ABOUT ELLA FELLOWSHIP

The ELLA Fellowship program is based on Sadie Nash Leadership Project’s central philosophy that opportunities for community leadership are integral to addressing issues affecting young women as both leaders and catalysts for effective social change. ELLA stands for Engage, Learn, Lead, Act but also represents the spirit of the social justice leader, Ella Baker. Ella is also the word for she in Spanish.

This Fellowship – the only one for young women that we know of – offers year-long, in-depth leadership training. Fellows design and implement a project to address an issue within their community and receive training, a stipend, a project budget, and program support. Program goals are to expand young women’s understanding of leadership, to deepen their program management skills, and to enhance young women’s confidence, resourcefulness, and creativity, and their potential for effective community leadership.

We are currently seeking applications for the 2010-2011 ELLA Fellowship Program. The application deadline is AUGUST 20, 2010. Please read through our program overview and tips sheet, and submit the application to Shreya Malena-Sannon.

The 2009-2010 class of ELLA fellows and projects are summarized below:

DELUWARA (Dinu) AHMED – Graduate of Bryn Mawr College. Developing “What the Heart Sees: A Photography Workshop Series for Muslim Youth in Queens.” This co-ed workshop series for youth ages 13-18, utilizes photography and oral history and empowers Muslim youth to explore issues in their homes, schools, and communities.

AKIRAH CRAWFORD – Senior at Science Park High School. Designing a young women’s self-esteem and leadership group in Newark, NJ. Through her project, “She is Queen,” at her own school, she will work with 7th-12th graders developing leadership, building partnerships with community based organizations, and working to address community issues.

ROSEMARY GARRIDO – Junior at Hunter College. Through “Queer(ing) Space” she will work with queer youth ages 14-22 years old to examine the political spaces they navigate on a daily basis. Using art, they will explore issues of identity and social justice.

FANTASHIA HAMILTON – Senior at SUNY Oswego. Addressing issues of educational equity and academic preparedness on her college campus. Through “Peer 2 Peer Mentors,” she is supporting Freshmen at SUNY Oswego, and aiming to decrease the number of students of color who are disqualified each year.

MURIEL LEUNG – Senior at Sarah Lawrence College. Working with young Asian American women (ages 14-18) in her program “Write to Resist.” The group discusses identity and explores issues of violence facing them as individuals and as a community. As a final project, they will create a ‘zine to share their experiences and stories.

CASSIE MOY – Senior at Stuyvesant High School. Increasing environmental awareness among youth in Queens. Through “Project Re:fresh” she is helping young people ages 13-17 identify environmental problems in their own neighborhoods, learn about environmental justice, and take action on issues that concern them.

NJERI PARKER – Sophomore at Manhattanville College. Working with young women of color, around issues of identity, self-esteem, and self-expression. Through writing, poetry, and blogging, the group will define what it means to be a woman, explore social and personal issues they face, and gain strength and sisterhood.

ERICKA VÁSQUEZ – Sophomore at St. Lawrence University. Addressing issues of race, power, and privilege on her college campus. Through her project, “Switch: From Sympathy to Empathy” she is developing a core group of student leaders, and as a group they are designing and delivering educational workshops for the wider campus community.