We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship
Strengthening Brooklyn's Diverse Young Leaders

The We Are All Brooklyn (WAAB) Fellowship is a leadership development program entering its second year dedicated to advancing the next generation of Brooklyn's young diverse leaders and empowering them to become change agents to strengthen Brooklyn. The WAAB Fellowship will be comprised of 25 professionals, volunteers, and lay leaders serving community and faith-based programs in Brooklyn.

The WAAB Fellowship is generously funded by the Independence Community Foundation. The program is a partnership of We Are All Brooklyn, CAUSE-NY, a division of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York's Commission on Intergroup Relations and Community Concerns, and Kingsborough Community College's Center for Economic and Work Force Development. We Are All Brooklyn is a coalition of more than 50 community and faith-based organizations in Brooklyn and born in the aftermath of 9/11. WAAB brings leaders from diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds together to solve quality of life issues affecting their communities.

The Fellowship

The WAAB Fellowship is designed to empower ethnically diverse and talented young leaders who serve the community. The Fellowship seeks applications from promising leaders between the ages of 25-40 and who have at least three years of experience serving community or faith-based programs in Brooklyn. The cohort will run from September 2008 to July 2009, at which time Fellows will receive a certificate of completion. The Fellowship program consists of an opening full-day orientation, monthly professional and personal development seminars, roundtable discussions with decision makers, Committee meetings to organize a Challenge Project, and a closing retreat. Fellows will evaluate and enhance their professional skills, learn about the major issues affecting Brooklyn, network with emerging and established leaders, and organize a Challenge Project utilizing newly acquired strategies and tools.

The Mission of the Fellowship

The WAAB Fellowship teaches and challenges participants to work together. Ultimately, Fellows will learn how to utilize diversity as an asset to themselves, their agencies, their community, and Brooklyn. Leaders will come to understand that through building, broadening, and strengthening ethnic, cultural, and religious ties in Brooklyn there is far more that unites us than divides us. Fellows will learn how they can help communities share resources, manage dynamic tensions, and collaborate on solving problems

Highlights of the Program

o Professional Development Seminars
o Roundtable Discussions with Decision Makers
o Neighborhood Tours and Agency Site Visits
o Networking Opportunities o Meet The Leaders Orientation
o Challenge Projects
o Closing Retreat

Eligibility

Candidates for the Fellowship must:

• Be a young leader between the ages of 25-40 years old.
• Currently work or volunteer in a program or agency serving Brooklyn.
• Be dedicated to improving and serving the neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
• Have a minimum of 3 years working or volunteering in a community-based, non-profit, or faith-based institution.
• Be committed to and have a demonstrated record of promoting inclusion and diversity.
• Have a history of civic participation and leadership.
• Possess proven leadership qualities, a passion to help those in need, and a clear vision for the future.
• Be a self-starter. Be highly motivated to improve their professional development and personal growth.
• Receive a recommendation and approval to participate in the program in writing from their Agency Executive Director, Immediate Supervisor, or Agency Board Member.

Application Process

All applicants will be asked to submit:
• Completed Application
• Two letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Resume
• Signed Agency Commitment Letter
• One Passport Sized Photo
•Interview of Final Candidates

People interested in applying or nominating a candidate for the Fellowship are encouraged to contact:

Dori Zofan,
Program Director,
We Are All Brooklyn c/o Jewish Community Relations Council of New York / CAUSE-NY
70 West 36 th Street, Suite 700, New York, NY 10018
212-983-4800 x140 (phone) 212-983-4084 (fax)
ZofanD@jcrcny.org

Applications need to be submitted by Friday, June 5, 2009

Download the Application Here (pdf)

Download the Application Here (doc)

Download the Fellowship Overview here (pdf)

Download the Fellowship Overview here (doc)