Site Placement Partners

In each QVS city, we match young adult Fellows and their vocational leadings with professional positions at service and change organizations. With this model, we expand the capacity of community-based non-profits and offer young adults immersive experiences in existing community-led work.

2022-2023 Site Placements (click on any logo for more information)

Apprentice Learning

Apprentice Learning (AL) believes that every young person should be empowered to pursue a fulfilling work life. We leverage career exploration to teach skills and to nurture dreams.

AL aims to close the opportunity gap in Boston Public Schools by providing career exploration programming and early work experiences for middle school students. Through a variety of programming, AL teaches students essential workplace skills, exposes students to various careers, and introduces them to a

network of professionals. AL showcases the link between academic commitment and professional success. Our programs encourage students to explore their identities, passions, and goals for the future, and also teach them skills for workplace success.

We serve 250 seventh and eighth grade students per year in five partner schools. Our 60+ work-site partners include small businesses, financial institutions, human service organizations, and STEM-related businesses.

Fellow Position: Program Specialist
The Fellow will be trained to facilitate the Apprenticeship program. This involves leading six preparatory classes and helping coordinate apprenticeship site and student matchups. The Fellow will also assist in connecting all of their students who are eligible for summer employment to opportunities in the Boston area.

The Fellow will report to, and work closely with, AL’s Program Director to implement the program. The Fellow will undergo training that will allow for an experience outside of their comfort zone, but with ample support. As the Fellow becomes increasingly oriented (i.e. comfortable delivering lessons and working with students), their level of autonomy will increase. This growth process will be formed through a collaborative process between the Fellow and their supervisor.

ACHIEVEABILITY

ACHIEVEability is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working to permanently break the generational cycle of poverty for low income, single parent, and homeless families through higher education, affordable housing, supportive services, community and economic development, and accountability.

Founded in 1981, ACHIEVEability strives to permanently break the generational cycle of poverty for low-income, single-parent and homeless families. In our neighborhood the poverty rate is 37%. Focusing on the Haddington and Cobbs Creek neighborhoods of West Philadelphia, ACHIEVEability provides a continuum of anti-poverty services for vulnerable, low-income individuals and families through our three core programs: ACHIEVEability Connects, Family Self-Sufficiency Program and WorkSmart West Philly. ACHIEVEability is a midsized nonprofit with 17 staff members located in two offices. Our vision is to eradicate poverty in West Philadelphia. We use our core values to guide us and we are: fired up, transformative, accountable, community-driven, gritty and compassionate. Each year, we serve over 2,500 individuals and help them to achieve economic stability.

ACHIEVEability Fellow-
ACHIEVEability (ACHa), located in the Haddington/Cobbs Creek neighborhood of West Philadelphia, is looking for an enthusiastic, community focused individual interested in helping us to achieve our mission of breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting economic mobility among our residents. Our community faces high poverty (37%) and various barriers to achieving economic mobility. ACHa is committed to addressing the systematic challenges faced by our community by providing direct services and advocating for policy change. We are looking for an energetic and creative problem solver eager to help ACHa support individuals and families of all ages and abilities in reaching their full potential.

The ACHa Fellow will support our core programs: ACHa Connects, Family Self-Sufficiency Program and WorkSmart West Philly. Reporting to the Executive Director, the fellow will have an opportunity to provide direct services, manage projects, implement volunteer projects and help build infrastructure for the organization. The fellow will also learn about nonprofit fundraising, leadership, stakeholder engagement, policy research and advocacy. Qualified candidates should be comfortable working in an urban and nonprofit environment that requires flexibility, good communication skills and the ability to work individually and as part of a team. General computer skills, including word processing, excel, internet and email are a plus.

Better Future Project

Better Future Project works to build a powerful grassroots movement to address the climate crisis and advance a rapid and responsible transition beyond coal, oil, and gas toward a renewable energy future for all.

Our Guiding Vision is a world with a healthy, stable, livable climate where all people live in resilient communities powered by 100% renewable energy that is equitably distributed, decentralized, and democratically controlled and provides millions of safe, well-paying jobs. We believe in grassroots organizing and movement-building and work to center issues of racial economic and social within our work.

We began in 2011, with a student summer program. In 2012, we launched two programs, 350 Massachusetts and Divest Ed. 350 Mass is our statewide volunteer climate action network and now includes hundreds of active members in 17 nodes across Massachusetts who work together to change local and state climate/energy policy. After six years of supporting university student leaders working to divest their school’s endowments in Massachusetts and New England, Divest Ed expanded nationally in fall of 2018, and are currently supporting the work of 50+ campuses around the nation, 21 of whom have one or more students participating in our year-long fellowship program. Our newest program is Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), which works to advance social resilience through engaging grassroots individuals and organizations around climate preparedness. These 3 programs are served by 11 FTE staff and 2-3 interns. We serve people who are concerned about climate change and want to join a grassroots movement.

