Overview
Civic Fellows are energetic, recent college graduates with a passion for service, civic education, public policy, and government. Civic Fellows will join the Close Up Foundation for a year-long term as we help high school and middle school students discover their own power as citizens. As a Civic Fellow, you’ll become part of Close Up’s tightly knit team of civic educators, working together to serve young people of all backgrounds in a varied, fast-paced environment.
The hours and duties of this position vary from week to week, and hours align with specific programs, often Sunday through Thursday from 8:00am-10:30pm.
You’ll have the opportunity to:
- Lead civic education programs in our nation’s capital and virtually for diverse students from across the country, helping them discuss and debate the issues that matter to them.
- Meet and build relationships with elected officials, nonprofit leaders, and policy experts.
- Work closely with Close Up’s partners, from Bank of America to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, to serve participants in special-focus youth summits, including those for Native American students, migrant and immigrant youth, and students working locally to engage their government.
- Lead students in explorations of historical cities up and down the east coast, including New York City, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Williamsburg.
- Participate in professional development sessions with skilled educators.
- Collaborate with Foundation leaders to improve civic learning outcomes for students across our programs and curriculum.
Most of the time, you’ll be staffing multi-day civic education programs in Washington, DC, leading high school or middle school students through study visits to monuments and memorials, meetings with elected officials, and engaging simulations, discussions, and debates. Your work with students will provide you with the firsthand knowledge needed to assist in efforts to study and improve the civic learning outcomes of our work with diverse students.
Compensation, Benefits, and Experience
- A salary (before tax) of $1,400 per paycheck, payable twice a month
- Generous benefits (including medical and dental insurance, no-cost life/AD&D insurance, FSA plan, retirement plan, all meals while working on program, mass transit subsidy, monthly cell-phone stipend, and the opportunity to earn free graduate credit)
- Sick leave and built-in, paid breaks around Thanksgiving and at the end of December
- Exposure to elected officials, policy experts, and issue advocates
- An extensive network of alumni, schools, and leaders in politics, policy, and the nonprofit world
- Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
- Comprehensive training and coaching
- Leadership and skill development
- Expertise in civics and educational systems and practices
- Eligibility for the Close Up Civic Educator Award
The Civic Fellowship runs from September 2024 through July 2025. This is a paid, fulltime position that is open to applicants who will have graduated from a four-year college or university between Spring 2022 and September 2024.
The application requires a resume, a cover letter, 2-3 professional references, and short responses to several questions. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through May 1.