The Futures Initiative Leadership Program provides up to twenty-five undergraduate students from any CUNY campus with opportunities to develop leadership and peer mentoring skills. Students will receive a stipend for their contribution as well as support for transportation and cultural enrichment activities. They will participate in a variety of professional development workshops and and opportunities designed to build community leadership skills and support success in school and beyond.

Apply here by June 1, 2018

This year’s program will combine a one-day summer institute with regular opportunities to meet, reflect, gain new skills, and join in intellectual discussions at the Graduate Center, while also helping to provide resources, advice, and support to fellow students throughout the academic year. Students gain a variety of skills that will be beneficial for many careers that require collaboration, learning with and from others, building trust, and striving toward shared and common goals, and contribution to a larger public good.

For a glimpse into last year’s program, visit https://futuresinitiative.org/mentors.

About the Futures Initiative

The Futures Initiative is a unique CUNY program that creates and inspires alternative modes of teaching and learning in order to promote equity, diversity, and social justice in higher education. Research shows that collaborative learning enables people to learn material even more deeply than more traditional teaching methods. It is also an excellent way to develop transferable skills such as collaboration, identifying needs and resources, learning with and from others, building trust, and striving toward shared goals—all of which will benefit students during their time at CUNY and beyond.

Application Deadline

You are invited to apply for this opportunity by completing this online application form by June 1, 2018. All CUNY undergraduate students are welcome to apply, and we especially welcome applications from students who have taken a course with a Futures Initiative-affiliated professor. Past participants who attended the peer mentoring workshop last summer are welcome to apply for a second term.

All CUNY undergraduate students are welcome to apply. In order to receive compensation, you must be able to provide the following documentation:

• Immigration status
• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer ID Number
• If you are a U.S. citizen you must be able to provide your Social Security Number
• If you are a United States Permanent Resident you must be able to provide a copy of your green card
• If you are a Temporary Resident (Non-Resident Alien in the USA, Glacier candidate) you will need to provide copy of your passport bio Student ID Number

What We Expect From The 2018-2019 Fellows

• Participate in the Undergraduate Leadership Institute at the Graduate Center (August 15, 10am-5pm). Breakfast, lunch, and a round-trip MetroCard will be provided. You must attend all day in order to be eligible for the program.
• Write and publish monthly blog posts, and comment on your peers’ posts (https://futuresinitiative.org/mentors/recent-post/)
• Participate in at least six of the following eight events:
  • Meetups at the Graduate Center (two per semester, dates TBA), where you will discuss ways you can support your peers, engage in activities that foster mentorship and leadership skills, and talk with one another about your own studies and work-life balance.
  • Workshops and enrichment activities to be held in conjunction with the Humanities Alliance (two per semester, dates TBA).
• When possible, participate in events in the University Worth Fighting For series. These events are designed to tie student-centered, engaged pedagogical practices to institutional change and social justice.
• If possible, attend a conference hosted by the CUNY Humanities Alliance on October 18-19, 2018, at the Graduate Center and LaGuardia Community College.
• Respond in a timely manner to emails and scheduling requests from Program Directors.
• Participate in online discussions with Program Directors and the other Leadership Fellows using Slack.

Additional Enhancements

• Some participants will have the opportunity to present at conferences, including:
  • The Humanities Alliance Conference: “Community College and the Future of the Humanities” (The Graduate Center and Laguardia Community College; October 18-19, 2018)
  • The HASTAC 2019 Conference: “Decolonizing Technologies, Reprogramming Education” (Vancouver, BC; May 16-18th, 2019)
• Additional support may be available for select students who go above and beyond the program’s requirements, for instance by presenting their work at the conferences above.

To Thank You For Participating

• $100 stipend for participation in the summer Leadership Institute on August 15
• $400 for your continued participation in the activities above throughout AY 2018-2019, divided between fall and spring semesters.
• Limited travel funding and additional support for select participants

Application Information

Selection will be based on your application responses. We will also contact the professor you list in your application as a reference, so please be sure to let your professor know if you are applying.

Apply here by June 1, 2018. Participants will be notified of their selection by early July.