Fellow Position: CREW Outreach Coordinator
Primary duties of this position would include: Conducting outreach to prospective "Climate Resilience Hubs" - existing community institutions that agree to educate their constituents on climate impacts and climate preparedness, and offer limited support during extreme weather events. Conducting outreach for "Climate Preparedness Week," following up with Climate Resilience Hubs to learn about their experiences and see how we can improve the program, and working with local CREW volunteer teams to improve their communities' resilience through service, education, and planning projects.

The population served are people in the greater Boston area who will be impacted by climate impacts or are otherwise concerned about these impacts. While our program is young and our fully demographics are being determined, we are particularly interested in working with traditionally marginalized communities, such as communities of color, immigrant populations, the elderly, and others who are more vulnerable to climate impacts. We also work with some who are not as vulnerable themselves but are excited to help their community, including more vulnerable members of the community, to prepare for climate impacts.

Qualifications:
+ Experience with grassroots organizing, community outreach, program management.
+ Experience working with diverse populations
+ Passion for climate, environmental, and social justice
+ Strong written and verbal skills
+ Familiarity with and passion for building an intersectional movement and learning about anti-oppression and social justice issues

Bread & Roses Community Fund

Bread & Roses Community Fund (BRCF) is a unique partnership of donors and activists who share a vision for a just society in which power and resources are distributed equitably. Bread & Roses was originally founded in 1970 as the People’s Fund – a radical anti-establishment social justice fund – and was re-established in 1977 as Bread & Roses Community Fund. Bread & Roses raises money from individual donors in the community to provide grants, technical assistance, and leadership development to constituent-led, grassroots, social change organizations in the Philadelphia region. The grants BRCF gives are raised and distributed by a cross-race, cross-class, inter-generational group of community members. Bread & Roses centers all of its work around its motto: change, not charity.

Program Associate Position 1- Giving Project Team
The Program Associate reports to the Director of Donor Organizing and will provide administrative support for the Giving Project team. In this role, the Fellow will be a part of all planning sessions for Giving Project meetings. This includes developing logistics agendas, arranging for childcare, and ordering supplies and food for each Giving Project meeting. The Fellow will attend all Giving Project meetings, lead in room set-up/clean-up, while maintaining a high level of hospitality during Giving Project meetings. In addition to supporting the facilitation team, the Fellow will be responsible for taking photos at Giving Project meetings, taking notes during decision-making processes, and responding to any emerging needs of participants and/or the facilitation team.

The Program Associate will take the lead in managing logistics for Meet the Changemakers, a special event in which Giving Project participants meet with grassroots organizers that have received a grant from Bread & Roses. The Program Associate will be responsible for contacting and confirming groups, creating outreach materials, ordering food and supplies and handling on-site logistics for the event. Working closely with the Giving Project facilitation team, the Program Associate will also coordinate with the other staff to schedule interviews with applicant groups and Giving Project participants.

As part of the Giving Project team, the Fellow will have a variety of opportunities to learn about PoC-centered strategies for group facilitation and curriculum building in a highly collaborative environment.

Program Associate Position 2- Under Grant making Director
The position will include: researching and interacting with grassroots community organizers and other local leaders; reviewing and cataloging grant proposals from a wide array of community organizations; and coordinating events for the wider Bread & Roses community.

As the first point of contact for grassroots community organizers within the organization, the QVS Fellow will be responsible for aiding and supporting organizations as they complete their applications. Throughout the year, the QVS Fellow will be responsible for scheduling interviews and site visits with these same organizers. By following actions, movements, and victories around the city, the Fellow will contribute to the Bread & Roses newsletter and internal knowledge of the organization’s grantees.

The QVS Fellow will serve as project manager for our annual Jonathan Lax Scholarship for Gay Men Reception. The reception marks the culmination of the Lax scholarship application process that the Fellow will have managed over the course of their year. The reception happens in the second half of the QVS year, when the Fellow has gained enough experience to take the reins.

There is no typical day in the life of a Bread & Roses Community Fund QVS Fellow, and we like to think that’s what makes it so exciting!

Bridging

Bridging was founded in July of 1987 by the Outreach Networking Ministry team of Pax Christi Catholic Community in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to provide quality furniture and household items free of charge to those in need. Bridging operated as a ministry for five years before becoming a separate 501(c) (3) non-profit in 1992. Having moved to various locations, in 1997 Bridging took ownership of the Bloomington Minnesota warehouse and central offices, located at 201 West 87th Street. Fueled by increased demand, Bridging expanded its service by opening a warehouse in Roseville in November 2006. Between our current locations in Bloomington and Roseville, Bridging operates 64,000 square feet of warehouse space and is considered the largest Furniture Bank in the United States. We partner with approximately 150 area social service agencies who refer their clients to our services. Clients come to one of our two warehouses and our guided by (volunteer) personal shoppers to select the items that they need to make their house a home.

