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 7, 2022
Eligibility
To qualify you must be a current college student (including community college), recent graduate (within 1 year), or planning to return to school / taking a gap year. To be preferenced you must be able to say yes to one of the following:
- I speak high-intermediate or advanced Spanish (preferenced but may have availability for 2 non-Spanish speaking placements)
- 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. 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
- $4250 stipend
- Rent-free housing
- Room and board at 3 trainings
- Mentorship
- Out-of-state students from farmworker families receive support securing 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 30 – August 7, 2022
- 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
- October 8Application opens
- February 7Application deadline
- February 16 - 25Applicant interviews
- March 17Applicants notified of selection
- May 29 - June 3Orientation Retreat
- June 6First day of placement work
- July 1-3Mid Retreat
- August 5Last day of placement work
- August 6 - 7Final Retreat
Contact
Maria Lopez Gonzalez
(919) 660-9247
maria@saf-unite.org
Testimonial
My participation in SAF helped me become a strong, confident, and effective leader. I learned so many things during my time here, and I now know how I can create change in my own state.
