Alumni Fellowship Site Placements for 2018-19
Friends General Conference provides services and resources for individual Friends, meetings, and people interested in the Quaker way. FGC is an association of regional Quaker communities in the U.S. and Canada working together to nurture a vital Quaker faith. Founded in 1900, FGC has grown from a voluntary organization of seven yearly meetings, created to hold a “general conference” every other year, to an association of fourteen yearly meetings, supplemented with regional groups and individual meetings. FGC continues to sponsor an annual Gathering of Friends.
At its heart, FGC is a member and volunteer led organization. The way FGC operates is deeply rooted in the Quaker testimonies and based on Quaker practices. We believe that through worship and openness to God’s will, the right focus and direction for the organization will emerge. Discernment is achieved through broad participation of Friends from around the country in a variety of committees.
The QVS Alumni Fellow will serve as the Ministry on Racism Support Specialist, working closely with the Committee for Nurturing Ministries (CNM) coordinator for the ministry on racism work, the Committee for Nurturing Ministries (and other FGC staff as appropriate.) The support specialist assists the coordinator and committee with their routine work, planning of consultations and conferences, and also assists with inquiries from monthly, quarterly and yearly meetings. The support specialist assists with supporting the FGC staff in its diversity work and identifying resources that nurture the work of addressing racism within the Religious Society of Friends. This year (2017-2018) the support specialist will assist CNM with supporting FGC with initiating the Institutional Cultural Assessment. The fellow should have experience in or a desire to develop experience with a diverse range of individuals regarding age, race, gender and ethnic backgrounds, and should understand White Supremacy is a systemic problem within the United States and Canada. The Fellow should work autonomously, write clearly and directly, as well as have the ability to edit written materials.
Overview
The Fellows in the QVS Alumni Fellowship are recruited from those young adults who have already completed one year with QVS as Fellows in one of the cities where the QVS program now exists—Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, and Portland, OR. These Fellows have experienced spiritual formation, social justice training, direct service work in non-profit organizations, and living in intentional Quaker community as the key elements of their first year with QVS. This background provides them with an ideal foundation for participating in a program that focuses on Quaker leadership development including placement in one of the Quaker organizations in the Philadelphia area. The Fellows will also continue the process of spiritual formation, both individually and as a group, and are expected to participate in the worship and activities of a monthly and quarterly meeting, as well as Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Such involvement will also deepen their understanding of Quaker faith and practice, while continuing to build their leadership and organizational skills.
Meet our 2018-19 Alumni Fellow:
Shaina Robinson
Shaina Robinson was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a college town with a rich tradition of social justice engagement and community activism. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in May 2017 with a major in History and a minor in Creative Writing. While at Bryn Mawr, she was vice president of the Bryn Mawr Self-Government Association, the first and oldest self-governed student government in the country; founder and president of Bryn Mawr United Students Against Sweatshops; and a student coordinator for the College’s Leadership Empowerment and Advancement Program. During the fall semester of her junior year, Shaina studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark and was a part of the Danish Institute for Study Abroad’s Social Justice Living and Learning Community (LLC). The intent of the LLC was for American students to learn about Danish culture through the lens of social justice. Enjoying her experience as a part of a community dedicated to cultural immersion through experiential learning, Shaina decided that she wanted to be a part of more intentional learning communities and after some research discovered Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS). Shaina’s experience with Quakerism can be widely attributed to her time spent in academic institutions founded on Quaker principles and values. She is keen to spend her QVS year actively engaging in Quakerism and expanding her social justice framework in the process. During her free time, Shaina likes to read, write, partake in historical walking tours, and switch places with her twin sister. Last year, Shaina worked withAlumni Fellowship Job Description
Position: Quaker Voluntary Service Alumni Fellow
Quaker Voluntary Service’s Alumni Fellowship is an 11-month program in which individuals who have completed a year of service with QVS can deepen their involvement in the Quaker community by participating in a second year. The Alumni Fellowship provides the opportunity to continue the learning and growth from the first year with QVS, but with more professional and leadership development and a little less structure.
Alumni Fellows work full time in a Quaker organization while continuing to explore themes of spiritual and personal growth with local Quakers. Fellowships are only available in Philadelphia, PA. Examples of possible site placements include the American Friends Service Committee, Friends Journal, Friends Fiduciary Corporation, Friends World Committee for Consultation, Pendle Hill, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and Friends General Conference. Fellowships may also be available in other cities as way opens, depending on alumni demand and available site placement opportunities.
Unlike the first year QVS program, Alumni Fellows are expected to be more independent and will take responsibility for the development of their own community, learning, and spiritual growth opportunities. QVS staff will remain available to support, consult, or help alumni Fellows in any way they may need throughout the year. Alumni Fellows will also continue to be supported by and encouraged to engage with local Quaker communities, but are not asked to worship with a specific Monthly Meeting.
Alumni Fellows receive assistance finding suitable housing and a monthly stipend to cover full reimbursement for housing, utilities, transportation pass, and food. While still modest, the stipend will be increased for second year Fellows. QVS also offers health and wellness support (including reimbursement for health insurance and mental health if needed) and financial support for paying off student loan interest, a combined grocery allowance/living stipend. Alumni are also financially supported in attending conferences which enhance both professional and spiritual growth. Alumni Fellows serve as support staff for national orientation for first year QVS Fellows.
The 2018-19 program year is from August 26th, 2018- End of July, 2019.
If you have any questions about the QVS Alumni Fellowship program, please email Executive Director, Christina Repoley: [email protected]
Quaker Voluntary Service is an experiment at the intersection of transformational spirituality and activism, a year-long program for young adults.
Sam Downs grew up in Frederick, MD and graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in Civil Engineering. During college, Sam was on the junior board of Sweet Water Outreach, a non-profit focusing on health, sanitation, and water access in Kenya and Tanzania. He also enjoyed helping run a weekly dinner for international students, to welcome them to campus, and build lasting friendships. He is excited to work with QVS and gain new intentional relationships while growing spiritually.
Paloma Collazo-Vargas is from strawberry-town, Watsonville, CA. Her parents immigrated from Mexico, but met here, in hopes of a better life—as the oldest of the family; she is the first for graduating high school and recently, graduated from Earlham College, IN, as a McNair Scholar. Paloma majored in International Studies with a concentration of Latin America in hopes of working in diplomacy.