Fellow Position:Client Services Fellow
Primary duties and responsibilities:
- Assist the clients in their shopping experience - helping them select their furniture and household items
- Driving a Bridging truck (training provided) to either assist in the delivery of furniture/household items to clients or picking up the furniture/household items that will be donated to clients
- Oversee and assist with volunteer groups in the warehouse
- Assist in special projects related to Client Services as assigned by the Client Service Manager (i.e. Poverty Simulation Trainings, Advocacy events, client/prospective client follow-up)
- Help with item intake when donors drop off items that will be given to the clients
- Organize warehouse items in a safe and efficient manner
- Assist clients by filling their orders in the warehouse when they come to pick up their items
- Perform other Bridging activities as needed

The Fellow will be working with a wide variety of populations and demographics. Our volunteers range in age from 14 all the way up to 90+. The majority of our clients (90%) have a household income of $20,000 and 56% of them are transitioning out of homelessness. There are clients who have both mental/physical disabilities as well as many for whom English is not their primary language. We do ask our agency partners to provide care attendants/translators in these situations.

The person must have a true heart for service and for those who are experiencing difficult life situations. They should have an open mind and be able to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. We place a high value on diversity, equity and inclusion. This person must be a hard worker and be flexible to do whatever it takes to get the job done. The tasks of this role are imperative to our service delivery. There is a lot of physical labor involved. They should be positive, upbeat and excellent relationally and possess outstanding customer service skills. There will be much interaction with clients, caseworkers, volunteers and donors.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC)

The mission of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) is to provide easily accessible, affordable, appropriate, high-quality, personalized, coordinated primary care, for all who live and work in East Boston and the surrounding communities, without regard to age, income, insurance status, language, culture, or social circumstances.

For more than 45 years, EBNHC has provided high-quality, comprehensive medical care to the communities of Revere, Chelsea, Winthrop, Everett and East Boston. Since opening our doors in 1970, the health center has operated 24/7/365 and has grown to become the only health center in New England, and one of the few in the country, to provide continuous care. EBNHC serves a diverse, low-income, medically under-served community with one of the largest Latino populations in Massachusetts. Many families are first-generation immigrants, and over half of East Boston households are primarily non-English speaking. Long home to new immigrant groups, the arrival of newcomers over the past 20 years from Central and South America provides East Boston with the highest number (and largest proportion) of Latinos in all Boston neighborhoods. Seventeen percent of the population lives at least 200% below the federal poverty line and 39.8% of household incomes earn less than $35,000 per year.

Position: Care Navigator
In an effort to eliminate health disparities (gaps in health status and health care equity across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups), the fellow’s primary role will be to work in our Community Resource Center connecting patients to concrete community resources that they have been unable to access on their own. The Fellow will predominantly work with immigrants, low-income individuals, and patients with complex medical needs, linking them to needed medical, social service and legal services.

When focusing on immediate survival needs of food, shelter, and clothing, individuals without reliable access to care often defer healthcare concerns until they become acute. Whether it is explaining tenant rights to a family facing eviction, reviewing all available food access programs to an elderly patient experiencing food insecurity, or connecting a recent immigrant with local agencies that can provide free immigration consults, the Fellow will provide compassionate, direct services our patients. The Fellow will assist with completing applications for public housing, disability, utility and fuel assistance, as well as connecting families with childcare, playgroups, parenting classes, school enrollment, after school programs, and summer camps.
Additionally, Fellow will take a lead role in coordinating other community serving agencies services for EBNHC patients onsite and will oversee their operations. These include programs such as: Cradles to Crayons (distributing gently used clothing to children), management of a Fair Food program (packaging and distributing $2 bag rescued food), and a Red Cross Mobile Food Pantry The Fellow will actively seek innovative ways to help patients’ access basic needs and look to bring new resources to EBNHC.

Fleisher Art Memorial

The mission of Fleisher Art Memorial is to make art accessible to everyone, regardless of economic means, background, or artistic experience.

Fleisher nurtures creativity in our community, engaging children and adults of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences in immersive experiences that build bridges and deepen community bonds over a common curiosity in art-making and learning. We work to dismantle barriers to arts access, whether geographic, psychological, or economic. Our vision is to foster a diverse and just world where everyone can access art.

