Deadline: 5-Jul-23
Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) is currently looking for 3 people to join the premier fellowship program in the areas of policy, communications, and organizing, respectively.
This is a ten-month-long program designed to support Latinx, transgender, and gender non-conforming young people gain skills in political advocacy, public speaking, and programmatic organization – all centered in the practice of the Reproductive Justice framework. Each fellow will also have opportunities to participate in COLOR-facilitated trainings around Reproductive Justice, media training, government 101, public speaking, effective lobbying, and more. Additionally, members of this program will be tasked with reimagining ways to involve and activate young activists, youth leaders, and young people across the state.
Each fellow is responsible for leading in the development and implementation of an advocacy and professional toolkit in their respective area, focusing on young people and centering the Reproductive Justice framework.
Fellow Areas
- Policy Fellow:
- The Youth of COLOR policy fellow helps activate people of color to voice concerns with elected officials, public leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders on policy issues impacting the communities. It includes promoting the involvement of Latinx youth in the political process at the local and state levels.
- Organizing Fellow:
- The Youth of COLOR organizing fellow helps increase, inform and energize Latinx voters and non-voters alike by building authentic relationships with young people and youth-serving organizations from marginalized communities.
- Communications Fellow:
- The Youth of COLOR communications fellow helps build voice and influence through digital and marketing advocacy. They help bring authentic Latinx voices to the forefront, which help influence dominant narratives about Reproductive Justice and public policy.
Objectives
- Policy Fellow:
- Relationship building with policymakers and stakeholders and also with coalitions and partner organizations alongside movement building techniques.
- Expand understanding of government entities and how Colorado state policy is developed and implemented.
- Review, learn and support COLOR’s policy priorities rooted in the Reproductive Justice framework during the legislative session and observe high-level meetings with COLOR’s Policy Director.
- Conduct research on behalf of current policy priorities, tracking and analyzing with racial, gender and immigrant justice lenses.
- Participate in weekly policy call with COLOR policy staff, lobbying team and consultants.
- Support legislative briefings, provide testimony, and participate in media advocacy efforts.
- Deepen understanding of strategies that affect policy change, including grassroots advocacy efforts and effective coalition building.
- Organizing Fellow:
- Collaborate with COLOR’s organizing team and grassroots programming to support and lead education and advocacy campaigns & activities with young people.
- Expand understanding of state and local government and how voters and non-voters can be civically engaged in statewide elections.
- Engage with marginalized communities including immigrants and young people with a multigenerational, bicultural, and bilingual approach.
- Understand and amplify COLOR’s civic engagement and voter education strategy through power mapping assessments, phone banking, community organizing, digital campaigns, and other relational organizing.
- Participate in weekly organizing calls with COLOR staff, coalitions and consultants
- Leverage community relationships and existing partnerships to share resources and information on Reproductive Justice issues impacting Latinx young people in Colorado.
- Communications Fellow:
- Interest in Reproductive Justice, intersectionality, and community powerbuilding
- Background and/or interest in marketing, advertising, storytelling, or graphic/web design.
- Learn to recognize and address stigmatizing and disempowering language and offer inclusive messaging within the Reproductive Justice framework.
- Use digital communications, including social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, etc) with a Reproductive Justice-centered lens to help raise visibility of COLOR activities, events, donation asks, calls to action, etc.
- Give voice to real-life experiences (about abortion, STI/HIV positive living, young parenting, comprehensive sexed…) through storytelling in order to destigmatize these topics.
- Participate in weekly communications call with COLOR staff and partners
- Support communications team’s effort to author content (powermails, draft opinion editorials, blog content, etc.) and share stories (press/rally speaker, provide legislative hearing testimony, etc.).
Fellowship Information
- Compensation: $950 stipend twice per month plus reimbursement for any necessary lodging, travel, etc.
- Timeline: August 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
- Type: Part-time (avg. 20 hours per week)
- Weekend and evening hours may be required, however flexible work schedules are encouraged year round at COLOR. This position will be a hybrid of remote and in-person work; one in-office day per week is required.
Eligibility Criteria
- Fellows must demonstrate a commitment to COLOR’s vision, mission, and programs.
- The ideal candidate is a young person who is passionate about abortion and Reproductive Justice, advocacy, and being a changemaker for their community.
- To be successful in this fellowship, one must demonstrate results-focused work and problem solving skills to learn and work alongside the COLOR team in a fast-paced and ever-changing ecosystem.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are highly valued.
- Spanish language is preferred.
- Black, Brown, Indigenous, Afro-Latinxs, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, undocumented and LGBTQIA+ gender expansive people are encouraged to apply.
- A college degree is not required.
For more information, visit COLOR.