Apply to DRUM’s Summer Youth Organizing Institute

February 21, 2024

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.

YP Summer Stories: Rishi
YP Summer Stories: Mahira
YP Summer Stories: Nayim
Read more YP stories!

DRUM YouthPower! is looking for South Asian and Indo-Caribbean youth ages 14-21 for our 24th 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 8th to August 16th (Monday, Wednesday, & Fridays) for approximately 4 hours each day in-person. 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 $300 stipend upon successful completion of the program

We will accept applications for the summer program from existing DRUM members until June 7th! Priority will be given to those that are active DRUM members by April 1st. Not a member yet and want to join a DRUM new members orientation or have other questions?  Email youth organizer Syed at syed@drumnyc.org OR Nabila at nabila@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?* 

 

For the past several years, our city budget has cut funding to essential social services like education, libraries, healthcare, and more. Our communities are impacted in many ways by housing, food insecurity, healthcare, employment, education, etc. How have you or your family been impacted?

 

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 or impacted you/your family's ability to live and work without fear. Please explain.*

 

Currently, housing courts are overwhelmed with cases of landlords trying to evict their tenants. Rents are rising exponentially. Have you/your family faced housing issues over the last couple of years? 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 been bullied, harassed, felt 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 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 does justice mean to you?*

 

Please indicate which issue areas you are interested in:

 Suspensions    Bullying     Immigration     Racial Justice       Gender Justice      Workers Rights     Housing Justice

Climate Justice   Anti-War   LGBTQ+ Justice

 

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

 

Have you been fully vaccinated or plan to be fully vaccinated by July 1st?*

 

DRUM is a membership-based organization and applicants that are accepted into the Summer Program must be existing active members by May 31st. 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 5pm to 6pm.

 

Click "submit your application". Save your responses on an email just in case it doesn't go through. (You will not be able to edit your application after)
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