Located in South Philadelphia, Fleisher is recognized as the nation’s oldest community school of the arts. It was founded by Samuel Fleisher in 1898 as a place where anyone, especially those that otherwise lacked access to creative enrichment, could enroll in an art class. Fleisher has 25 staff members and 75 teaching artists.

A strong reputation attracts art-makers from throughout the region, but we focus our engagement efforts on our surrounding South Philadelphia neighborhoods, a diverse and changing area that has historically been the arrival point for many immigrant families. Applying strategies to make our campus and programs more welcoming, accessible, and relevant to new audiences not only helps us attract participants, but also leads to a deeper level of engagement with our current students, neighbors, and visitors.

Education Fellow
Primary duties include:

  • Assisting the development and implementation of community engagement strategies that make educational programs for adults and children/youth more engaging and relevant to diverse audiences
  • Planning classes/workshops/lectures/events in collaboration with program staff and community partners, including:
    • Tuition-free and low-cost classes for adults
    • Art for the Ages creative aging program for older Latinx immigrants
    • Saturday Young Artists program
    • Community Partnerships in the Arts in-school, arts-integrated residencies
    • Creative Labs after-school, on-site program for children/youth
    • Found in Translation humanities seminars
  • Coordinating meetings with Education Department staff, teaching faculty, and guest artists
  • Supporting administration efforts in registration, enrollment, and tuition, for all programs
  • Additional administrative and operative support for the Director of Education as needed

The Fellow will work with audiences of all ages in South Philadelphia, historically the arrival point for many immigrant and refugee families. Fleisher is at the geographic center of these diverse and vibrant communities. To Fleisher’s south are more economically-challenged neighborhoods, home to Mexican, Chinese, Cambodian, Nepalese, Laotian, Bhutanese, Indonesian, Venezuelan, and Vietnamese immigrant populations.

The Education Fellow should be committed to working with diverse community members to help them find and keep a sense of place in a rapidly-changing South Philadelphia, using the power of art, creativity, and culture. The Fellow should have excellent communication skills, the ability to work both collaboratively and independently, and a strong interest in the impact of community-driven art, and the enriching impact of the arts in education.

Historic Fair Hill

Historic Fair Hill's mission is to preserve our historic Quaker burial ground, and assure that its history and the ideals of the people interred there continue to speak to the world, and act as a collaborative partner in the revitalization of the Fairhill community.

Historic Fair Hill was founded in 1994 to restore the 4.5 acre burial ground of Lucretia and James Mott, Robert and Harriet Purvis and other abolitionists and early women's rights activists and to carry forward their work for justice and equality. For the next 27 years it has expanded its program to serve families in the neighborhood in public schools, gardens, and community events.

Program Fellow

Our program supports gardening, school partnership, and community initiatives. The program fellow will assist in a variety of tasks related to these areas. These include: working to re-open school libraries, leading field trips, helping develop participation in community gardens, co-planning and facilitating community gatherings, helping to deepen education program with attention to equity work., assist with various administrative tasks.

Let’s Get Moving

Community HealthCorps members serving with EBNHC’s Let’s Get Movin’ (LGM) program have a unique opportunity to work on the front lines of an urgent public health issue: childhood obesity. Members work directly with pediatric patients and their families to promote a healthy lifestyle through regular physical activity and proper nutrition. AmeriCorps members’ primary responsibility is to coach an after school program for 8-14 year olds, which focuses on improving physical fitness and muscle strength, increasing children’s confidence in sports, learning about healthy eating, and training to finish LGM’s end-of-the-year 5K.

In addition to the after school program, members work to involve families and the community in other LGM programming, and play an instrumental role in delivering these programs. LGM offers Parent Program nutrition and cooking classes, family fitness groups, physical activity case management, field trips, youth mentoring, and nutrition education in local schools. Several members are also involved in the management of LGM’s food access programs, which include the East Boston Farmers Market, East Boston CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and the EBNHC Wellness Garden.

LGM coaches serve as important role models in the community, and are instrumental in inspiring and encouraging positive lifestyle changes in one of the EBNHC’s most vulnerable patient populations.

Massachusetts Bail Fund

The Massachusetts Bail Fund (MBF) is a nonprofit, abolitionist organization with a short-term goal of paying bail for people in Massachusetts who are incarcerated and/or being held in pre-trial detention. MBF's long-term goal is to assist in the movement and completion of abolishing jails, prisons, policing, and supervision which reproduces racism, gender oppression and queer antagonism, ableism, xenophobia, ageism, and religious oppression. MBF envisions a world without prisons, policing, and other institutional forces of harm, exploitation, and marginalization. Part of this vision involves centralizing the leadership of, and amplifying the voices of, those who have been directly and most heavily impacted by the carceral system. MBF was founded in 2011 as a small group of activists following the Occupy Boston movement who posted bail for folks in Suffolk County up, which then grew over the next several years to be comprised of approximately 30 consistent volunteers and a board of directors by 2016. MBF gained community-based and financial momentum in the next three years after extensive networking and political education campaigns (i.e., when the organization was posting bail statewide in thirteen counties), and again in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and the acceleration of the Black Lives Matter movement. MBF is now comprised of four staff (i.e., executive director, two bail organizers, bookkeeper), approximately 25 volunteers in a rotation, and a board of directors (i.e., six individuals). MBF posts bail up to $1,000 for an individual without regard to the nature of their case or prior legal involvement as it is a non-judgmental bail fund.

