EveryDay Democracy Student Scholarship & Grant Opportunity
August 31, 2016
Please share this opportunity for students to participate in Everyday Democracy‘s national conference and the accompanying grant opportunity for students to lead and organize efforts in their local communities!
Young leaders across the country are doing great work to engage people in their communities and create positive change. Our goal is to attract 20-40 of those young leaders to take part in learning and networking at our upcoming national convening. Participants will learn, connect, and share their insights with changemakers of all ages.
Up to ten young leaders will be awarded scholarships to enable them to attend the convening, and will have the opportunity to compete for grant money to support their leadership and organizing efforts in their local communities.
What we hope to accomplish:
- Highlight the work of young leaders at our national convening
- Provide opportunities for learning and networking among young leaders
- Provide support for the critical work being done by young leaders across the country
- Build our network among young changemakers
Young leaders scholarship and grant competition:
Young leaders (ages 18-30) will have the chance to compete to win an all-expense paid scholarship to Everyday Democracy’s national convening in Baltimore, Md., December 8-10, 2016. Five finalist groups will present their work at the convening and compete for grants to support their work in their local communities.
You are allowed up to two people per application, as long as both of the applicants are within the specified age group and able to travel to Baltimore during the convening. If selected as finalists, both applicants would receive the all-expense paid scholarship to the convening.
By participating in this grant competition, young leaders will gain access to our tools, resources and coaching, as well as a national spotlight for the work they are doing.
Who is eligible to apply | How to apply | Judging criteria | Timeline | Application |FAQ’s
Prizes:
Five groups (up to 2 people per group) will receive an all-expense paid trip to attend Everyday Democracy’s national convening December 8-10 in Baltimore (an estimated $2,400 value per group). At the convening, you’ll have the opportunity to learn with other community leaders, get coaching from our associates, gain knowledge and skills to strengthen your community change work, network, and showcase your project at an evening reception.
In addition, the five finalist groups will be eligible for the three top prizes to continue the great work they’re doing in their community. The prizes are:
- First place: $2,000
- Second place: $1,500
- Third place: $1,000
Who is eligible to apply:
Anyone living in the U.S. who will be between the ages of 18-30 on December 1, 2016, who is doing great work to change their communities is eligible to apply. Everyone who applies must be available and able to travel to the convening December 8-10, 2016 in Baltimore, Md. Applicants must be working to change their community within the U.S.
How to apply:
Submit a completed application and include a link to a video showcasing the work you’re doing in your community by Monday, September 26 at 11:59pm ET.
Video submission criteria:
- No longer than 4 minutes
- Does not contain copyrighted materials used without permission
- Does not contain inappropriate materials
- All original work
- Must be a publicly accessible video uploaded to YouTube
- Completed application form
Entries that don’t comply with the above criteria will be disqualified.
The video should illustrate the following:
- What your vision is for your community
- What actions you are taking to work toward making that vision a reality
- The strategies you use to get people involved, build momentum and engage different sectors of the community
- How you demonstrate a commitment to equity, racial equity in particular
It’s important to spend time planning your video and to pay attention to lighting and sound quality. However, your video doesn’t need to have a high production value – no professional video equipment or editing software necessary! We’d rather see a creative video with a compelling story than one that has a lot of special effects but doesn’t address the points outlined above.
Please be aware that YouTube is not a sponsor of this contest and YouTube is released from any and all liability related to the contest.
Judging criteria:
The following criteria will play a factor in the judging process:
- Community votes
- How the project addresses issues of equity, racial equity in particular
- The use of organizing and engagement strategies
- The impact attending the convening and receiving the prize money would make
- How the project incorporates elements of Everyday Democracy’s approach to change
- Originality and creativity of the video
- Quality of the video
Timeline for the competition:
- August 16: Video submission opens
- September 26: Video submission closes at 11:59pm ET
- September 30: Community voting begins
- October 14: Community voting ends
- October 26: Finalists are announced
- December 8-10: Everyday Democracy’s national convening in Baltimore, Maryland