Coach Information

Civic Spring Fellowship: June to August 2023

The Civic Spring Fellowship is an opportunity for teams of young people to strengthen their civic capacities while addressing an identified community need.

Coaches will work with the teams to help Fellows build the knowledge and skills needed to address a community priority while developing strong networks and capacities to drive meaningful change for the long term. 

For more information on roles and responsibilities, watch this short video from the CSF team. If you have additional questions not answered below, please refer to our FAQ section.

More Coach Information

• Overview
• Expectations & Qualifications
• Time Requirements & Compensation 

Citizens & Scholars is seeking young people and adults to serve as coaches for the Civic Spring Fellowship. The Fellowship supports youth teams through learning modules and exercises, communities of practice, and coaching, while teams undertake group-designed community-based projects over eleven weeks.

Up to 13 project teams from a range of geographic regions will be selected for summer 2023. Each team will be assigned a Civic Spring Coach to support their project. Projects will relate to topics including—but not limited to—criminal justice, education, community health & wellness, economic opportunity, environment, immigration, transportation, and/or elections.

Coaches Overview

Civic Spring Coaches will work with a Team Lead or Leads and small group of Fellows to provide insight and guidance on Civic Spring learning experiences to support the team’s community-based work. This will include facilitating team meetings, one-on-one meetings with team leads, and/or other forms of support. Fellows will have a set of learning modules and exercises to support their work and expand their civic knowledge and skills. Coaches will be provided with training and a supplementary “playbook” or facilitation guide to support their work. Coaches will also use their personal and professional expertise to meet the specific needs of their Fellows and as a complement to these guides.

Overall, CSF Coaches should expect to dedicate approximately 5 hours per week during the eleven-week Fellowship. Since summer schedules are often dynamic, there will be some flexibility built-in for both Coaches and Fellowship Teams. Occasional evenings and weekend hours may be required.

Expectations, Qualifications & Descriptions

We are recruiting up to 13 individuals—youth and adults—to serve as Civic Spring Coaches from June through August 2023.

The Summer 2023 Coaching team will comprise an intergenerational group of leaders with diverse identities and lived experiences who will partner with a Team Lead or Leads and group of up to 5 young people (ages 14-24), from around the country, seeking to create lasting change in their community and beyond.

Coaches do not need to be experts or recognized leaders in civic learning or community-based organizing, but will have the following qualities and characteristics:

• Commitment to youth engagement and leadership
• Interest in intergenerational work including openness to working across ideological divides
• Some experience working in a youth-led and/or youth-centered organization; coalition-building; mentorship; coaching; tutoring; or participating in the design and/or management of youth-led programming
• Interest in the following:
  • using, developing, and/or honing coaching and facilitation skills,
  • civic learning and engagement,
  • supporting community-based projects, and
  • relationship development.

Time Requirements & Compensation

Training

Coaches will participate in 4 hours of scheduled trainings in May 2023. Multiple dates/times will be available for training sessions, as well as optional office hours with C&S staff with the Civic Learning team.

Schedule

The program will launch with a required orientation for Fellows, Team Leads, and Coaches, on Thursday, June 8 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. EST. Coaches will then be responsible for coordinating/scheduling meetings and check-ins with assigned groups of Fellows, between June 12 and August 18.

Compensation

Coaches will be offered a $2,000 stipend to be disbursed in two installments at the start and end of the Fellowship period. There may be additional opportunities to serve as a paid Consultant in different capacities throughout Citizens & Scholars’ Civic Learning portfolio.

Schedule

• February 21 – March 31: Application open (due by 12:00 p.m. EST Friday, March 31)
• April 11: Grantees notified (by end of day)
• May 1: Contracts, release forms & other materials due
• May 8 – May 22: Coaches Training Sessions [TBD]
• June 8: 2023 Civic Spring Orientation (virtual from 7:00 – 8:30 pm EST)
• Week of June 12 – Week of August 14: Project implementation & weekly meetings (virtual, every Thursday from 7:00 – 8:30 pm EST)
• August 17: Final Community of Practice & presentations (virtual from 7:00 – 8:30 pm EST)