Opportunity Knocks: Host an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow
January 18, 2012
The Minnesota Alliance With Youth is pleased to invite schools, community organizations, government agencies, and others to submit a proposal to host AmeriCorps Promise Fellows. In order to ensure all youth achieve success in school, work, and life, we focus on four strategies: 1) strengthening youth success in school and learning, 2) increasing youth contribution through service & leadership opportunities, 3) developing and magnifying youth voice, and 4) promoting collaboration and innovation. Our goal is to ensure every young person graduates school ready for college, work, and life and has a vision for their future.
As a leading affiliate of America’s Promise Alliance, we actively participate in the Grad Nation movement, a national effort to end the high school dropout crisis and prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce. We believe AmeriCorps members can be part of Minnesota’s long-term strategy to address our graduation crisis by providing evidenced-based supports to youth in grades 6-10.
AmeriCorps Promise Fellows focus their service on working with youth who are at risk of dropping out of school in grades 6-10. Fellows serve youth in both school and community-based settings.
Fellows provide researched-based interventions that focus on promoting and improving attendance, behavior, and school success. Promise Fellows tap into resources in both schools and community settings:
- Caring Adults: Increase the number of significant caring adult relationships experienced by youth participants
- High Quality In & Out of School Supports:Implement high quality in school and out of school time activities to support academic enrichment, study skills practice, career exploration, etc.
- Service-Learning: Actively engage youth in meaningful service-learning or civic engagement activities
With support from their Host Site and other community & school partners, Promise Fellows develop, plan, organize, and implement programs to support young people, mobilize adult volunteers, and strengthen service-learning in communities. Utilizing AmeriCorps Promise Fellows can be a cost effective way for organizations to deliver meaningful and necessary interventions, and serve additional youth.
To apply to become a Host Site, organizations must complete an application as outlined in the Request for Proposals (available online at www.mnyouth.net). A Webinar will be held Monday, January 30th at 2 pm to provide technical assistance and support to sites prior to submitting an application (RSVP to Melissa Burwell, mburwell@mnyouth.net).
Completed Host Site Applications are due postmarked Friday, March 2, 2012.
For more information about the Alliance or the application process, please contact Melissa Burwell, Director of Strategic Initiatives, mburwell@mnyouth.net, cell: 612-616-2574, office: 651-528-8561.