Fellow Position Description: Mass Bail Fund Fellow

MBF’s operational structure is evolving in a direction of having leadership and decision-making are centralized in people with direct experience with the carceral system. The Fellow will not be working directly with clients (i.e., formerly incarcerated people), but must consider the reality of the disproportionate treatment of those impacted by the judicial and carceral systems, including people of Color as well as genderqueer and gender-nonconforming people, and disabled people. The Fellow will get to meet, work with, and build rapport with staff impacted by this system and with community partners. They will get to contribute to the team’s vision through building avenues to more effective recordkeeping, reporting, and material development for political and community education campaigns. This will require strong writing and verbal skills, experience with Google suite, a passion for advocating for social justice, and adaptability to new responsibilities, all with the support of the MBF team. They will also assist in contributing to the creation of sustainable practices within MBF’s operations. The Fellow will have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference in the efficiency of freeing people from incarceration so that those people may fight their cases and have access to the resources they need in a supportive environment.

Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA)

Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) uses nutrition to improve health for people with serious illnesses who need nourishment to heal. By providing medically tailored meals and nutrition education, we empower people to improve their health and quality of life.

MANNA has been serving our vulnerable neighbors for more than 31 years. Founded by a small group of individuals comforting their neighbors suffering from HIV/AIDS, MANNA is now a leading provider of medical nutrition services in the Greater Philadelphia area, and a prominent advocate for the Food is Medicine movement nationwide. Deeply embedded in the local health community, we provide comprehensive medical nutrition to people facing life-threatening illnesses regardless of diagnosis. MANNA is medical nutrition powerhouse, delivering more than 1.5 million meals to over 5,100 people annually in the Greater Philadelphia area.

In the last year we helped to treat as many as 100 different diagnoses, with the most common being cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and renal disease. MANNA’s eligibility criteria focus on the intersection of critical illness with an acute, or serious, nutritional need. Our two-pronged approach combines medically tailored meals with professional nutrition counseling services to help individuals facing critical diseases better understand their dietary needs and maintain healthy habits once they leave our program.

Backed by evidence-based practices, we are dedicated to responding to ever-changing needs and adapting to better solutions for our clients. MANNA has a long history serving the Greater Philadelphia community, and while our mission has deepened and expanded, we have never lost our core identity of neighbors nourishing neighbors.

Fellow Position: Development Fellow

The Development Fellow will assist with the innerworkings of the fundraising and development department – a critical role within any nonprofit organization. This position will balance clerical and administrative duties with special projects to further MANNA’s mission of providing medically tailored nutrition to people with serious illnesses. In addition, the Fellow will have the opportunity to engage in MANNA’s direct services by helping to prepare and deliver meals to our clients.

The development department is made up of six employees responsible for events, communications, fundraising, grants, institutional gifts, and sponsorships respectively. This position will report to the Institutional Relations Manager and primarily support work in the grants, institutional gifts, and individual giving areas, but will also support work with events, communications and sponsorships based on interest and need.

Activities for this position include, but are not limited to: grant writing; research; project management; content creation; calendar maintenance; and relationship building as well as gift processing and database management. Qualifications include basic computer skills in a Microsoft Office environment, and strong writing and communication skills as well as the ability to work independently with strong attention to detail. In addition, interest in nutrition, food justice, and healthcare is important.

Minnesota State Horticultural Society

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society’s mission is to grow cold-climate gardeners through education, encouragement and community. We help society members and program participants learn how to grow plants in our challenging northern climate and positively impact the environment. We help grow gardeners by sharing resources, tools and inspiration through our website, webinars, classes, educational displays and our award-winning Northern Gardener magazine. We cultivate community through our two signature community outreach programs. Minnesota Green promotes grassroots efforts to revitalize and beautify public space gardens and helps connect neighbors through a shared interest in growing fresh, healthy food. Garden-in-a-Box brings vegetable garden kits to underserved children and adults, giving our newest gardeners the chance to experience the benefits and joy of gardening. Other plans looking forward include increasing our resources on greening and sustainability, expanding community outreach efforts and strengthening our organizational capacity to serve our diverse constituents.

