The Right Question Institute Summer Fellowship Program
Would you like the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a successful nonprofit working on innovative strategies in the fields of education, health care, family engagement, and Microdemocracy? If so, the Right Question Institute (RQI), a small nonprofit in Cambridge, MA, is offering a limited number of fellowship positions for the summer of 2016 for students eager to work hard, learn a lot, and contribute to our efforts.
RQI’s mission is to disseminate an innovative educational strategy that builds the capacity of all people, no matter their level of income or education, to advocate for themselves and participate more effectively in decision-making processes that affect them.
We have recently worked on several implementation projects with health care leaders, including Kaiser Permanente’s national office, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Immigrants and Refugees. Recent education partnerships and engagements have included the Library of Congress, state departments of education in Kentucky and New Hampshire, and education researchers in higher education.
Additionally, in 2011 RQI co-directors Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana wrote a book about the use of the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) in the classroom. Since Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions was published by Harvard Education Press, the QFT has been used by over 100,000 educators around the world. Building upon the field’s enthusiasm, RQI is now committed to getting the Question Formulation Technique into one million classrooms by the year 2020 as a part of the Million Classrooms Campaign.
RQI Summer Fellows will work in general office support, communications, organizational development, social media, and provide programmatic support for our upcoming summer engagements. General office support may include supporting staff members on the development of PowerPoint presentations, assisting with the formatting and design of resources, documentation, and other support as needed. RQI Summer Fellows will assist with our web-based dissemination plan.
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Organized
- Attention to detail
- Self-motivated
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Strong communication skills
- Able to work independently and as part of a team
- A positive attitude
- Familiar with Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms
- Office and program support skills (organization, documentation, general support)
- Computer expertise (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and comfortable with new applications)
Funding: The RQI Summer Fellowship positions are unpaid. In the past RQI Summer Fellows have sought and received funding through their colleges. We recommend that if you are interested in applying for this position that you explore funding opportunities provided through your college. Please mention in your cover letter whether you may be able to secure funding for this fellowship opportunity. RQI will fund one applicant’s fellowship, and this will be awarded based on merit and strength of application.
RQI Summer Fellows work a minimum of 20 hours a week and a maximum of 35 hours a week from June 6th until August 12th. While vacation time is a possibility, we request that you let us know of any potential vacation plans in your cover letter.
Instructions: Please submit to Andrew.Minigan@v1.rightquestion.org
1) Your résumé or CV
2) A brief cover letter which references your interest in the position and an example of how your prior experiences will be helpful for this position. Please indicate which area of RQI’s work (i.e. education, health care, family engagement, and Microdemocracy) you are most interested in and how your previous work relates to this interest.
Please note that you may be asked for a writing sample and references later in the interview process, but these are not required for your initial submission.
Deadline: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please be aware that the application process is competitive and it is advisable that you submit your application materials as soon as possible.
No phone calls please. All applications are considered and will be acknowledged. Candidates that make it to the next round will be contacted to schedule a phone interview.
Reflections from past RQI Summer Fellows:
“Working at RQI for the summer provided me with the opportunity to make meaningful relationships, gain invaluable experience from a small group of talented and experienced individuals, and explore my own passions and strengths through projects tailored towards my interests. The work atmosphere is engaging and productive while maintaining an open, safe space for honest conversation and learning. As a rising senior, this work truly helped me determine where I envisioned myself after graduation and allowed me to strengthen and diversify my network and experiences.” – Kelly, Boston College Student
“At RQI, I learned a method of producing, improving, and using questions as a means for creating a more democratic society. I got to help plan a two-day conference from start to finish, a conference which hosted 150 educators from around the world. I learned ways of staying organized, detail-oriented, and thinking logistically about tasks that need to be done. I had some autonomy to choose various projects to work on including writing presentation proposals, research projects, and working on outreach and communications. Overall, I learned to navigate working in an office environment with very diverse people, and got a clearer sense of direction I wanted to take in my career.” – Kiki, Brown University Student
The Right Question Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We are strongly committed to hiring a diverse and multicultural staff and encourage applications from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
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