Citizenship Fellowship Summer 2024
In COLLEGE 102: Citizenship in the 21st Century, you have considered different models of citizenship and the rights and responsibilities they involve. The Citizenship Fellowship provides an opportunity for first-year students who have taken COLLEGE 102 in Winter 2024 to put these civic commitments into practice through a full-time commitment during summer quarter. Competitive proposals will involve placements or projects with host organizations that make direct connections to the themes of the course.
The goal of the fellowship is to provide students from COLLEGE 102 with an opportunity to put their civic commitments into practice, and applicants should be prepared to explain how the proposed fellowship builds on themes from the course and contributes to their own civic engagement. In the course, citizenship is defined as “the practices, ideas, institutions, and systems that we use to make decisions together democratically.” This definition does not limit citizenship to work within formal governmental contexts. Similarly, we welcome proposals in any context where civic work happens. Applicants may, for example, want to contribute to organizations focused on issues like housing security, public health, or environmental sustainability.
Citizenship Fellows will spend the summer working full-time with a supervisor/mentor in a non-profit or public sector organization. Applicants propose their own placements with organizations with which they have corresponded before the application deadline and effectively demonstrate that their intended partner organizations have the need, interest and capacity to work with a fellow and to support the proposed project/work plans. Students can submit an application after they have received and accepted an offer from a host organization, and the host organization must then complete the Community Partner Questionnaire (via the fellowship application) by the application deadline. The Haas Center has many Resources for Fellowship Applicants, including our list of Cardinal Quarter Connections of host organizations seeking to work with Stanford undergraduate students, and our Meet the Undergraduate Fellows page with information on previous fellows' community partners and projects.
Please review the program policies in their entirety before applying. Each Citizenship Fellow receives a base stipend of $6,500 to support travel and living expenses during the fellowship. Financial aid and supplemental funding are available to students who qualify.
Are you working on a “project” this summer? Would your “project” benefit from additional funding? A Cardinal Quarter “project” is defined as 1) student designed in consultation with a community partner, 2) student implemented, 3) provides a tangible deliverable to the community, and 4) is sustainable beyond the summer. Students working on projects may be awarded up to an additional $1000 for project-related expenses. Click here for more information about projects and here to see a list of project-related expenses that may be covered. Please check the relevant box on the fellowship application if you will be applying for project-based funding.
Eligibility
Eligibility:
This fellowship is limited to first-year students who have taken the winter quarter course, COLLEGE 102: Citizenship in the 21st Century.
Students are welcome to propose placements with a variety of public interest organizations, keeping in mind funding will be restricted for certain types of political, research, Stanford-based, for-profit, and faith-based organizations. Please review the “Host Organization Eligibility” section of our program policies for more information.
Requirements:
Selected Citizenship Fellows are expected to begin service following the completion of spring quarter classes and no later than July 8, 2024. All fellows are required to work with their community partners at least 35-40 hours/week for nine consecutive weeks. Fellows are expected to work on-site at their host organizations at least on a hybrid schedule, but some fully virtual experiences may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Fellows must have a designated full-time professional staff member on-site as their supervisor/mentor. Please review the complete program policies for additional requirements. Other commitments include the following:
Spring Quarter
- Complete an online program orientation.
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service workshop or worksheet.
- Identify and meet with an academic mentor at least once.
- Design a personal learning plan and share the learning plan with the site supervisor and academic mentor.
- Complete all required pre-orientation forms.
Summer Quarter
- Submit a brief preliminary report
- Submit a final report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with fellowship donor(s) as requested by fellowships program staff.
Fall Quarter
- Meet with academic mentor at least once.
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating fellowship experiences.
- Participate in outreach activities to share the experience and help publicize the program.
Selection Process:
For those who seek assistance, advising is available through the Haas Center to help students develop their applications and/or to identify potential partner organizations. Please reach out to a Cardinal Quarter Peer Advisor or email cardinalquarter@stanford.edu for an advising appointment with program staff.
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss ideas for placements with program staff well before the application deadline to identify appropriate/relevant opportunities and prepare effective application materials. Developing a suitable fellowship placement takes time, so it is important to start the application process early and consult with professors, advisors, and community partners regularly.
This fellowship is intended for individuals whose application, references, and interview demonstrate
- an integration of the fellowship experience with the applicant’s academic, personal and/or career goals
- prior demonstrated interest or involvement in the subject area, including related coursework
- a compelling match between applicant’s skills and interests and an organization’s work and needs
- strong potential for the fellowship experience to deepen a candidate’s understanding of an identified community issue or challenge
Complete applications are screened, finalists interviewed, and fellows selected by a committee with the intention to award fellowships within six weeks of the application deadline. Applicants should respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to a fellowship offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts a fellowship offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
