SAF develops the leadership of college students from diverse backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to work directly with farmworkers in the Carolinas. Each year, SAF trains approximately 25 students on issues that farmworkers face, and places them to work full-time with migrant education programs, legal aid offices, rural health clinics, community-based organizations, and farmworker unions. SAF interns increase the capacity of the organizations they work with by outreaching to over 5,000 farmworkers & their families each summer.
Duration: 10 weeks (June-August)
Application Due February 4, 2021
Please note that due to COVID-19, we are not able to determine if we can accept out-of-state students that would have to travel by plane to the Into the Fields Program before the February 4th application deadline. We commit to interviewing every applicant and will keep any out-of-state applicants updated on our ability to fly them to North Carolina in early June.
Eligibility
To qualify you must be a current college student (including community college) or recent graduate (within 1 year). To be preferenced you must be able to say yes to one of the following:
- I speak high-intermediate or advanced Spanish
- I am a college student from a farmworker family (SAF preferences CAMP program participants)
- I am a student currently attending college in the Southeastern U.S.
- I am a college student from the Southeast (the Southeast is your home; you grew up there; your parents still live there, etc.)
- SAF strongly preferences all non-farmworker students to have reliable cars they can use for the summer. We accept approximately 12 students from farmworker families who do not have cars they can use for the summer and 13 other students who do have cars. They are paired together and share transportation during the summer. Most placements need interns to use their own car to conduct outreach to farmworkers. In addition to needing a car for their work obligations, interns need it to drive to/from work, grocery store, attend the 3 SAF trainings, and to conduct their documentary or theater projects.
Benefits
- $1600 stipend
- $1700 scholarship upon completion
- Rent-free housing
- Room and board at 3 trainings
- Mentorship
- Out-of-state students from farmworker families receive paid travel to North Carolina
Expectations
- Fundraise $750 to contribute to SAF's work (waived for UNC APPLES participants)
- Complete 35-40 hours of volunteer work per week
- Participate in the entire program from May 31 – August 8, 2021
- Write 3 guided writings/blogs
- Complete a documentary or theater project
- Be willing to drive/ travel long distances to trainings and to outreach to farmworkers (1-4 hrs/day, 2-5 days/week)
Important dates
- February 4Application deadline
- February 15 - 24Applicant interviews
- March 12Applicants notified of selection
- May 31 - June 4Orientation Retreat
- June 7First day of placement work
- July 8 - 9Mid Retreat
- August 5Last day of placement work
- August 7 - 8Final Retreat
Contact
Maria Lopez Gonzalez
(919) 660-9247
maria@saf-unite.org
Testimonial
My participation in SAF has impacted me in such a strong way that is hard to put into words. This experience has allowed me to grow as a leader, advocate, and person. SAF has pointed me in the right direction, and now I am more confident in my future as a leader.