Fellow Position: Community Outreach and Education Associate

This position offers the chance to develop a strong understanding of two foundation stones of any community service and non-profit agency: marketing (outreach) and educational programming. The fellow will work closely with the Communications and Marketing Director and the Outreach & Education Director to grow our reach and impact in the community through activities including:

Education - help run our first annual Film Festival, help design/run/archive webinars and in-person classes, research event venues, help run special events

Outreach - update, track and distribute marketing materials and membership/donation appeals; execute magazine mailing; analyze results of marketing efforts; promote membership at State Fair and external shows; maintain and add content to online Resource Hub

Ideal candidates will be passionate about community service, detail-oriented, and love working with the diverse populations who are current or prospective members as we work together to diversify our organization's membership and programming. The should appreciate and be motivated by how horticulture intersects with key societal issues such as food security, racial injustice, and climate change.

New Avenues for Youth

New Avenues for Youth is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness. Since 1997, our programs and services have impacted more than 20,000 young people as they work to overcome barriers, pursue their goals, and realize their potential. From supporting basic needs like meals and counseling to providing opportunities for education, job training, employment, and housing, we meet youth where they are—and help them get where they want to go.

Our mission is to work in partnership with our community to prevent youth homelessness and provide young people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness the resources and skills needed to lead healthy, productive lives.

SNAP Benefits and Administrative Specialist
The SNAP Benefits and Administrative Specialist will work with New Avenues PAVE job training program supporting homeless and at-risk youth ages 17-24 who come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. They will connect youth to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and applicable resources, and will work with the Administration Team to support critical back office functions. The position performs weekly data entry, direct youth support, and SNAP program enrollment assistance. As a part of the PAVE team, the SNAP Benefits Specialist will help maintain a structured, supportive and safe milieu in the PAVE Career Lab and Drop-In spaces, and will collaborate with staff across New Avenues in order to create a model that provides effective, comprehensive services for program youth.

A well-qualified candidate has the ability to swiftly build trust and rapport with youth. They also possess a strong desire to foster equitable food access, work with diverse staff and youth, problem solve, and they excel in a multi-cultural environment. Group facilitation and relationship-building skills are key to a successful QVS experience.

The Fellow will join a well-structured team environment that values youth voice, equitable program access, and the adaptability needed to sustain a dynamic job training problem for young people. They will also join an agency with more than two decades of experience providing services through multiple systems of care— housing, case management, meals, drug and alcohol recovery and mental-health supports, education, job training, culturally specific LGBTQIA+ youth supports, and more annually to 1,600+ individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility was founded in 1981 by a group of local physicians and scientists who advocated against nuclear weapons and for the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. We are the local affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War which was awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Guided by the values and expertise of medicine and public health, Oregon PSR seeks a healthy, just and peaceful world for present and future generations by protecting human life from the gravest threats to health and survival.

Specific programs include advocating for a healthy climate and environment, ending nuclear power, and promoting peaceful alternatives to militarism, nuclear weapons, and gun violence. In addition to bringing the health perspective to issues of social responsibility, we intentionally prioritize the voices and needs of communities of color. We work to incorporate racial and immigrant justice into our environmental, anti-nuclear, and peacebuilding work.

Program Assistant:
The QVS Fellow will assist with outreach and program responsibilities for our various programs. This will include: Staffing outreach table at community events related to climate change, peace, and other social justice issues; Overseeing volunteers and coordinating outreach for our annual peace writing scholarship for Oregon high school students; Assisting with outreach for our annual Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemoration; Assisting with social media and news media outreach; Outreach to health professional, student, and other organizations; Assisting with organizational fundraisers, events, and other activities; Representing Oregon PSR at meetings with partner organizations and coalitions, including continuing and developing relationships with environmental justice, immigrant justice, and equity groups. Other details of the job description will be tailored to meet the skills and interests of the volunteer. The volunteer will work with Oregonians of all walks of life (Portland community members, health professionals, Columbia Gorge tribes, and activists on diverse issues, to name just a few) and a wide age range (from high school students to the elderly).
Outside In

Outside In‘s mission is to assist homeless youth and other low-income and marginalized people move toward improved health and self-sufficiency. Outside In, established in 1968, has continually revised services to respond to changing client needs. We operate a Federally Qualified Health Center and are state-certified for both mental health treatment and alcohol and drug treatment services. Current programs include a Clinic and Homeless Youth Department. The Clinic is a cutting-edge blend of western and alternative medicine. It is a teaching site for Oregon Health Sciences University, and provides western medicine, naturopathic, acupuncture, Chinese herbal, chiropractic, and dental care. The Clinic provides healthcare five days per week and 28,000 visits annually. The Youth Department serves about 800 homeless youth annually. A Day Program provides safety off the streets and basic needs resources, including 3 meals per day, 6 days per week. It also offers other wraparound supports including case management, QueerZone supports for LGBTQ youth, mental health treatment, alcohol and drug treatment, 30 units of on-site housing, 50 units of housing in the community, our “Urban Ed” Alternative School, an employment center, and the Virginia Woof Dog Daycare/Job Training Center. This past year, 7 youth obtained their GED, 32 enrolled in college, 126 were employed, and 124 youth were supported in our housing options. 92% of youth graduating from Transitional Housing did not return to the streets.

