From practice to power: learn how to build power in YOUR community!

About our program: Our 12-week Community Organizing Fellowship program is designed for young people (and those young at heart!) who want to learn how to build power with and alongside their peers and work together to make lasting change in their communities while building their own unique set of skills.

Community Organizing fellows are paid $17/hr and will learn the skills and knowledge needed to advocate for themselves and their community on behalf of issues they care about.

Fellows will get hands on experience through:

  • weekly classes
  • immersive DEIJ workshops
  • voter registration
  • voter mobilization shifts
  • community building
  • get out the vote efforts

Summer Fellowship
Application closes May 6th, 2024, with a priority application deadline of April 22nd, 2024, and the start date will be May 13th, 2024

Fall Fellowship
Application closes August 5th, 2024, with a priority application deadline of July 22nd, 2024, and the start date will be August 12th, 2024

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis

Want to know more? See our frequently asked questions below:    

Who is this fellowship for?
  • No prior experience necessary! We are looking for young people (or those young at heart) who want to make change in their community. Whether you’re in school, working, volunteering, or just looking for a new opportunity, this is for you!
  • We’ll be hiring for the Summer AND Fall 2024 Fellowship in each of the following communities; Billings, Bozeman, Missoula and the Flathead.
  • All ages welcome! If you are in high school, we recommend starting with our High School Fellowship Program 
  • Must be based in the community you are applying in (Billings, Bozeman, Missoula and the Flathead)
Is the fellowship a paid position?

YES! Fellows will be paid $17/hr for 10 hours a week over 12 or 13 weeks

What does the fellowship entail?
  • Commitment of 10 hours per week with some preset meeting times
  • Attend weekly classes (may not miss more than 2 class throughout the fellowship)
  • Work with your regional fellowship manager to create and manage a personal work plan
  • Attend and help plan events as needed
  • Conduct voter registration and voter mobilization shifts in the field with your team
  • Support issue advocacy work in your community
  • Have FUN building community and young people power in your town/city!

Every fellow will support and engage in each of these areas throughout the fellowship under the supervision of their local field manager. 

  • Weekly Classes: Each week on Wednesdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. there will be a required class. These sessions will cover a variety of aspects of organizing, and fellows will be able to engage with the presenters and apply their learning to their work in the fellowship. 
  • Immersive DEIJ Sessions: Fellows will have an assigned DEIJ reading to complete each week, and then will connect with another fellow from around the state to discuss the readings. There are also three required DEIJ sessions that will be led by a Montana based consultant.
  • Community Building: Each fellow will be responsible for engaging with current volunteers and bringing new volunteers into FMT’s work throughout the fellowship. This could look like helping out a new volunteer on their first voter registration shift, helping out a new volunteer on their first canvassing shift or meeting with a potential volunteer. 
  • Event Support: Each community will hold several events throughout and fellows will support in the planning, recruitment, and running of these events. 
What is the time commitment?
  • The Community Organizing Fellowship runs from for 12 weeks in the Summer and 13 weeks in the Fall. Fellows must be able to participate in all 12-13 weeks of the program and are expected to commit to 10 hours per week, including some weekend and evening commitments.
  • There will be three mandatory DEIJ trainings throughout the program.
  • Mandatory classes on Wednesday nights from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
What is the difference between summer and fall fellowship?

Summer Fellowship

The Summer Fellowship has a stronger focus on voter registration! This means the fellows will spend more time at events registering voters across our communities and will help with other events related to issue advocacy and community building!

  • Voter Registration: This is a large part of what fellows will be doing for the first half of the program! We will be out in our communities at events, farmer’s markets, concerts, and other places helping to make sure our communities are registered to vote!

Fall Fellowship

The Fall fellowship has a stronger focus on Get Out The Vote work. That fellowship will provide additional training, and field work in this area.

  • Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Work: Fall fellows will be focusing on GOTV during Montana’s elections! We will work to educate our community members about the upcoming election and remind them to show up to vote through door to door canvassing, phone calls, candidate forums, letter writing parties and more! 
What does the application process look like?
  • The application is an online form that you’ll need to submit all at once. You will see a button to indicate whether you are applying for summer or fall. If you don’t have regular access to the internet, please let us know and we can provide a paper application.
  • Your regional fellowship manager will review applications and reach out for an informal interview via phone or Zoom.
Still have questions/want to know more?

Please reach out to your regional fellowship manager!

  • Ian Fleming, Flathead Field Manager: ian@forwardmontana.org
  • Pari Kemmick, Senior Organizing Manager- Eastern MT Manager: pari@forwardmontana.org
  • Lyla Brown, Senior Organizing Manager- Central MT: lyla@forwardmontana.org  
  • Hannah Gale, Senior Organizing Manager- Western MT: hannahgale@forwardmontana.org
Can’t commit to the fellowship but still want to be involved?

That’s OK! There are plenty of opportunities to get involved at Forward Montana. Check out our volunteer opportunities here!

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