Urban Fellows dedicate six to eight hours per week working in either a community organization or a government agency. Fellows gain professional skills and insight through direct supervision of existing projects, and they build the capacity of their host organization through the creation of a unique project designed in collaboration with a community partner. In addition to community work, Urban Fellows enhance their collective experience through a series of regular community-building activities, such as dinners, speaker series, group service opportunities, and planned reflections with other Fellows.
Dwight Hall at Yale provides assistance placing students in host organizations, if needed, as well as leadership training for incoming students. Throughout the year, Dwight Hall provides ongoing advisement for both students and placement sites. It also commits financial support for students and projects and organizational resources such as cars, bus passes, and meeting space. The program is organized by the Dwight Hall Urban Fellows management team, including program manager Mark Fopeano, and two student coordinators, Hannah Kiburz and Nick Randos.
Expectations
Dwight Hall Urban Fellows are committed individuals dedicated to working collaboratively with their community towards solving urban challenges. Urban Fellows will:
- Commit a minimum of one academic year to the program.
- Dedicate six to eight hours per week to their placement site/project.
- Attend group meetings with other Fellows.
- Submit weekly updates to co-coordinators and the program manager.
Benefits
As part of the program, Urban Fellows receive:
- A service award each semester. If a student is eligible for Federal Work-Study, the Service Award may be extended.
- Access to existing open opportunities with Urban Fellows community partners, and/or ongoing support for developing relationships with host organizations.
- The ability to learn about New Haven through a host organization, whether by adding to existing projects or by building a unique project.
- The opportunity to cultivate a professional mentoring relationship with host supervisor.
- Individual advisement from Dwight Hall Urban Fellows management team.
- Engagement in student-led weekly gatherings such as dinners, guest speakers, reflections, team-building activities, and professional development seminars.
- Access to Dwight Hall at Yale cars, bus passes, meeting rooms, and other resources.
If you have an existing relationship with a preferred placement site, please indicate this on the application. If you have a general interest in the Urban Fellows program without a particular placement site in mind, the Urban Fellows leadership will provide support in finding a community partner. In either scenario, new Fellows must secure a placement site by the end of the spring 2021 semester.
If you would like any support before, during, or after application, please reach out to urbanfellows@dwighthall.org or mark.fopeano@yale.edu.