Apply to DRUM’s Summer Youth Organizing Institute

February 11, 2025

DRUM's Summer Youth Organizing Institute is a six week long internship for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean youth ages 14 - 21 years. Young people learn about issues that impact their communities from racial, immigrant, education, gender, and worker justice. Through interactive political education workshops, participants begin connecting their lived experiences and struggles to systems of oppression. Participants then learn how to collectively challenge those systems through hands on skills building workshops, trainings on community organizing, and arts and cultural projects.

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DRUM YouthPower! is looking for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean youth ages 14-21 for our 25th annual leadership development program this summer. Young people will build relationships and develop skills to make changes in our communities. With increasing attacks on immigrant communities and the defunding of essential resources (social programs for essential workers, housing, education, etc.) it's more important than ever for us to unite and organize.

The internship will run 3 days a week from July 7th to August 23rd.

Given the COVID-19 health crisis, we will be masking, testing regularly, and implementing other health and safety measures.  Participants will:

  • Learn the basics of how to fight for justice: basebuilding, fundraising, campaign development, power mapping and more!
  • Build with other youth who are tired of the way things are and want to make a change.
  • Work with other high school students for educational justice, racial justice, gender justice, immigrant justice, housing justice, and workers rights.
  • Receive a $400 stipend upon successful completion of the program

We will accept applications for the summer program from existing DRUM members until May 2! Priority will be given to those that are active DRUM members by March 1st. Not a member yet and want to join a DRUM new members orientation or have other questions?  Email youth organizers  youthpower@drumnyc.org for more information.

If there are errors with submitting the application, please submit via google form linked below or save your answers and email them to us directly.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfbP16bp8LqSclAUi2xqdosp9f_yXoIqtNqOgPBgDz9dcQv2g/viewform

 

APPLICATION

(All Fields required)

First Name*
Last Name*

 

Age*

 

Country of Origin*

 

What school do you attend?*

 

How did you hear about DRUM?*

 

Phone Number*

 

Email*

 

Street Address

 

 

Apt #/Floor

 

Neighborhood/Borough/City

 

State

 

Zip Code*

 

Do you work and if yes what do you do? What jobs do your parents/household members do?*

 

What is your family’s annual income?*

 

How many people live in your household?*

 

Have you/your family faced housing issues over the last couple of years? (For example: Does everything work properly? Is your super/landlord responsive? Is it stressful or difficult for your family to pay the rent and afford basic necessities?) If yes, what was it like and what did you all do about it? What do you think should be done?

 

Briefly describe a personal experience you have had where you were faced with racism, sexism, poverty, state violence, or homophobia? How did you try to change the situation?

 

Does your immigration status, or your family's immigration history, make it hard for you to get an education and or impact you/your family's ability to live and work without fear. Please explain.*

 

Have you/your family faced housing issues over the last couple of years? (For example: Does everything work properly? Is your super/landlord responsive? Is it stressful or difficult for your family to pay the rent and afford basic necessities?) If yes, what was it like and what did you all do about it? What do you think should be done?*

 

Describe your school in terms of resources, discipline, & safety (Social Workers, Mediation, metal detectors, School Safety Agents, Police, etc,? What makes you feel safe and supported in school?*

 

Have you ever felt targeted, intimidated, or unsafe due to the behavior of people in positions of power in your school like teachers, safety agents, or other staff? How and when? Please describe*

 
Have you noticed any changes in your school environment since Trump’s re-election? What are the changes?*

 

Have you ever been suspended in school? Why and What happened? DRUM works to have alternatives to suspensions in schools such as peer counseling, mediation, and reiterative justice. Have you been a part of any of those processes and what happened?*

 

If you had the power to change and shape your school, what are some changes you would want? How would you get it? What impact would it have?*

 

What clubs, groups, or organizations are you a part of? How do you take leadership or want to take leadership in those spaces?

 

We believe that the only way to improve conditions in our schools and communities is collective leadership and awareness rather than leaving our fate up to elected leaders. YPA, founded by DRUM youth leaders, aims to build clubs across high schools that train students to identify issues and build their own campaigns. Would you be interested in learning more about YPA?

 

What does justice mean to you?*

 

Please indicate which issue areas you are interested in:
Education Justice    Budget Justice      Immigration       Racial Justice     Housing Justice
Climate Justice        Gender Justice      Wokers Justice   Anti-War           LGBTQ+ Justice

 

Is there another issue area you are interested in that was not listed? Please write it here.

 

DRUM is a membership-based organization and applicants that are accepted into the summer Program must be existing active members by May 15th. To find out more about becoming a DRUM member let us know if you can join one of our weekly office hours on Thursday between 4PM to 6PM.

Click "Submit" to submit your application. (You will not be able to edit your application after clicking "submit")

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