The fellowship program is one of the core leadership development strategies we use to work toward our mission and our larger goal of becoming a statewide youth-led organizing hub. We first launched the fellowship program in 2019 with 11 fellows receiving in-person training and mentorship. In the last two years, we were able to train and graduate a total of 41 fellows who now have a network of peers and mentors and a depth of knowledge in community organizing skills — all of which was gained during the most politically and socially tumultuous years in recent history. Our fellows have continued to lead in their communities by organizing for local issue campaigns and candidate campaigns; attending law school; majoring in public health policy; and joining the MNYC staff as organizers, fundraisers, and fellowship facilitators.
MNYC’s organizing fellowship is a paid project that provides young people with training and skills needed to become community leaders. We do this through a rigorous curriculum that includes trainings on organizing, power mapping, content creation, fundraising, and event planning. The fellowship program has two tracks — campus and electoral accountability — so fellows are able to learn skills that are related to their interests. Regardless of their track, at the end of their program, fellows are given the opportunity to apply their new skills by producing a product for the event, such as a toolkit for young renters, azine, or an event to share resources with unhoused community members.