Advocacy Fellowship
The Advocacy and Public Policy Department of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma hosts a semester long, paid fellowship program designed for undergraduate, recent graduate (within a year of completion) and graduate students from Oklahoma colleges and universities within the Oklahoma City metro. Students selected will work up to 20 hours a week at the Regional Food Bank during the semester.
The Regional Food Bank’s fellowship program offers students the chance to:
- Learn about root causes of hunger and the role of public policy to address them.
- Participate in strategies to educate lawmakers and the public about the prevalence of hunger.
- Develop a deeper understanding of food security issues and the role the Regional Food Bank plays in alleviating hunger.
- Gain hands on experience in non-partisan issue advocacy and campaign development.
- Build relationships with leaders in the food security and nonprofit advocacy field.
- Participate in coalition meetings and workshops related to hunger and policy.
- Contribute to event planning and execution like Hunger Action Month and legislative tours.
- Sharpen writing and communications skills by crafting education content for our advocacy blog and other public materials.
- Receive mentorship from experienced policy and advocacy professionals.
This fellowship has been very beneficial to helping me achieve my life goals as I want to work in government or advocacy after graduation. It has given me much appreciated experience in the field and helped me develop professionally.
One of my biggest goals coming into the internship was gaining a broader, practical understanding of the nonprofit sector. I wanted to be able to take what I learned in my nonprofit classes and apply them in a real-life setting. I also wanted to gain exposure to areas of a nonprofit that I had not previously considered before. I was able to accomplish each of these things to a T. The nonprofit calls I sat in on broadened my understand of the nonprofit sector as a whole and my weekly meetings with food bank staffers allowed me to see the actual structure of the food banks and how they all work together .
I’ve always had an interest in food security. However, my time volunteering and other experiences have always been tied to ‘feeding the line’ efforts. During my time as a fellow, I’ve gained a better understanding of how public policy and advocacy can help change the landscape around food security and ultimately shorten the line. The fellowship has allowed me to learn more about legislative processes and overall, how advocacy at the state and federal level has the potential to make a positive impact on Oklahomans fighting hunger.
When I came into my internship I didn’t know what advocacy meant in a professional space. I learned that nonprofit and advocacy work bridges all majors and no matter what skills or background you bring to it, there is a place for you to help others and live out your passions. I learned more than I could describe in one paragraph but to summarize, I now have a good foundation on how to advocate for myself and the causes I care about. Furthermore, how to do it effectively and the power of simply reaching out to my lawmakers.
Questions? Contact Us:
Lauren Brockman
Director of Advocacy and Public Policy
Email: lbrockman@rfbo.org
