Applications are now being accepted for Americans United’s Youth Organizing Fellowship.
The Fellowship is a paid opportunity for young people ages 18-25 to grow as leaders, build power with a national cohort of youth organizers and advocate for religious freedom and the separation of religion and government. Americans United will select 10 Fellows who come from different backgrounds, work on a variety of issues that intersect with separation of religion and government and have shared values of religious freedom and equality.
The Youth Organizing Fellowship will run from September 2021 through August 2022. The program kicks off with a virtual convening in September during which Fellows will get to meet AU and each other, learn new skills and strategize for the coming year. Then Fellows will continue to meet monthly by video for ongoing training and support while organizing events and campaigns in their communities. The group will also meet in person in Washington, D.C., in spring 2022.
Applicants should bring some knowledge and experience but also be excited to learn more. They should be passionate advocates for the rights of LGBTQ people, religious minorities, the nonreligious, women and communities of color. They might be advocating for campus, city, state or federal policy change; building interfaith or cross-movement coalitions; or running programs to educate their peers. Fellows should be able to commit significant time to organizing with Americans United and be excited to work in collaboration with youth activists from across the country to lead AU’s strategy for youth engagement. Fellows will have ample opportunities for professional development and receive a stipend.
For more information and to apply to the Youth Organizing Fellowship, visit www.au.org/youthfellows.