Can you still apply to be a Fellow in a region you’re not currently living in? I’m currently living in New York and want to apply for the position in Boston where I’ll be going to grad school. |
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How do you present the idea of “IGNITE”? |
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If I’m not selected as a fellow, how can I stay engaged with IGNITE? |
Join a chapter! Start a chapter! Join the college council! Attend IGNITE events! |
How do you balance school and the fellowship? |
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How do you balance work with the fellowship? |
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How do you contact City Council members to invite them? |
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How many hours per week do Fellows put into their work? |
Zeenat, former Seattle Fellow: This can vary, depending on the week or the day! If you’re checking in with college chapters or doing outreach, it might only be 5 hours a week, but if you have a big event coming up, you might be working 10 hours that week to prep. The great part about the fellowship though is you can choose your hours which allows for flexibility to take on other jobs and opportunities.
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Is it harder to recruit elected officials or students to attend college training and events? How do you address the challenge? |
Geovanie, former San Antonio Fellow: Elected officials are the least of your worries! IGNITE has an amazing network of elected officials in fellowship cities. You will always have many options for speakers. It can be hard at times to get students to come to events because most of us have hectic lives while in college. However, I've learned not to get discouraged by low attendance numbers. At my first college council, I did not have the turn out I wanted. I became frustrated, however, I turned that frustration into action and passion. I changed my recruitment style. I started doing more tabling on campus. I went to more politically ambitious events to get the word out about IGNITE. You honestly have to figure out what works best for you, every fellow and every city is different. Just don't give up on yourself!
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What are your best practices for recruiting in new cities? |
Zeenat, former Seattle Fellow: Figure out where the colleges are and what organizations they have on campus where you might be able to recruit students for IGNITE (i.e. Political Science Clubs), reach out to faculty that might be able to support you, figure out who are the prominent members in the community (i.e. organizers, organizations, elected officials). One way I was able to do this was by joining a Facebook group of women in Seattle who are passionate about activism and getting involved in the community. Lastly, remember to be patient with yourself. Things may not fall together right away but as long as you’re doing everything you can know that you’re doing a good job!
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Are most of the campuses close to where you work and live? How much travel is involved when working with chapters? |
Dalila, former Southern California Fellow: I work in Southern California, where our chapters are a little more spread out. My chapters range from being about 5 minutes away from my home to about 1.5 hours (with normal traffic). However, I do not need to drive to each campus every week; it is often more as it is needed and I try to arrange to see multiple chapters located in the same area on the same day so that I do not have to do too many trips in one week.
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What challenges do you face in starting IGNITE in new communities? In returning cities? |
Zeenat, former Seattle Fellow: Starting in a new community comes with a variety of challenges. Figuring out where to do outreach and find young women who might be interested in IGNITE, reaching out to community members and elected officials to get them involved with IGNITE programming can also be challenging and intimidating. The great part about of starting in a new community though is the fact that you are bringing something to young women who have never had the opportunity to participate in something like IGNITE before. You are also the one building these relationships from the ground up, and there is something very empowering about that. |