National Afterschool Matters Initiative Practitioner Fellowship

Posted by on July 20, 2009

National Afterschool Matters Initiative
Practitioner Fellowship
2009-2010

“It provided a professional environment for the first time where I was with like-minded individuals and provided an example of the kind of reflective community that could be created.  It was great to hear other people’s experiences.  I still draw from the Fellowship and think back to that time.”
— Practitioner Fellow

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College and the National Writing Project (NWP), with generous funding support from the Robert Bowne Foundation, launched the National Afterschool Matters Initiative Practitioner Fellowship in September 2008.  The first two participating cities were Philadelphia through the Philadelphia Writing Project, and the San Francisco Bay area through the Bay Area Writing Project.  The Fellowship is now being established in Minneapolis, Minnesota through the Minnesota Writing Project as well as continuing in the original sites.

The Practitioner Fellowship Program is a professional development and leadership initiative for mid-level career professionals.  Participants in the Practitioner Fellowship are selected by application, and through a year-long process engage in activities that inform program quality and improve practice through reflection and inquiry.

Those selected for the Practitioner Fellowship:

•    Become part of a community of practitioners.  Fellows work collaboratively to study effective practices and investigate the structures in which effective practice happens – at the program, activity, curriculum, and individual level.
•    Learn strategies to engage in program reflection and inquiry; Fellows learn approaches and strategies that will help them become better at program observation and analysis.
•    Improve programs and practice.  Fellows identify and investigate effective instructional strategies and bring these strategies back to their OST programs.
•    Engage in leadership activities.  Fellows present their work to peers and administrators, parents and community members.  They are encouraged to design and deliver workshops based on their work to share new expertise with others in the field.
•    Disseminate program improvement strategies.  Fellows create products including briefing papers, events, curriculum, as well as articles for professional journals.

Eligibility:

• Eligible Fellows must be working part-time or full-time at an afterschool program or community-based youth program in Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area or in Minneapolis.
• Eligible Fellows must be in commuting distance to University of Pennsylvania, University of California at Berkeley or University of Minnesota.
• Eligible Fellows must demonstrate interest in reflecting upon, investigating, and writing about quality practices in afterschool and youth programming.
• Eligible Fellows must be committed to employment in the afterschool program or youth development fields.
• Eligible Fellows must be available for the entire Fellowship schedule.
• Eligible Fellows must have a Bachelors Degree or higher.

Stipend:
Participants will be awarded a stipend of $500 at the completion of the program.

Schedule:
September 2009 – June 2010

• Participation in program launch meeting (2 day – Friday/Saturday)
• Participation in twice monthly seminars (mornings)
• Participation in writing retreat (2 day)
• Participation in local Research Roundtable (Fall, 2010)

Application Process:
Employer approval must be obtained (see Memorandum of Understanding).  Please complete the Practitioner Fellowship application and return, along with the MOU, no later than July 24th, 2009 by e-mail, fax, or mail to:

National Institute on Out-of-School Time
National Afterschool Matters
Practitioner Fellowship Program
Wellesley College, Waban House
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
niost@wellesley.edu
fax: 781-283-3657

For more information contact:  Sara Hill, NIOST Senior Research Consultant, (917) 418-3780 or sara@sarahill.net