin, Tavo, and all of the other social entrepreneurs on campus.”

In addition to being selected by the judges as one of the three seed grant recipients, JooMah also won the Audience Choice Award for most votes received in an online poll conducted during the finalist pitches on February 28. Like past PCSE grant winners, all three ventures will report on their progress here during the coming months.

The Seed Grants are just one of many ways that the Patricelli Center supports student and alumni entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and changemakers. For more information and to access the PCSE Resource Center, visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/patricelli.

Public Service Fellows Program, Partnership for Public Service: The Public Service Fellows Program at the Partnership for Public Service is an opportunity for undergraduate students, graduate students and recent graduates to participate directly in transforming the way government works while developing valuable professional skills.  At the Partnership, fellows are integral to the day-to-day operations, programs and activities of our organization. We value the contributions of fellows and work to provide relevant and useful experiences in return. That’s why fellows are assigned substantive and meaningful work to support our wide variety of programs, events, and projects to help revitalize the federal government by focusing on the people working in it. Fellows’ duties vary across the Partnership’s internal teams but often include event planning and execution, conducting research, writing and preparing correspondence, and conducting outreach to external partners, such as government agencies and colleges and universities. (Deadline: Saturday, March 8th) 

NYC Teaching Fellows: The NYC Teaching Fellows program is preparing a critical mass of exceptional teachers committed to a better future for the NYC students. Our teachers go where they are needed the most – they teach in urban neighborhoods, where too many children have fallen behind and are struggling to catch up. Fellows who successfully complete our program become full-time teachers within a few months of enrolling. They participate in an innovative, practice-based summer training program and then earn a subsidized master’s degree in education while teaching in a New York City public school.  Fellows for our 2014 program will train to teach critical need subject areas including math, science, special education, English, English as a Second Language, elementary bilingual, bilingual special education, and special education – math. (Deadline: Monday, March 10)

Blue Engine: Blue Engine recruits recent college graduates from all backgrounds to help accelerate academic achievement in high-need public high schools. We seek individuals whose combination of past experiences–as students, leaders, and volunteers–have prepared them to excel under challenging circumstances and create measurable change in the lives of young people. (Deadline: Monday, March 10)

Tags: career center, engagecareer

The NAPEC Innovation Challenge brings together student entrepreneurs from top universities to compete for over $20K in cash prizes.​

​​1st prize: $10,000
2nd prize: $5,000
3rd prize: $2,500

​Best App Idea: $1,500
Greenest Idea: $1,000

​Thinking outside the box moves markets and shapes future consumer demands. The competition is designed to help and reward students who want to pursue an innovative business idea, develop a technology into a marketable product, or have a new approach to a difficult problem or compelling opportunity. The finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their ideas to entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists and receive valuable feedback on their ventures.

The objective of the challenge is for student teams to conceptualize an innovative product or service, and create a business plan for the product/service’s commercialization. Competition judges are entrepreneurs and investors who volunteer their time to meet with students who are interested in marketing their new innovative ideas.

Finalists to present at NAPEC Innovation Conference in NYC, April 12th 2014.

​Teams need to submit an executive summary (maximum 3 pages), due March 19th, 2014 23:59pm EST. Following the deadline, the judges will review the summaries and select 15 semi-finalists and from the semi-finalists, 6 finalists. The 6 selected finalist teams will need to submit their final business plans (25 page document, plus 10 pages of appendices) by March 26th, 2014.

Each semi-finalist team will be provided an exhibit booth to display a team poster during the NAPEC Innovation Conference in New York City, April 12th 2014. Each finalist team will give a 10 minutes presentation to the panel of judges and audience of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and investors during the conference. Following the presentation the judges will then have 5 minutes for Q&A. After the final presentations the teams will have opportunity to meet and network with the judges and receive additional feedback and guidance. The panel of judges will announce prizes at the end of Innovation Gala at the conference.

Application deadline is March 19th, 2014 23:59pm EST.

URBAN JUSTICE CENTER – MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT

Summer Undergraduate Internship 2014

Who Are We?

The Mental Health Project of the Urban Justice Center is a team of attorneys, social workers and advocates dedicated to enforcing the rights of low-income New Yorkers with mental illness. We represent individual clients, bring class action lawsuits, and engage in community education with the belief that low-income people with mental illness are entitled to live stable and full lives, free from discrimination.

What Do We Do?

• Homelessness Prevention/Income Maintenance: Represent clients in housing matters and advocate for social policies that combat homelessness. Ensure that clients have access to benefits, including food stamps, Social Security, and public assistance.
• Discharge Planning: Enforce state and federal laws requiring hospitals, jails, and prisons to provide people with mental illness with crucial social services prior to discharge.
•  Criminal Justice: Fight against the criminalization of mental illness and for the humane treatment of people in prison with mental illness.
• Disability Rights: Advocate for the rights of people with mental illness to live in the least restrictive setting appropriate, and to be active participants in decisions regarding their lives.

Job Description

We seek full-time summer undergraduate interns to help us advocate for low-income and homeless people with severe mental illness in New York City. Interns work directly with our small team of lawyers, social workers, and advocates, and in return learn a great deal about launching careers in social justice. Common intern assignments include assisting with fundraising and grant reporting; obtaining and filing court documents; proofreading legal memos and other documents; file and data management; assisting attorneys and case handlers with client meetings; and accompanying attorneys and case handlers, as needed, to court, hearings, hospitals, and jails. Undergraduate interns will also have the opportunity to attend advocacy and legal education trainings held at the Urban Justice Center during the summer. Summer interns work 40 hours per week for a minimum of ten weeks.

Qualifications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organization skills and attention to detail
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice
• Proficiency in Spanish is a plus

How to Apply

To apply, please send a resume and a cover letter indicating why you are interested in an internship at the Mental Health Project to Maya Leszczynski, Project Coordinator, at mhp@urbanjustice.org. Please write “Summer Undergraduate Internship 2014” in the subject line of the e-mail.

We cannot respond to telephone calls, emails, or other inquiries concerning applications.

People of color, LGBTQQ individuals, individuals who have personal experience with poverty, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Urban Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer.

For more information, go to: http://www.urbanjustice.org/ujc/projects/mhp.html