Advocacy Fellow (DegreesNYC)

Goddard Riverside Community Center•New York, NY

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

#DegreesNYC is a data-informed collective impact movement co-led with young people to advance fair education pathways in New York City, reimagine education, and promote student-ready schools. Advocacy Fellows participate in the Advocacy Fellowship and Youth Council, working to educate and advance #DegreesNYC’s policy priorities. The Youth Council draws on young people’s lived experiences to promote civic engagement and youth leadership, elevate youth voice, and help create a more just, equitable, and student-ready education system. Working under the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy, Fellows lead and support advocacy campaigns aligned with #DegreesNYC’s policy priorities. They use storytelling, public testimony, panel discussions, and op-eds to amplify youth voices and influence change, and engage elected officials and institutional leaders in advocating for student-ready schools and campuses. Fellows also build partnerships with youth-led and youth-centered organizations, collaborate with Data Fellows, and work with the Data Co-Op and Learning Network on data issues, particularly public data systems in New York City and State. Fellows help ground advocacy and policy efforts in young people’s lived experiences and identify priorities that matter most to youth. The position is scheduled from October 2026 through June 2027, for up to 10 hours per week, at an hourly rate of $17. The role is hybrid and includes in-person strategy meetings once a month at the Options Center.

Requirements

Must be a current NYC high school junior or senior, a current college student, or taking a gap year.
Excellent communication skills.
Interest in youth advocacy and empowerment.
Ability to commit to working 10 hours a week and joining regular, recurring meetings.
Ability to attend in-person strategy meetings once a month at the Options Center.
Access to Wi-Fi and a computer.

Nice To Haves

Community organizing and political activism experience.

Responsibilities

Create media toolkits promoting #DegreesNYC events and Youth Council priorities.
Engage parents and family members of students to collect testimonies, participate in workshops, and recruit for focus groups.
Establish strategic partnerships with students and youth-centered organizations.
Connect with aligned youth advocacy groups and youth-led organizations and encourage collaborative initiatives.
Collaborate with Data Fellows to support the priorities of the #DegreesNYC Youth Council.
Attend and participate in events, meetings, and hearings that support #DegreesNYC’s Policy Agenda.
Attend weekly check-in meetings with the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy.
Attend the #DegreesNYC team meeting at least once a month and weekly Youth Council meetings.
Use storytelling, public testimony, panel discussions, and op-eds to elevate youth voices and influence change.
Engage elected officials and institutional leaders to advocate for student-ready schools and campuses.
Identify youth priorities and help shape advocacy work through direct engagement with decision-makers.
Work with the Data Co-Op and Learning Network on data issues, especially public data systems in New York City and State.