According to a 2005 survey, 53% of farmworkers are undocumented (without legal authorization), 25% are United States citizens, and 21% are legal permanent residents.
SSC Applicant Information
Where You'll Work | Theater & Documentary Projects | Fellow Qualifications | Expectations | Benefits | Program Timeline | Contact Info
Overview
The Sowing Seeds for Change Fellowship is a 6 month leadership development program for college students and recent graduates to improve farmworkers’ access to healthcare as well as advocate for improved living and working conditions.
Many people don’t think about where their food comes from; they just go to the grocery store and buy it, unaware of the people who produce it. Farmworkers have one of the most dangerous jobs and are among the lowest paid workers in the U.S. They face discrimination, heat illness, pesticide exposure, poor housing, and low wages.
Farmworkers have a long history of organizing, standing up for better working and living conditions through labor unions and community organizations. Health clinics help to serve the immediate health needs of farmworkers, the majority of whom do not have health insurance. By participating in SSC you can be a part of this tradition!
Through Sowing Seeds for Change you will support health clinics and get trained on the issues surrounding farmworkers’ lives and the broader context of the agricultural industry. Student Action with Farmworkers will place 5 fellows with health clinics that serve farmworkers in North Carolina. They will be trained alongside our 25 summer interns at 3 retreats. SAF fellows and interns come from diverse backgrounds and about half are from farmworker families. Apply Now- Click here.
Fellowship & Internship Program Video
Theater Group Video
Where You’ll Work
Fellows will live and work in rural agricultural areas in North Carolina. Fellows will be placed in health clinics that serve farmworkers and provide interpretation, case management, transportation to clinics and health education trainings about pesticides, HIV/STI prevention, and heat stress. All placements offer office work as well as some outreach to farmworkers, their children, or meat processing workers. Outreach varies but can be 1-5 times/week.
Theater & Documentary Projects
In addition to working full-time at a health clinic, SAF fellows work on one of the following projects:
Documentary students will get to know an individual or family more in-depth by documenting their lives through interviews, photography, and creative writing. The 2012 focus will be on the labor lore of farmworkers and their families.
Theater students will use skits to initiate dialogue among farmworkers and to mobilize them to come up with solutions to the issues they face. Performances take place in labor camps in Eastern NC and address issues important to workers; the 2012 topic is HIV & STI prevention.
*Fellows may submit a proposal to fulfill an academic requirement at their school in lieu of a theater or documentary project, which must be approved by SAF staff.
Fellow Qualifications
- Current college student or recent graduate (within 1 year)
- High-Intermediate to advanced Spanish
- Use of a vehicle for the duration of the program (June 3- November 16)
- Commitment to farmworker justice
- Previous experience in healthcare, campus activism, community volunteer work with farmworkers, or academic coursework on farmworkers
Note: Preference given to students from farmworker families and students from the Southeast. Former SAF interns encouraged to apply.
Expectations
In order to participate in the SSC Fellowship, you must:
- Fundraise $650 to contribute to the program
- Work 40 hours per week
- Participate in the entire program from June 3-November 16, 2012
- Write 7 guided journals
- Conduct a community awareness project
- 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)
Benefits
$9000 stipend, room and board at trainings, academic credit available. Fellows will set up their own housing and will use their stipend to cover living expenses.
Program Timeline
| Nov 3 | Application available online |
| Feb 6 | Application deadline |
| Feb 20-24 | Applicant Interviews |
| March 7 | Applicants notified of Selection/Waitlist/Decline |
| March 16 | Deadline to accept position or be on the waitlist |
| Mar 25-31 | Farmworker Awareness Week |
| June 3-8 | Orientation with ITF Interns (Winston Salem, NC) |
| June 11 | First day of on-site work |
| July 6-8 | Mid-Retreat with ITF Interns (Greensboro, NC) |
| August 10-12 | Final Retreat with ITF Interns (Durham, NC) |
| November 15 | Last Day of on-site work |
| November 16 | Fellows Celebration (Durham, NC) |
Contact
Rosalva Soto
Program Coordinator
919-660-3674
Laxmi Haynes
Program Director
919-660-3660
