The Saheli Youth Fellowship is an opportunity for Summer 2024 that provides high school students with the chance to engage with issues pertaining to South Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African (SAMENA) communities. Youth Fellows will get the chance to attend workshops, engage in discussions on issues important to them, and develop collaborative, community-based resources on a topic of interest to them. These students will also be given the opportunity to connect with MENASA working professionals in various fields such as healthcare, computer science, legal practice, and mental health.
Throughout the programming, Saheli fellows will engage in expression-based activities to further their learning about identity and community. Fellows will be asked to contribute one of these projects or a self-developed project outside of fellowship hours to a “Community Journal”; the “Community Journal” will be a collaboration of all the fellows’ contributions and other community members. The Fellowship will conclude with fellows participating in and running a workshop for other students in a day-long Youth Conference in June 2024.
Fellows will gain access to future social events organized by Saheli to foster a greater sense of community within the fellowship cohort and the organization at large. Upon completion of the Saheli Youth Fellowship Summer Program, fellows will be awarded community service hours, a certification of completion, and requested letters of recommendation; MA-based students will have greater consideration in receiving a scholarship from Saheli. More information about scholarships will be found on our website soon.
| Date | Workshop Focus |
|---|---|
| June 24 11-1 pm EST | Identity and Belonging + Prevalent Issues Within the Community |
| June 25 11-1 pm EST | Healthy Relationships: Boundaries, Rights, & Responsibilities |
| June 26 11-1 pm EST | Technology, Security, and How to Maintain Healthy Boundaries in the Online World |
| June 27 11- pm EST | The Healthcare System: Overview, Barriers to Accessing Care, and the Mind-Body Connection |
| June 28 10-4 pm EST | Youth Conference: Mental Health & Well-Being: How Can We Learn to Holistically Care for Ourselves? |
Responsibilities
- Fellows will craft a project of their choosing from the following choices:
- Community Journal + Reflections
- Compilation of Resources on chosen topic (Fact sheet, Flyers, Video, etc.)
- Another idea/project approved by Program Coordinator
- Participation in the Youth Conference
Eligibility
- In order to be a Youth Fellow, applicants must be in grades 9-12 during the fellowship term.
- As the focus of this program is in supporting SAMENA communities, fellows ideally should identify as an immigrant or child of immigrants from South Asian, Middle Eastern, or North African countries.
- Youth fellows must be able to commit to at least 4 of the 5 workshops offered. Exceptions will be made for extenuating circumstances, at the discretion of Saheli.
- Application must be submitted by April 30th at 10:00 PM. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted shortly after application submission & review.
The application for the Saheli Youth Leadership Fellowship is now open.