Fellows at Work
A Huntington Park community clean-up organized by Latino Equality Alliance fellow Sophia Raygoza.
The AmeriCorps Civic Action Fellowship Mission
The Civic Action Fellowship program, a partnership between the governor’s California Volunteers office, AmeriCorps and eight universities across the state, aims to encourage student dedication to community engagement and public service while helping students pay for school. The fellows are addressing crucial capacity needs that the nonprofit partners have identified as their greatest priorities. These areas include health, education and environmental justice. By building capacity for their organizations, they will help nonprofits fulfill their long-term missions and serve the Southeast Los Angeles region more effectively.
What types of projects are the fellows working on?
☑ Administrative and Data Support
Designing new systems for data management, implementing organizational protocols to help nonprofits run smoothly, and finding applications for data-based knowledge.
☺ Community Outreach and Programming
AmeriCorps fellows are supporting the parents of children in school, building safe spaces for marginalized groups, beautifying the SELA community, and more.
☏ Marketing and Communications
Website design, social media posts, creating newsletters and blogs, and helping promote the needs of the nonprofits they serve.
✎ Research and Capacity Building
Many of our fellows come from research backgrounds and they have been able to apply skills from their field of study to their work at SELA nonprofits. By diving deep into key issues, they are helping to build capacity for the organizations they serve.
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“At the beginning when we started the program and we were doing our trainings, one of the things that I mentioned was that it bridges our education with the community and that’s really important. We are serving our communities. Our community had such an amazing way of nurturing us as scholars, providing us with support, and as we grow we are bringing all of that back to the community.”
-Jessica Rodriguez-Lazo, SCDC
Why is civic engagement important for our SELA nonprofits?
The AmeriCorps fellows share their thoughts on how the program has inspired them and why they think civic engagement is crucial to seeing the Southeast LA region thrive.
Explore Fellow Projects
Take a look at some of the work the AmeriCorps fellows have been spearheading.
The Lavender Agenda Blog
Fellow Citlali Gonzalez has been working on crafting a blog for Latino Equality Alliance.
COVID-19 Vaccine Sites
Several fellows, including those at SCDC and SELA Collaborative, have helped us with our vaccine site operations.
Literature Review
As part of her fellowship, AltaMed fellow Pauline Le has been helping with important research projects.
May Fellowship Newsletter
Cal State LA fellows Andrea Baeza and Mariela Hernandez have been creating regular newsletters with news, announcements, and stress-relieving activities for the fellowship community.
As part of their initiative to educate the community about the COVID-19 vaccine, the 12 new Public Health Civic Action fellows are encouraging and supporting eligible populations to get vaccinated using social media, interactive websites, and print materials. Click on the photo above to watch their short video, “Why I Got Vaccinated.”
“The Civic Action Fellows program at Cal State LA is about more than providing opportunities for our students- it’s about empowering them, as well as our surrounding community. Students are placed at organizations whose interests match their own, and they are given mentorship, networking, and career-building assistance along the way. Cal State LA serves as an anchor institution in the region and we are proud to offer students a role in that partnership.”
-Taffany Lim, AmeriCorps Program Director at Cal State LA