Interested in social change? COPAL launches fellowship for Minnesota youth

Politically minded young people often are full of ideas about how to make the world a better place. But the path to turning those ideas into community change often is murky, marked by unpaid internships and high-pressure work environments.

In an effort to help streamline the career path, Latino political organizing group Communities Organizing Latinx Power and Action (COPAL, for its initials in Spanish) created a paid educational fellowship program for Minnesota youth interested in politics and social change following big legislative wins earlier this year.

The cohort of college and high school students ages 16 to 24 in the COPAL Leader Apprenticeship Program (¡CLAP!) was launched in June with seven students from the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota. All of members of this year's cohort are young people of color from immigrant families, said Ryan Perez, political campaign manager.

Fellows learn about issue-based campaigns such as "driver's licenses for all" which secured licenses for unauthorized immigrants earlier this year, and also gain experience creating campaigns of their own, he said.

"Recently, because of driver's licenses for all and other really exciting positive social change outcomes, we're seeing community say, 'This is so exciting, I now believe change is possible,'" Perez said.

The fellowship pays $18 an hour and features two key components: skills development in the summer and the opportunity to put those skills into practice in the fall in time for nonpartisan municipal elections.

The fellows meet with community and elected leaders from around the state. They also learn about the operational side of nonprofits, such as the communications and finance, Perez said.

Rivera, an incoming University of Minnesota student, said she already has learned about programs and opportunities for the Latino community and discussed those with family, friends and other COPAL fellows.

"All of us come from different backgrounds, so it's really interesting to hear different perspectives, different ideas and how we can all implement those together within our trainings," Rivera said.

As she considers future career opportunities, open conversations with industry professionals have been really valuable, said Chang, a sophomore at Northwestern University.

"As a young person trying to figure out what type of career I would like eventually, it's helpful to hear about their path, their journey and the current work that they do," she said.

COPAL hopes that the training program won't simply be a feeder to their nonprofit, but a pipeline to community organizations all around Minnesota, Perez said.