There will be two possible Fellow positions for a placement with Inside In:

Fellow Position: Youth Engagement Specialist

The goal of this position is to support homeless youth in transitioning from street life to self-sufficiency. The Youth Engagement Specialist builds positive relationships with youth through role modeling and mentoring; checks youth in the Day Program and ensure they are following COVID protocols upon arrival; assists with providing youth access to showers, laundry, toiletry supplies, phone charging, clothing or other available resources; involves and empowers youth participants in generating community, meeting community norms, and sense of ownership within programs and the community. Additionally, the Specialist will assure material and operational support of the Day Services Program. This can include assisting with maintaining cleanliness of program areas and assisting with food program support as needed, consistent with COVID risk mitigation practices. Knowledge of the impact homelessness has on the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities; knowledge of homeless resources; and knowledge and understanding of adolescent development, Trauma Informed Care, and harm reduction will be supportive in this role.

Fellow Position: Food Pantry and Community Engagement Specialist

The Food Pantry and Community Engagement Specialist will lead the operation of our weekly food pantry and work to build relationships with community members to increase the number of patients accessing the OI East Clinic. There will also be the opportunity to cross-train and support other clinic processes as desired. Food pantry responsibilities include:

  • Serve as primary site contact and liaison with rest of agency for the East Clinic food pantry.
  • Coordinate food donations and orders.
  • Receive deliveries, stock food pantry, and redistribute items to other sites as needed.
  • Staff food pantry, navigate patient flow and check in, onboard and direct volunteers.

Community engagement responsibilities:

  • Staff outreach events at community partner agencies, register and schedule new patient appointments.
  • Perform targeted outreach
  • Establish partnerships and conduct outreach to local schools to promote pediatric and child health services available at East clinic.
  • Coordinates with Clinic Manager to identify upcoming resource needs within the community, in response to partner meetings, and community and urban planning updates.
Pennsylvania Health Access Network

Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) is a consumer focused organization working to expand access and improve the quality of the Commonwealth's health coverage options. Since 2007, PHAN has brought consumer voices into discussions of health equity, reaching vulnerable populations in underserved communities.

PHAN has brought together health care consumers and community organizations to advocate for expanded access to health care in Pennsylvania since 2007. PHAN blends coalition-building and policy advocacy with our unique model of community health organizing that focuses on supporting and empowering consumers to get the treatment they need and become advocates for better healthcare in their local communities and statewide. PHAN has a long history of successful campaigns, including expanding Medicaid in Pennsylvania; protecting seniors’ access to care in Western PA; mobilizing Pennsylvanians to defend the Affordable Care Act, and building a group of housing and health advocates to push for needed housing services available through Medicaid.

Regardless of the policy issue, PHAN prioritizes bringing consumer voices and stories to the forefront of the debate and has a deep, successful history of engaging vulnerable populations in discussions that will ultimately impact their access to care and build a more equitable health system. PHAN also provides technical assistance and policy and communications expertise to its 550+ diverse community partners, who participate in PHAN-led coalitions on such issues as: opposing Medicaid work requirements, ending surprise medical billing, and supportive housing services. PHAN’s advocacy work is built on the organization’s direct connections with communities – both rural and urban- throughout Pennsylvania. As a federally-certified healthcare navigator organization, PHAN’s staff enrolls people in Medicaid, CHIP, and marketplace coverage. Over the past five years, PHAN has enrolled over 9,500 in healthcare coverage and fielded tens of thousands more calls through our statewide helpline.

Community Health Organizer
The OVS Fellow is integral to PHAN running its statewide helpline, which provides phone assistance to people from all over Pennsylvania who wouldn't otherwise have help. While much of the work is done over the phone, people are often calling PHAN out of frustration or even desperation, because they have not been able to get health insurance or have struggled with problems with their health plan. These people often need a reassuring voice and someone willing to go beyond what a normal "call center" would do to provide real solutions and hope when they need it the most. We do this in a way that feels friendly, open, and supportive. All of this work we do to uncover the hidden problems in our health system and elevate it for advocacy to change the system.

