We are looking for applicants for the Few for Change Fellowship. See the description below and email fewforchange@gmail.com for more details. Applications are due by May 15, 2013.

Few for Change Fellowship Description

Few for Change, a scholarship fund that provides financial assistance — covering tuition, uniforms, transportation and books — to high-achieving middle and high school students in Panama who would not otherwise be able to continue their studies, seeks a self-directed, compassionate leader to help expand its programming and coordinate operations on the ground in Panama. This year-long position will provide the fellow with opportunities to develop real-world skills and influence the transition of a fledgling student-run project to an independent, start-up nonprofit organization. The fellow will work with Few for Change staff and volunteers to improve the organizational infrastructure and the link between Few for Change and the communities with which we work. The fellowship will be challenging but rewarding and a great opportunity for a young leader interested in international education and development to gain valuable field experience.

Few for Change is a young and growing organization looking to strengthen its operations and its partnerships with communities, community members and partner organizations in Panama and in the United States. As a volunteer-driven organization without a paid staff, Few for Change relies on a small, passionate, committed group of 10 volunteers in the US and 4 volunteers in Panama. Having formed this strong volunteer base, we are now looking to establish a strong and sustainable local base of support for our students as well as mechanisms and processes to allow students and community members to have a stronger voice in shaping how Few for Change grows and develops. The Few for Change fellow will serve as a key link between the organizational leadership in the US and Panama and the communities, collecting information and input to guide our strategic plan and vision for expanding and improving our program.

Roles and Responsibilities

Coordinate with local community volunteers to manage the scholarship application process and the collection of student paperwork and disbursement of funds
Strengthen existing local communication network to improve sustainability of the scholarship program
Investigate opportunities for engaging alumni of the Few for Change scholarship in giving back to the program and serving their communities
Translate student reflections/journal entries and post to The School Fund website
Provide input to improve scholarship application process
Disburse, collect and send scholarship applications to Few for Change staff
Communicate with students, help link students to Few for Change staff, members/donors
Investigate education programs nationally (within Panama) and internationally that promote education access, multi-lingual education, and education as a tool for community development and empowerment
Facilitate community discussions about barriers to education and strategies for overcoming those barriers
Develop and organize a new summer tutoring program to be led by current scholarship students
Organize monthly or bi-monthly meetings with scholarship students (goal setting, career aspirations, reflections)
Identify other partnerships with organizations and communities in Panama
Maintain regular communication with Few for Change staff, serve as a liaison between volunteers on the ground and staff in the states
Write and update student profiles
Write regular posts for the Few for Change blog with updates, reflections and analysis from Panama
Form relationships with and organize exchanges between other education programs
Research other educational organizations and scholarship funds and analyze models of community development and empowerment through education
Investigate opportunities for student-to-student or community-to-community exchanges between Panama and the U.S. (e.g. pen pal program)
Document work through photography, video, other media (digital or otherwise)
Assist with education & outreach about Few for Change
Other projects, as developed by the Few for Change Fellow in partnership with students, community members and other Panamanian organizations

Desired Skills

Fluent, or near-fluent, in Spanish
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, in Spanish and English
Experience facilitating community discussions
Group problem solving
Public speaking
Microsoft Office Suite (especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
Blogging
Social Media - Facebook, Twitter
Basic film editing (e.g. iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, etc.)

Desired Traits

The ideal candidate for the Few for Change Fellowship is:

Very independent, self-motivated, and reliable
Experienced with living/traveling in rural and remote communities in a developing country
A strong listener
A critical thinker
Compassionate and patient
Passionate about access to education and community development
Resilient and adaptable under difficult circumstances; a 'can-do' attitude
Eager to learn about the Ngäbe-Buglé people, their history, language, culture and current reality
Able to understand and reconcile diverse views about what a better world looks like

For more information on Few for Change, visit www.fewforchange.org or

find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/fewforchange) or Twitter (@fewforchange).

To apply, send a cover letter, resume, and responses to the attached writing prompts addressed to Brooks Winner at fewforchange@gmail.com.

Few for Change Fellowship Application Prompts

Please answer the following prompts in 500 words or less, in Spanish.

Talk to us about your experience, formal and informal, with education. What are some of the challenges that you have seen for students in finishing their studies, in the United States or abroad?
Have you ever been abroad? Where and for how long? Please tell us something about your experience.
Teach us your favorite educational game, song, or activity.
You are in a Parent-Teacher Association meeting in Panama. The teachers have proposed to parents that they begin enforcing the national rule that girls who have children cannot attend public school classes. A father stands up and expresses his support, explaining that girls who have started a family should not mix with the other students because they will be a bad influence. How do you respond?
The pace of life in rural Latin America is very different from the United States, and your day will often include hand-washing clothes and bathing in streams, mosquitoes, tropical heat/humidity, latrines, unpredictable control over your diet, and noise during the night (radios, dogs barking, roosters, crying babies). Over time this can become exhausting. When you are anxious, tired, feeling isolated, or overwhelmed, what are some things you can do to take care of yourself emotionally and physically?
This fellowship leaves a lot of time for self-directed projects. What about this fellowship excites you, and what are some small projects you might consider starting while in Panama?