CalArts Community Arts Partnership

Los Angeles, CA

Program Description

The CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps (CAA) Fellowship seeks to increase the number of effective educators in Los Angeles County and their ability to deliver critically needed education in the arts for youth who are coming of age under challenging conditions. The Fellowship provides support and structure to recent alumni in arts disciplines who are starting a career in arts education and community engagement, and are committed to CAP's larger mission of ensuring the arts remain accessible for Los Angeles County youth. This initiative gives Los Angeles County alumni an outstanding opportunity to engage in public service and prepare for future careers as educators, teaching artists, and more.

The CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellowship is ideal for those interested in:

1. Pursuing a career as a professional teacher and enrollment in education preparation, certification, or teaching credential programs
2. Pursuing a career as a community-based teaching artist
3. Developing a research or artistic practice in community arts

The aim of the CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellowship is to build on what recent alumni in arts disciplines have already accomplished and learned as instructors, and provide them with the resources to become highly effective teachers in an expanded array of contexts.

CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellows are selected through a competitive process based on their applications, teaching evaluations, work samples, letters of recommendation, and/or demonstrated interest in pedagogy and assessment. Fellows participate in additional training in order to learn more about pedagogy, educational trends, community practice and educational equity. They also provide a key service to the CalArts community by helping to train CalArts Student Instructors (CSIs) and CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Scholars to teach in CAP Programs over the school year and summer.

Fellows will:

• Develop the foundation upon which they can build careers as teaching artists and community leaders
• Recruit youth participants for CAP Programs
• Lead their own in person classes at CAP's community-based partner sites
• Develop online educational content for CAP classes
• Prepare participants for college and careers through structured mentorship in auditioning, creating portfolios and submitting artwork to contests and festivals
• Help train and assess CalArts Student Instructors and CAA Scholars
• Reflect upon and document their teaching experience by maintaining an online teaching journal
• Plan and coordinate mid-year and end-of-year culmination events
• Plan and collaborate with community partners to host monthly family engagement workshops

Fellows will receive:

• Focused professional development in small learning communities with other fellows on topics such as:
• Instructional coaching, feedback and support
• Building exceptional community based educational programming and partnerships
• Providing professional development for youth on college and career readiness
• Mentoring first-time teachers
• Managing instructional teams effectively
• Designing engaging online courses for youth
• Making the case for financial support from potential donors for your educational vision
• Building on student accomplishments in curriculum design
• Creating culturally responsive curricula
• Designing professional development for youth
• Crafting a future career—life post-fellowship
• Opportunities to share insights with other Fellows
• Networking opportunities with leaders at community centers
• Coaching in developing a Professional Development Plan that includes skills and values assessments, and action steps for fulfilling future career goals
• An online teaching journal that documents accomplishments and that can be used for job applications

The CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellowship is a post-graduation teaching fellowship. The fellowship is assigned for a one-year period. Applicants must apply for the CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellowship on an annual basis.

This program is administered by CaliforniaVolunteers and sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Fellowship Application

The application period for the 2017-2018 CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Fellowship for the school year is now closed. Applications for the 2018-2019 academic year will be available in April - May 2018.

HOW TO APPLY

The 2018 application for the CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Lead Fellow for CAP's Summer Arts Programs is now open. Please click the link to apply.