This is a critical part of our advocacy process, and involves a lot of details. The Fellow answers phone calls, helps identify the problem or issue, and works with callers to directly resolve that problem or issue by referring them to resources, enrolling them in health insurance coverage, filing a complaint or appeal, or helping the consumer call another entity, like a health plan, doctor, hospital, or state agency. The Fellow screens uninsured individuals and educates them about health insurance options, helps people make informed decisions in an impartial way, listens to a consumer's needs and explains options to them, and often provides intensive support and follow up. All along the way, the fellow documents the process and interactions.

Ultimately, the Fellow is engaged in other forms of advocacy and engaged in broader community outreach. The Fellow also helps collect people's stories and prepares them to speak publicly about their healthcare experiences. When possible, the Fellow can help PHAN develop community members as leaders to include furthering meaningful community dialogue around health issues, barriers, and people-focused solutions.

Our Saviour’s Housing Program

Our Saviour's Housing program operates an emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing for single adults. The English Learning Center program provides free English language instruction, plus tutoring in math, computer and citizenship test preparation for newly arrived refugees and immigrants. Our Saviour's Housing program provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing plus a wide array of support services for those who are homeless in our community.Both programs are focused on serving adults primarily in south Minneapolis, Minnesota.

All of our offices and workspaces are located in close proximity to one another in an urban neighborhood in south Minneapolis. Our mission is accomplished by about 40 staff members, including 27 full time and 13 part time individuals. We involve more than 1500 adult volunteers in the course of our work over a year. We are a community of hope for those who need a home.
Our mission is eliminating homelessness by providing shelter, support and a chance to start over.

Case Manager- Permanent Supportive Housing: Our Fellow will support a caseload of 16-20 homeless clients in scattered apartment building sites. The Case Manager’s primary functions are to assist clients with the move-in process, meet weekly to assess and encourage a case plan, ensure basic needs are met and to assist with crisis prevention/intervention to assure housing stability. Additionally, PSH Case Managers formulate strong professional relationships with clients’ landlords to better advocate and mediate any issues that may arise.

OSH has a welcoming community approach, strong teamwork collaboration, and flexibility to creatively improve programming to meet residents’ needs. The ideal candidate for this position will embrace this mindset.

Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center Health Promotion Center

South Jamaica Plain Health Center- Health Promotion Center The Health Promotion Center (HPC) is a part of the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center. Our mission is to provide personal, quality health care with respect and compassion to our diverse community.
The HPC uses the lens of Health Equity and Social Justice and takes an approach that considers social determinants of health/strives to be anti-racist through its programming and campaign work.

The Racial Reconciliation Project: Our vision is to build a movement of radical and structural thinkers. From this movement will emerge a core of racial justice practitioners that will be devoted to collective liberation and undoing the trauma that racism has caused.
Our mission is to guide youth to reach amazing levels of connection with the self, with their peers, and then ultimately with the world. In this, we aim to provide tools to help youth understand intersectionality and how the history of racism and white supremacy has shaped the current policies and practices in the US, manage and lower their stress levels, regulate their emotions, and understand their role in dismantling racism.

More than 12,000 patients in Jamaica Plain and surrounding communities make over 50,000 visits each year to the health center. Over 50% of our patients are Latino and our bilingual staff provide patients with high quality primary care. As part of BWH and Partners HealthCare, patients benefit from receiving care in a familiar, local setting while being part of a large, integrated network of specialty and hospital care that provides any medical services they might need.

With the opening of the SJPHC Health Promotion Center in 2010, the health center was able to move beyond medical care alone. Doctors and mental health providers can prescribe support groups, yoga classes, or many other activities with a specific focus that will address the patient's health needs. And we're thinking about the health of the community, working together to address the health equity, social and racial justice, and structures and policies that affect the health of all of us.

Fellow-
Work with a team of interns and staff to coordinate a variety of health promotion racial justice and equity projects. Fellow will support diabetes management groups, physical activity opportunities, and youth engagement; help evaluate and track progress and assist with grant reporting and other documentation; participate in community meetings and organizing projects related to transit and food justice; support youth programming at the south street youth center and with the Racial Reconciliation and Healing project www.racialrec.org. To learn more about SJPHC’s racial justice approach please view this video: https://vimeo.com/268050238

Fellow will receive training on the history of racism and white supremacy in medicine and beyond, the current impact of racism on health, racial justice framing and communication and how to apply Critical Race Theory to research and other projects. This is multi-racial, multi-identity work and all are encouraged to apply and bring their systems analysis.

Click on the image to read about the organization and a fellowship description. These descriptions should provide you with an understanding of the breadth of work QVS Fellows are engaged in during their program year.

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