2023 was Fun AF – Fellowships Edition!
As we continue looking back at AF’s 2023, it’s time to celebrate our world-class fellowships! From our long-running Writing Fellows program, to our exciting GO! Fellowship, to our brand-new LEAD Fellowship, we are so proud of the new graduates who have now joined the AF family, and equipped themselves to better themselves, their career, and their community. Here are some of the highlights!
Our Writing Fellows program offers aspiring young writers six weeks of digital or in-person training on writing effective opinion pieces and successfully pitching op-eds. In 2023, we added 57 new graduates to the ranks of our Writing Fellows alumni, an exciting addition to an already rapidly advancing group of young writers and voices! This year our alumni were published in outlets like the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, USA Today, Reason, and much, much more!
We also saw many of our Writing Fellows alumni make exciting moves in their career, such as Amanda Kieffer receiving the Social Mobility Fellowship from Young Voices, or Stone Washington getting published in the Washington Journal only a week after completing the Fellowship!
Here’s what some of our recent graduates had to say about their experience!
“The Writing Fellowship offers a behind-the-scenes look at the op-ed process, making it a must-attend experience for anyone hoping to enhance the impact of their writing.” -Jordan Levitz, Fall 2023 graduate
“AF has provided me with useful tools and training to become a stronger opinion writer. Through completing their Spring 2023 writing fellowship program, I can see substantial developments in my ability to generate more captivating policy-oriented op-eds. This fellowship has proven to be very useful for enhancing my blog post writings as well, which often require me to convince my target audience of an idea or concept. I am very grateful for the skills that I obtained from completing this highly effective fellowship.” – Stone Washington, Spring 2023 graduate
As Millennials and Gen-Z rise into the upper ranks of organizations, we identified a gap in the leadership development landscape. Young leaders who believe in freedom not only need the skills to take over the openings baby boomers vacate every day, but the philosophical grounding to lead with a connection to their values. In response, America’s Future launched the LEAD Fellowship program in 2023, graduating 15 participants from our inaugural class (get to know our new graduates here!).
Through the six-week virtual program, students learned how to shape their personal leadership philosophy, the practical skills and mindsets needed by effective leaders, how to access a cross-country peer network to support their growth, and much more! They also heard from key freedom leaders including former Congressman Bob Inglis, State Policy Network’s Collin Roth, Conservative Energy Network’s JR Miller, and Owner of CEO Magazine Joel Trammel.
They were led by LEAD Fellows Director Meredith Turney, who in her full-time role is the Senior Director of Leadership and Talent Development at State Policy Network. Meredith has spent her career helping state-based think tank staff with their personal and professional leadership and building strong, collaborative teams. She specializes in 1:1 leadership coaching, peer group facilitation, talent development, and organization culture.
Here’s what our inaugural graduates had to say!
“America’s Future has provided me with so many great opportunities, and this fellowship did not disappoint. It tackled ideas that you don’t necessarily learn in the workforce, including human resources, managing a team, and developing a strong leadership philosophy. I would highly recommend this fellowship to anyone interested in taking their leadership capabilities to the next level.” – Lily Moll, Grassroots Program Manager, American Conservation Coalition
“LEAD gave me confidence that our nation was in good hands, as I learned from different speakers each week with other rising leaders besides me. I recommend this fellowship for anyone who wants to actively shape America’s Future through the organizations and communities around you.” – Franklin Lee, Senior Policy Analyst, R Street
If you’re interested in becoming a LEAD Fellow, you’re in luck! Applications for our winter 2024 cohort are NOW OPEN! Click here for more information and to apply!
Last year, we launched the GO! (Grassroots Organizing) Fellowship to give young people the skills, relationships, and strategic plans needed to launch their own activism project and start making a difference in their city or town. For freedom to advance, young people must engage within their local communities, and provide solutions to the challenges their cities face.
In 2023, we picked 12 new young leaders for our second cohort. The students participated in six months of rigorous training and one-on-one mentorship.
After the fellowship, our new young leaders were able to:
-Gain the confidence, skills, and knowledge needed to create meaningful change in their community
-Collaborate with a peer group that cares about improving people’s lives and making a difference
-Learn from experts on: recruitment, theory of change, event planning, volunteer management, marketing, leadership, strategy, and more
-Create a meaningful organizing project
Tiffany Brannon (Phoenix, AZ) won the final pitch competition at the GO! Fellows graduation for her project, The Socratic Club. Modeled after the Oxford Socratic Club, this initiative seeks to renew community and strengthen society through civil discourse and civic virtue. For more information about our 2023 Graduates and their projects, check out this blog post!