Center for Democracy & Civic Life Affiliate Positions [PAID]

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 16:21:50 -0500

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life is seeking undergraduate and graduate students to play leading roles in its 2024 - 2025 programs as affiliates with the Center. Affiliates include Alternative Spring Break (ASB) leaders (undergraduate and graduate students), ConnectionCorps participants (undergraduate and graduate students), and STRiVE coaches (undergraduate students only).

Applications for affiliate positions are due Thursday, April 4, 2024. Click here to apply. Read on for more information about the positions.

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Alternative Spring Break (ASB) leaders

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a five-day immersive learning experience for undergraduate and graduate UMBC students organized by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life. During ASB, participants explore the systemic and human dimensions of complex social issues in Baltimore, spending most of the week in small groups focusing on a specific issue or challenge. ASB groups work with community partners, elected officials, and scholars, in part to help participants identify their own pathways to long-term community engagement. ASB 2025 will take place during the week of UMBC’s Spring Break: March 17 - 21, 2025.

ASB 2025 will be developed by a team of student leaders organized and trained by Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff during weekly meetings in the fall 2024 and spring 2025 semesters. Together, the leaders will develop plans for a holistic, empowering ASB experience for participants. ASB leaders will work in pairs to develop small group experiences exploring social issues in Baltimore. Past ASB groups have explored challenges and solutions relating to equitable access to housing, nutritious food, and health care; disability justice; support for youth impacted by intimate partner violence; and a variety of other issues. Leaders can develop an experience relating to one of these topics, or to a new topic they propose.

The overall time commitment for ASB leaders is approximately 100 hours over the course of the fall 2024 semester, the winter 2025 term, and the spring 2025 semester. For specific meeting and program dates, see the application form.

ASB leaders receive a $1,250 stipend and a zero credit practicum notification (PRAC 121-03) on their transcripts for fall 2024 and spring 2025.

All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. Preferred but not required: Applicants will have participated in ASB.

ConnectionCorps participants

ConnectionCorps is a training program for UMBC undergraduate and graduate students aspiring to build skills in facilitating conversations that encourage authentic connection and democratic participation.

During the fall semester, members of the ConnectionCorps cohort participate in weekly training sessions. They also have opportunities throughout the semester to hone their skills by facilitating small group conversations within Center programs. The overall time commitment for the fall portion of ConnectionCorps is approximately 30 hours over the course of the semester. For specific meeting dates, see the application form.

Fall ConnectionCorps participants will have an opportunity to apply to continue the program in the spring semester to further hone their skills by developing and facilitating their own dialogue programs in consultation with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life team. The application for the spring portion of ConnectionCorps will be released in November 2024.

ConnectionCorps participants receive a $250 stipend during the fall portion of the program. ConnectionCorps participants selected to be a part of the spring portion of the program will receive an additional $750 stipend.

All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. (Important: This application is only for the fall portion of ConnectionCorps. Applicants do not need to commit now to applying for the second portion in the spring.)

STRiVE coaches

STRiVE is an immersive five-day leadership for public purpose program for UMBC undergraduate students organized by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life in partnership with the Student Government Association. STRiVE helps inspire and support students in becoming more effective leaders and contributors to their communities, especially the UMBC community. STRiVE participants develop friendships; discover their strengths and values; learn how to work more effectively in groups; envision contributions they could make at UMBC; engage issues relating to identity, privilege, and systemic oppression; and tackle both simulated and real leadership and social change challenges. STRiVE 2025 will take place from January 13 - 17, 2025.

STRiVE 2025 will be facilitated by a team of staff and undergraduate student coaches organized and trained by Center for Democracy and Civic Life staff during weekly meetings in the fall 2024 semester. Together, the coaches will rehearse sessions and make plans for an intensive, engaging STRiVE experience for participants. Each student coach will be paired with a staff coach to facilitate activities for a closely-knit small group (a “pod”) that will meet regularly during STRiVE. Coaches will be trained to facilitate pod and large group sessions.

The overall time commitment for STRiVE coaches is approximately 100 hours over the course of fall 2024 semester and winter 2025 term. For specific meeting and program dates, see the application form.

STRiVE coaches receive a $1,000 stipend and a zero credit practicum notification (PRAC 121-04) on their transcript for winter 2025.

All undergraduate students are invited to apply. Preferred but not required: Applicants will have participated in STRiVE.

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Use this form to apply to be an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) leader, ConnectionCorps participant, and/or STRiVE coach for the 2024 - 2025 academic year. Again, applications are due Thursday, April 4, 2024.

If you have any questions, you can contact us directly at civiclife@umbc.edu.