Southern Education Leadership Initiative Fellowship

The Southern Education Leadership Initiative was developed to honor the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board by developing a new generation of thinkers and leaders to carry on the work of ensuring that all children receive an excellent education. Recognizing the need for new outstanding leaders in education and the nonprofit sector, the Southern Education Foundation initiated in 2004 the Southern Education Leadership Initiative (SELI). SELI provides highly motivated and diverse undergraduate juniors, seniors, and graduate students the opportunity to develop as leaders, engage with valuable community stakeholders, acquire practical job skills, and learn about contemporary education issues. Students spend the summer in trainings and working at an assigned leading nonprofit sector organization or school district. During this experiential learning opportunity, they examine strategies for improving education, addressing community needs, and putting theory into practice. Over nearly 15 years, SEF has placed 200 students in over 85 nonprofit organizations throughout the southern region focused on providing advocacy, grant-making, policy analysis, research, community organizing, and direct service in education. Students are assigned summer placements that pair well with their experience, educational interests, career paths, and developmental needs. Students will be asked to relocate for the summer to a new city or town in the southern United States.

Fellows receive:
• Experience: an opportunity to work for 8 weeks in an organization concerned with equity and excellence in education e.g., a policy institution, school district, community-based organization or philanthropic institution;
• Stipend: a living expense stipend of $4,500 (for undergraduates), or $5,000 (for graduate students who are currently enrolled and will have completed at least one term by June 1, 2018);
• Travel: all airfare/car mileage expenses associated with traveling to and from SEF trainings to summer placement site (assistance also provided by SEF in making travel arrangements);
• Orientation: training that exposes students to research in the field, stresses the importance of civic engagement, teaches strategies for making change, and provides opportunities to learn from inspiring leaders (attendance required);
• Fellowship Placement: supervision provided by seasoned sector leaders to work on challenging research, education policy, and nonprofit program related projects; and
• Closing Meeting: the opportunity to share lessons learned, reflect, and brainstorm on how to continue making change as part of a network of emerging leaders in the sector. (attendance required).

Eligibility Requirements
• Must be between the ages of 20-32 years old to qualify for the program.
• Must be currently enrolled in a four-year college or graduate level program in or outside the South.
• Must have completed 60 credit hours (equivalent of junior status & above in undergraduate program) or be currently enrolled in a masters, law, or doctoral program at a college or university. No minimum GPA is required.
• All majors are accepted but you must have demonstrated an interest in social justice and/or education policy and practice.
• Excellent interpersonal, writing, and critical thinking skills, with flexibility to respond well to diverse people, settings, and tasks.
• Submission of a complete application by March 5, 2018, 5pm ET. Please see the following pages for more details on required materials and directions on how to submit them. (No exceptions can be made on late applications).
• Must only work on assigned projects from placement site and SEF during the fellowship months. Students do not design projects for this experiential learning opportunity but are assigned projects by the placement site supervisor.
• Must relocate to another city or town, abstain from taking any kind of coursework, test preparation, or taking other job opportunities during summer program. Fellows must attend in full the Orientation and Closing Meeting.

Join this webinar: https://southerneducation.webex.com/southerneducation/onstage/g.php?MTID=e20809d93c5621b33c46c978cf2c0b648 and gain guidance on the application process and review the benefits of this unique fellowship opportunity.

Learn more and apply here: http://www.southerneducation.org/SELIHome

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