Press release from Equality NC:
Equality North Carolina announced the opening of the application period for the 2019-2020 cohort of Rural Youth Empowerment (RYE) Fellows today. The year-long fellowship accepts eight to ten LGBTQ young people (aged 18-28) and equips them with the tools, resources and mentorship to successfully execute a social justice project serving rural communities while developing leadership skills.
Over the course of a year, the RYE Fellows will attend day-long leadership institutes in three different locations throughout the state, attend major Equality NC community events, participate in monthly video conferences, work one-on-one with community mentors, and receive fellowship stipends to help offset costs associated with their project.
Over the past year, our current class of RYE Fellows have created inclusive safer sex education curriculums for North Carolina high school students, developed resources for transgender people accessing healthcare, hosted the first Gay-Straight Alliance in Western North Carolina, and brought together LGBTQ people and people living with HIV in Greenville.
“The Rural Youth Empowerment Fellowship is a cornerstone of the work that we try to do every day at Equality North Carolina,” said Equality North Carolina Executive Director Kendra R. Johnson. “LGBTQ youth live all over this state, and not all of them have access to the resources and community typically available in bigger cities. It’s crucial that we develop programs and tools for queer folks in rural areas to help push the progressive needle forward in their own pockets of the state, and help build a safer and more equitable North Carolina.”
Applications for the 2019-2020 Rural Youth Empowerment (RYE) Fellowship will be open through Sept. 23 and 11:59PM. ENC is also accepting applications for program mentors. Apply for that opportunity here.
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