DANR National Youth Initiatives

National Youth Fellowship Program

2012 Summer/Fall

“Civic Engagement: Leading the Next Generation towards Advocacy and Reform”

July 22-July 29, 2012 -Washington, DC

Fall 2012 Advocacy Work- Fellow’s Residing State

Joint Program

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“Being able to participate in the DANR National Youth Fellowship Program inspired and motivated me to become even more involved.” said Dahiana Tejada – 2011 Fellow Alumni. ” Now more than ever is the time to advocate and work towards the betterment of the Dominican-American community.  This fellowship provided me with the necessary tools to become a leader in my community.”

Applications are now available for the Dominican American National Roundtable’s 2012 National Youth Fellowship Program.

This training will bring together college students of Dominican descent both at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are interested in taking on leading roles in becoming agents of change in their communities though civic engagement.

DANR Fellows will engage in a 1-week leadership development training in Washington, D.C. where they will learn about the current state of policies affecting the Latino community and how to take action towards reform throughout a series of workshops, events, site visits, and congressional visits, and project development.

In the fall of 2012, fellows will then participate in advocacy projects for 12 weeks where they will put forth their training and knowledge into practice. Projects may include self-produced community workshops, a DANR.org online newsletter initiative on topics such as education and literacy, housing, immigration, economic development and others.  Fellows will develop a deeper understanding of how they can affect positive change in their communities and their nation.  All majors welcome. Travel, lodging,  and selected activities will be covered for all fellows.

Online applications are now available: Apply here.

Deadline for applications is May 18, 2012 11:59 P.M. (Eastern Time)

 For further information and questions regarding program, email: nyf@danr.org

Become an Agent of Change in your community!

Apply today and take advantage of this great leadership development opportunity.

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FELLOWSHIP HISTORY (2009-2011)

Thanks to the sponsorship of ARAMARK, Inc. in 2008, a group of six outstanding  college students from the great states of  New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island were brought to the Nation’s Capitol to be informed, educated, and trained about the nation’s most pressing issue among  the Latino and Dominican American community: Immigration.  These students were offered a mission: to become the next generation’s leading immigration advocates in their respective communities.  In gratitude to the experts and speakers from all facets of the immigration sector in Washington, DC [including ARAMARK, the Inter-American Development Bank, National Council of La Raza,  United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement], fellows were able to grasp the in depth issues of immigration and were able to share their learned training to the community.  Some of these internships sites included: the Dominico-American Society of Queens, DANR Headquarters Office in DC, Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights,  and the NYC Mayor’s Office.

In 2009, an additional group of eight phenomenal students–Pierina Sanchez, Ismael Cid Martinez, Falio Leyba Martinez, Johanna Gotay, Mayvel Garcia, Emily Peralta, Edward Paulino, and Selenia Caraveo–representing the great states of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey were brought to Washington, DC, this time, to tackle the nation’s pressing issue, Economic Reform.  Thanks to the expertise and advice of leading experts and professionals within the economic arena, [including U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Inter-American Development Bank, Latinos In the Information Sciences and Technology, PepsiCo, Merrill Lynch, among others],  fellows were able to put their training to practice within their fall internship sites [including the New York State Attorney General's Office, Latin American Economic Development Association of New Jersey, 5th Ward Paterson NJ Councilman Julio Tavarez's Office, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Dominican Development Center and Hyde Square Taskforce of MA, and JUNTA for Progressive Action in CT].  Our 2009 fellows were also provided a tour to the Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. Capitol, and the Embassy of the Dominican Republic.  Additionally, fellows were able to visit congressional offices including U.S. Senator “Bob” Menendez’s Office to discuss policy issues concerning the current state of economic reform.

In 2011, thanks to Ford Motor Company Fund and National Supermarket Association, 8 amazing undergraduate and graduate students–Dahiana Tejada, Paola Martinez, Pricelis Perreaux, Genesis Aquino, Nallely Acosta, Rafaela Zapata-Stump, Emmanuel Hernandez, and Nathaniel Tavarez–participated in our Summer/Fall National Youth Fellowship Program: Training the Next Generation for Educational Reform and Advocacy. Representing the great states of New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, our 2011 fellows were excited to take on leading roles as advocates of educational reform in their communities. DANR Fellows received a 1-week training in Washington, D.C. where they learned about the current state of educational reform and policies throughout a series of workshops, events, site visits, and congressional visits, among others. In the fall of 2011, fellows participated in advocacy projects for 12 weeks, putting forth their training and knowledge into practice. Some of these advocacy projects include self-produced community workshops, a DANR.org online newsletter initiative on topics such as education and literacy, civic engagement, educational reform in public schools, and others; an essay for submission in our youth empowerment workshop, among other creative projects.

Sponsorship Opportunities: Is your company/organization interested in sponsoring our National Youth Fellowship Program for Summer/Fall 2012? Please feel free to contact us above for more information and proposal presentations.

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See ONLINE BLOG BY 2011 FELLOW:

Ms. Dahiana Tejada, Pennsylvania State University

REFORMA EDUCATIVA Y ABOGACIA: http://dahianatejada.wordpress.com