Advocacy Fellow (#DegreesNYC)

Intro/Program Description: #DegreesNYC is a data-informed collective impact movement co-led with young people for fair education pathways in NYC. #DegreesNYC works to reimagine education and promote student-ready schools. The Advocacy Fellows participate in the Advocacy Fellowship. The Fellows collaborate on advocacy campaigns, workshops, and events to educate and advance #DegreesNYC’s policy priorities.  

The Advocacy Fellows also participate in the Youth Council. The #DegreesNYC Youth Council draws upon the lived experiences of young people to educate, advocate, and create positive change in their communities. They seek to enhance #DegreesNYC’s work toward a more just, equitable and student-ready education system. They do this by elevating youth voice, promoting civic engagement and developing youth leadership.

Position Description: #DegreesNYC is the primary driver of Goddard Riverside’s  educational advocacy agenda. Working under the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy, Fellows lead and support advocacy campaigns aligned with #DegreesNYC’s policy priorities. They use storytelling tools such as testimonies, panel discussions, and op-eds to elevate youth voices and influence change. Fellows also engage directly with elected officials and institutional leaders to advocate for student-ready schools and campuses that support young people holistically throughout their academic journeys. 

In addition to advocacy work, Fellows help build lasting partnerships with other youth-led and youth-centered organizations focused on educational justice. They identify opportunities for collaboration that strengthen the collective impact of the movement. Advocacy Fellows also work closely with Data Fellows on the Youth Council to inform and support #DegreesNYC’s data-driven goals. They will also work with the Data Co-Op and Learning Network, a collective of stakeholder organizations focused on data issues, especially public data systems in New York City and State.

Position Summary: The Advocacy Fellows ground #DegreesNYC’s advocacy and policy efforts in youth voice. As our campaigns aim to advance educational equity, the Advocacy Fellows play a key role in sharing their lived experiences and amplifying those of their peers through storytelling, public testimony, and youth-centered events. 

The Advocacy Fellows have the responsibility and power to shape the direction of our advocacy work by identifying priorities that matter most to young people and pushing for change through direct engagement with decision-makers.

Schedule: December 2025 – June 2026 (Up to 10 hours a week)

Hourly Rate: $17.00/hr

Roles, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties

• Create media toolkits that promote #DegreesNYC events and Youth Council priorities 

• Engage parents and family members of students to collect testimonies, participate in workshops, and recruit for focus groups  

• Establish strategic partnerships with students and youth-centered organizations  

• Connect with other youth advocacy groups and youth-led organizations whose values align with #DegreesNYC and encourage collaborative initiatives 

• Collaborate with the Data Fellows to support the priorities of the #DegreesNYC Youth Council 

• Attend and participate in events, meetings, and hearings that support #DegreesNYC’s Policy Agenda 

• Attend weekly check-in meetings with the Youth Council Co-Coordinator for Advocacy 

• Attend the #DegreesNYC team meeting at least once a month and weekly meetings with the Youth Council 

Qualifications/Educational Requirements 

• Must be a current NYC high school junior or senior, a current college student, or taking a gap year 

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:   

• Excellent communication skills 
• Interested in youth advocacy/empowerment 
• Able to commit to working 10 hours a week and join regular, recurrent meetings  
• Able to attend the in-person strategy meetings once a month at the Options Center 
• Access to Wi-Fi and a computer 
• Community organizing and political activism experience is a plus 

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions 

• Hybrid 

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace community grounded in respect for differences. We support hiring a broadly diverse team of qualified individuals who will contribute to our organizations.

Goddard Riverside and Isaacs Center provide equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job related task other than those specifically presented in this description. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Salary : $17