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That’s right, we’re hiring for three new positions and two internships, all based in New York City. Please forward to your networks. Fellows and movement allies are strongly encouraged to apply.
Meet the new Leadership Academy class!
We just accepted 22 fellows into the Leadership Academy! Selected from nearly 70 applications after an extensive and competitive application process, these young professionals are deeply engaged in the movement and looking to take their careers and leadership to the next level.
The new class is a diverse bunch: 60 percent are people of color, 23 percent identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender, and 60 percent are women. Ninety percent of the participants have successfully completed YP4’s first-year program and all have successfully completed a previous leadership development experience in the movement. The fellows span 11 states from the East to the West Coast and represent a mix of rural and urban areas.
Five participants will complete paid fellowships at progressive organizations in their home states; the rest are young professionals working at a range of progressive organizations across all sectors.
[ Meet the 2008–2009 Leadership Academy class ]
Political thought in the United States can’t just be divided into two camps — us vs. them, left vs. right, progressive vs. conservative — it’s much more complicated than that. There are actually a variety of progressive viewpoints on the economy, foreign policy and values — and they often contradict one another.
Join YP4 and the Movement Vision Lab @ the Center for Community Change for Ideology 101 in 2008 (starts July 28) to explore the range of progressive ideologies and figure out where you stand.
[ Sign up today ]
A record number of fellows submitted Blueprint for Social Justice proposals on July 1! Fellows are hard at work on their Blueprints, and YP4 staff are reviewing, approving and funding Blueprint proposals from around the country.
Here are some of the latest Blueprints-in-progress: B.E.AT. Burma Empowerment Action Team: A Malaria Prevention Project, Project Dignity, and Empowering Young Leaders Institute.
[ See more Blueprints for Social Justice ]
 Renea Forde (pictured) is a 2007 fellow from the University of Central Florida and a participant in the internship program. This summer, Renea used her internship stipend to return to build her professional experience working in the office of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Renea holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology and is working towards her Masters in Social Work Administration at the University of Chicago. In her internship, Renea is working on program development and hopes to use that experience to someday run and manage a nonprofit organization working on urban health and HIV/AIDS awareness. Renea describes her internship as a “fast-paced and intense environment that’s providing a tremendous educational experience.” Good luck, Renea!
Internship program going strong
Of the 30 fellows enrolled in our internship program, 22 are receiving YP4 funding for internships this summer; the others have secured full-time jobs or plan to take internships in the fall. Fellows are working in organizations such as the Clinton Foundation, Pittsburg Community Reinvestment Group, Anytown Arizona, Campus Progress, Eco America, World Bridges, and the United States mission to the United Nations.
Having been matched with mentors at their organizations or in their communities, over the rest of the summer these fellows will share and deepen their professional skills in group coaching calls.
Applications for the next round of the internship program will be available in December.
Shouts out in The Nation, AlterNet, Future Majority and more. Plus, we’re accused of being a communist youth front.
[ Read the news coverage ]
The summer of conferences continues! You can find more events on YP4’s site and at the Center for Progressive Leadership.
Generation-to-Generation Celebration (Washington, D.C., July 17)
Each year, Choice USA celebrates the achievements of their GENERATION Awards recipients — the next generation of leaders and mentors who have made cutting-edge contributions to the reproductive justice movement through service, research, communications and organizing — at the Generation-to-Generation Celebration.
Netroots Nation (Austin, Texas, July 17–20)
Members of the YP4 Blog Team will represent at the third annual gathering of the Netroots (formerly known as the YearlyKos Convention). Netroots Nation 2008 will include panels led by national and international experts; identity, issue and regional caucuses; prominent political, issue and policy-oriented speakers; a progressive film screening series; and the most concentrated gathering of progressive bloggers to date.
National Hip Hop Political Convention (Las Vegas, Nevada, July 28–August 3)
A biennial gathering of social justice activists, organizers, students, journalists, scholars and artists who come together to define the political agenda of the hip hop community.
