NYC City Councilmember Ritchie Torres with Community Change Fellow Alexis Ramirez
In Summer 2014, Generation Citizen piloted its newest program, the Community Change Fellowship, which was designed to create opportunities for sustained civic engagement amongst graduated high school students. Applicants participated in a competitive application process, and those selected were placed in an internship with a host organization focused on civic engagement, including the offices of elected officials like Boston City Councilmember Ayanna Pressley and NYC City Councilmembers Ritchie Torres and Jumaane Williams or local advocacy organizations like YouthBuild and BronxWorks for an eight-week internship. Throughout the internship, students engaged on real issues facing their communities, and received professional development and advocacy training from GC. All fellows received a $1,000 stipend.
Alexis Ramirez, a CCF Fellow in NYC, said of his experience, “I am proud that I am now able to go to a complete stranger and talk to them about an issue worth fighting for. I will be going to political rallies and will vote in the future. I will start a student government and get involved in campaigns that help push for a better change in schools after the Community Change Fellowship.”
Susie Leung, a Bay Area CCF Fellow interning at San Francisco City Hall, shared, “I applied for CCF Fellowship because I want to create an positive change and a voice in my community. My favorite project during my internship was researching urban agriculture and coming up with ideas to create more accessibility and funding for non-profit community organizations. I saw first hand the amount of work government workers do for their constituents. I have a lot more respect for government officials and the internship has helped me decide a little about about what I want to do with my life. The fellowship has helped me see that I want to stay engaged in my community on a first hand basis, and reinforced my desire to major in global health and travel the world to help others less fortunate than me.”
Click here to read more about the Fellowship and its results: CCF Summer 2014 Outcomes