Student Activity Fund
Students Helping to Make a Difference
| SAF Brochure | First Time App. | Renewal App. |
What is SAF all about?
The Student Activity Fund is a grant program funded by the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock. Now in its 35th year, SAF enables high school seniors and college students from congregations within the Long Island Area Council of Unitarian Universalist Congregations to perform significant service to the community while earning money to help finance their education. Participants select a community internship to which they devote a specific number of hours, mutually agreed upon by intern and supervisor. It is the participant’s responsibility to seek the position, which must then be approved prior to beginning work. SAF provides assistance to participants, both in locating a position and during the internship.
Who can participate in SAF?
To participate in the Student Activity Fund Program, you must:
• Be entering your senior year of High School OR be a full-time undergraduate college or trade school student in the Fall of the internship year.
• Be between the ages of 16 and 24 on June 1st of the year of application.
• Be a member or the child of a member in good standing of a Long Island Unitarian Universalist congregation for at least one year prior to the date of application to the SAF program.
• Have received no more than FOUR prior annual SAF grants.
• Submit an application to the SAF Coordinator no later than April 15th, 2008. This application covers the period from June 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009.
• Attend Annual Workshop on May 31, 2008 and be interviewed by SAF Committee.
• Get approval from SAF Coordinator of the agency where you plan to intern.
What else do I need to do?
• Provide agency with SAF forms and obtain approval for internship from SAF coordinator before start of internship.
• Make sure agency submits an evaluation of your work at end of each work period.
• Write and submit a report evaluating your experience at end of each work period.
• Report back to your UU society about your internship in accordance with that society’s requirements.
• Display the values of Unitarian Universalism in your behavior while at work.
How much can I earn?
The number of hours that you can work through SAF is set at the beginning of the grant year, based on the number of students participating and the amount of money available to the SAF. Awards are calculated at $7.50 per hour of service for high school students and $8.50 per hour for college students, and increases to $9.50 per hour once a participant has worked a total of 500 hours through the SAF Program. Payments are made in September, February and June upon receipt of supervisor’s and participant’s written reports.
What types of internships can I do?
Here are some of the types of organizations at which you may intern:
• Agencies offering counseling and advocacy in fair housing, domestic violence and abuse
• Soup kitchens and homeless shelters
• Head Start programs, day care centers, community camp programs or shelters offering programs for disadvantaged children
• Hospitals and public nursing homes
• Environmental agencies
• Literacy and English as a Second Language programs
• Organizations that Work with children and adults with special needs
• Reproductive health care providers or organizations
• Agencies advocating resistance to injustices
… And MANY, MANY MORE!
How do I find an internship?
Although it is the responsibility of the student to find the internship position, there are many resources available to assist in identifying an appropriate assignment.
Some helpful resources include:
• The Community Resource Database at: http://www.crdli.org . This database will provide information about local Long Island community organizations that are looking for volunteers.
• Another great web site is http://www.volunteermatch.org. It provides information about organizations around the country that are in need of volunteer help. You can simply type in your zip code and indicate the geographic area of your search.
• The Student Activity Fund Coordinator, Linda Pfeiffer (lpfeiffer@optonline.net) has information regarding local eligible agencies seeking student interns. Contact her for an application or for more information.