Power Vote MEGA Training Camp
From August 11–17, Energy Action Coalition and its partner organizations will host a MEGA Camp, a large-scale training program to equip youth leaders with the skills and resources necessary to run a large scale Power Vote field campaign. The goal is to bring innovative strategies to the grassroots and to train a powerhouse team of organizers prepared to train thousands more young people, building an unstoppable ground force this November and beyond.
[ More climate-related summer opportunities ]
The Leadership Academy Commencement Dinner
On June 4, the inaugural Leadership Academy class celebrated their graduation from the 11-month program and the commencement of their careers in the movement.
The evening featured remarks from YP4 staff and Leadership Academy hosts and mentors, as well as reflections from the graduating class. Iara Peng, the founder and exiting director of Young People For, gave an emotional send-off urging the fellows to embody excellence as they continue their progressive careers.
[ View photos from the Commencement Dinner ]
Campus Progress National Conference
The fourth annual Campus Progress National Conference took place last week in Washington, D.C. The one-day event featured remarks by leading politicians, activists, journalists, and policy experts; issue discussions; networking opportunities; and hands-on activism.
[ Read Blog Team members’ posts ]
Roosevelt Institution’s 2008 Policy Expo
Focusing on “reclaiming the stuff of politics,” the Roosevelt Institution Expo 2008, a crash course in progressive policy, was held in Washington, D.C. last week.
Make a Commitment to Action through CGI U.org!
CGI U, a new project of Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), challenges college students and universities to address the many challenges facing our world today. At the inaugural meeting of CGI U, more than 700 students joined former President Bill Clinton in New Orleans to discuss challenges facing today’s world. Each of these students made a commitment to action — pledging to tackle a specific local or global issue with practical, innovative solutions.
This summer CGI U will distribute a total of $150,000 in funding to support student commitments made by CGI U inaugural meeting participants and nonparticipants alike. To apply for funding for your student service or activism project, make a commitment to action of your own in one of the four CGI U focus areas; Energy & Climate Change, Global Health, Human Rights & Peace and Poverty Alleviation. Then complete the application (to be posted on cgiu.org) by July 28.
[ Learn more, make a Commitment to Action, or apply ]
Video contest: “What are you doing for civil rights today?”
“Civil Rights 2.0” is a video contest launched by the National Campaign to Restore Civil Rights in partnership with YouTube. Help expand the national conversation on civil rights and demonstrate youth involvement.
If you’re between 16 and 25, you’re invited to make a 30-second to two-minute video answering the question: What are you and your generation doing for civil rights today? Entries are due by July 31 and will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges.
[ Enter the contest ]
Men Can Stop Rape (Washington, D.C.)
Men Can Stop Rape will convene the first-ever Campus Strength training on August 2–3 at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. The training will focus on the theory of working with college men and practical exercises and activities to engage them around issues of sexual and relationship violence, and on the practical aspects of running a group on campus, from meeting and discussion ideas to fundraising, recruiting and publicity.
The training will be geared mostly toward male students engaging other men in the context of a campus men’s group, but women, faculty and staff who are interested in helping to start, support or facilitate a men’s group on their campus are welcome and encouraged to attend. The $300 fee includes a two-day training, breakfast each day, and MCSR’s training manual.
[ Contact Joseph Vess for more information ]
The Task Force Policy Institute: LGBT Fellows Program
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute’s 2008–2009 LGBT Fellows program is designed to recognize and support the leadership of scholars of color across disciplines and put the best independent and academy-based thinkers to work on pressing movement issues.
The Policy Institute Fellowship offers full-time support for two researchers of color:
- A Junior Scholar: just post-doc, untenured early career university professor or independent researcher, and
- A Senior Scholar: advanced non-tenured or tenured university professor or advanced independent scholar.
Candidates who have not had advanced formal academic training may occasionally be considered.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis and are due no later than August 5. Awards will be made by August 15. The fellowship will run from September 2008–August 2009.
[ Learn more ]
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