The Common Cause Democracy fellowship aims to address the voter suppression that young people of color experience by working with Minority Serving Institutions and the communities around those campuses. This academic year we are hosting the following five democracy fellowship programs:
- Georgia AUC Program
- Maryland HBCU Program
- Jackson and Hattiesburg, Mississippi Program
- North Carolina HBCU Program
- Virginia State University Program
All applicants must attend one of the campuses listed above in order to be a fellow.
Fall Semester Workplan:
In the fall semester, Democracy Fellows whose campus have an election cycle will focus on increasing student turnout by:
- creatively communicating with peers about the importance of students voting and having a voice in decisions affecting their everyday lives, their futures, and our HBCUs
- disseminating information about the voting processes (voter registration, requesting absentee ballots, accessing polling locations, voting early, etc)
- attending community events to learn about early voting, election protocol, and what will be expected in the spring
- recruiting volunteers for GOTV roles (text bankers, canvassers, poll monitors, etc.)
In the fall semester, Democracy Fellows whose campus does not have an election cycle will focus on creating a civically engaged campus community by:
- hosting events that will prepare students for midterm primaries
- connecting with students on issue areas of student interest and Common Cause policy platforms
- creating a blog post or OpEd
- advocating to make midterm primary voting more accessible to students
Spring Semester Workplan:
In the spring semester, Democracy Fellows will focus on building relationships and educating their peers on ways to influence change by:
- hosting events and discussion on topics that highlight the importance of civic engagement beyond voting
- advocating for early voting sites that will make voting more accessible for students
- educate and mobilize students for the 2022 primaries
- disseminate information on bills that will have a direct impact on students
This is a ten hour minimum per week commitment for the semester with the opportunity to continue for up to two additional semesters. Selected Democracy Fellows will receive $1000 per semester divided into monthly payments.
Opportunities
- build relationships with student leaders on your campus, in your state, and across the country
- participate in leadership and organizing trainings to prepare you for future work in politics, law, advocacy, public relations, and more
- develop a mentoring relationship with Common Cause’s staff and connections to Common Cause’s community of partners
Responsibilities
- recruit and cultivate volunteers
- manage and participate in voter registration and community outreach
- track contacts and enter information into data form
- participate in statewide and national Democracy Fellow trainings and learning events (beginning of each semester, monthly conference calls, and etc.)
- attend weekly or biweekly meetings with Common Cause staff and other campus Democracy Fellows to coordinate activities
- establish and maintain relationships with community and campus partners
- support and advance the Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s mission
- increase Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
- disseminate information about the voting processes by making class announcements, organizing residence hall dialogues, tabling, and attending partner events
- work closely with Common Cause staff to develop individual goals that are in alignment with student’s strengths and interests
An ideal candidate will:
- demonstrate leadership qualities
- engage peers and surrounding community in the electoral process
- have strong written and verbal skills
Contact us by email at youthprograms@commoncause.org if you have any questions.