Monday, January 16, 2017

The REAL Change Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship to Fight Poverty

Are you feeling a call to action? We are looking for the next generation of activists and leaders in fighting poverty at home and abroad. The REAL Change Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship is a hands-on training program for young people between the ages of 18–30. During the yearlong program, fellows learn how to work with the media, their communities, and policymakers to create change.

REAL Change participants receive a crash course in advocacy at the RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. After three days of coaching and inspiration, fellows spend the final day of the conference on Capitol Hill and speak directly with members of Congress and their staff. Throughout the rest of the year, fellows receive ongoing training on biweekly calls. They hone their advocacy skills by taking actions ranging from writing letters to the editor to hosting events to meeting with their members of Congress in-district.

RESULTS is a movement of passionate, committed everyday people. Together they use their voices to influence political decisions that will bring an end to poverty. Volunteers receive training, support, and inspiration to become skilled advocates. In time, volunteers learn to effectively advise policy makers, guiding them towards decisions that improve access to education, health, and economic opportunity. Backed by the in-depth research and legislative expertise of staff, RESULTS advocates realize the incredible power they possess to use their voices to change the world.

As a REAL Change Fellow you will:
Receive training and support over 12 months to become a powerful advocate for the end of poverty.
Learn how to lobby your member of Congress on everything from tax policies that can lift millions of low-income Americans out of poverty to global health initiatives like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Become a skilled organizer who mobilizes your community to fight poverty.
Write pieces that get published in the media.
Start your own RESULTS chapter or help a local RESULTS chapter grow and thrive.
Attend the RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. Past speakers include Dr. Jim Yong Kim, Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Tavis Smiley, Marian Wright Edelman, and Muhammad Yunus, and more.
Attend the REAL Change Mid-Year Training in March of 2018 to learn about RESULTS priority issues in depth and the federal budget process, then head back to Capitol Hill.

Find more information and the application here