Over the Course of the Internship, Participants Will

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the Research Training Internship (RTI), a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Chicago and The Beck Research Initiative for Women, Gender, and Community at DePaul University. This selective 10-month program has grown out of a partnership we began in 2014 with Ma’yan, a feminist Jewish educational organization in New York City. RTI empowers high-school-aged girls like you to interrogate power and privilege in your lives in order to advise Jewish community leaders from your unique perspectives. The Jewish Federation and DePaul University are interested in learning about the messages Jewish teen girls receive—from popular culture, from parents and other adults, from the Jewish community, from schools, even from peers—about who they are supposed to be and to become. As a Research Training Intern, you will have the opportunity to join our research team and work with us to address critical questions, such as: What are the unique life experiences of Jewish teen girls in Chicagoland? What does it mean to be a Jewish girl who also lives many other identities? What is the role of power and privilege in our lives? Can we produce real social change by critically interrogating our communities? These questions are places for us to dive into this important topic. Where we go from there is up to the interns!

Over the course of the internship, participants will:  share, examine, and discuss their own experiences (as teens, as young women, as Jews, as Americans, etc.);  be trained by DePaul University researchers to design a study of the messages teen girls have to navigate, collect data from their peers, and analyze the results;  learn how to use their research findings to educate others and pursue social justice;  enhance their resumes and college application materials by engaging in college-level discussion and research methodology;  get to know and be challenged by a diverse group of young Jewish women in the Chicago community with a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, interests, ideas, and skills.

Interns will participate in training sessions twice a month between August 2016—June 2017. Meetings will take place every other Sunday at the DePaul University Lincoln Park Campus. Most meetings will be approximately 2 ½ hours long, though there will be several intensive all-day retreats over the course of the year (please see the list of RTI meeting dates attached to this application!). Meals will be provided at each session, and interns will receive a stipend of $200 upon successful completion of the project. The internship will officially culminate with a presentation of research findings in June, 2017.

Please note: the Research Training Internship is a commitment. Interns are expected to attend all program sessions; if an intern cannot make a session, they are expected to let program staff know in advance. We will make time during application interviews to discuss these expectations and give applicants the opportunity to raise any questions or concerns about the commitment level and their availability.

We hope you will apply and we also invite you to forward this information to friends or classmates you think might be a good fit for this program. Applicants must be entering 9th-12th grade in the fall of 2016 and must be students in good standing in the Chicago metropolitan area. Candidates will be selected based on their RTI application form (attached) and a brief in-person or telephone interview. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply, the better your chances of acceptance! Please return the attached form by August 1, 2016 in order to be considered.

All the best,

Stephanie Goldfarb, MSW, MA Director, Youth Philanthropy & Leadership Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Office Phone: 312-444-2802 Email: [email protected]

Preliminary Outline for RTI Year- Curriculum & Goals I. Intro to RTI + Team Building + Laying Foundations

August 14th RTI Group Interviews: RTI applicants who are being considered for admission into the program will participate in a large group interview at DePaul University.

August 28th Opening brunch/ceremony for RTIs and family members

September 11th RTI RETREAT! (9:00am-8:30pm): “What are your strengths/core values?” analysis, “how do we model our own strength for each other?” What is PAR?. What is intersectionality? Unpacking Knapsack of Privilege/activities around power and privilege, discussion about social constructionism (race, class, gender, nationality, etc…), Intro to social science research, reviewing existing research about/with teens, unpacking the definition of “feminism” and “patriarchy”, How does PAR relate to Jewish values?

September 25th AM 3 “I”s of oppression (internalized, institutional, and interpersonal) + small group discussion about internalized sexism + power chart.

October 16th AM Values clarification + preliminary literature review / reviewing Cohort 1 data.

October 30th PM Sexism & media: How do we consume it and how does it affect us?

November 6th AM Group discussions about research topics + Community accountability/service + mini research project

II. Learning About Research Tools for Social Change

November 20th AM Special guest speaker, Jessica Havens to lead a workshop on power, privilege, and community accountability.

December 11th PM PANEL DISCUSSION + feminist research methodologies/YPAR methods + Eshet Chayil as a feminist text + Women as Leaders: Contradictions and Expectations in our community.

December 18th AM Library time (workshop by STAIN CENTER): Learn the basics of academic research using online journals and University resources! Learn directly from the Women’s Studies librarian, Alexis Burson!

III. Defining The Research Project

January 8th ALL-DAY RTI Retreat! (Most likely from 10:00am to 6:00pm): Finalizing the research question + focused project with clear and achievable goals + Setting goals for research collection, Design of research tool.

January 29th AM DATA COLLECTION BEGINS! OPEN for data collection support + values and program goals check-in

February 5th AM Discussing hard questions (related to topic, privilege, research/data collection) + Preliminary discussion of data collection February 26th AM OPEN for data collection support + discussion about ACTION project

March 5th AM Making decisions about the research product and dissemination strategies + ALL DATA MUST BE COLLECTED BY THIS TIME + EVALUATION of RTI

IV. Analysis & Presentation

March 19th PM Begin analysis of data + How will we utilize our power as researchers to address injustice in our community?

April 2nd AM Assessment of data collection + additional data collection if necessary + discussion of ACTION project

April 23rd PM Continued learning about data analysis methods, quantitative and qualitative + discussion of ACTION project

May 7th AM Analysis of data + ACTION project + Discussions about final presentation

May 21st ALL DAY RTI RETREAT!!! (Most likely from 10:00am to 6:00pm) Creation of research products (discussion of ownership, options for research products), continued creation of research products + prep for final presentation (public speaking workshop) + EVALUATION of RTI

June 4th Final presentation & Award Ceremony!!!!!!

The Jewish Federation of Chicago & DePaul University RTI (Research Training Internship) for Jewish Teen Girls Application for Cohort 3: 2016-2017 Name______Preferred Gender

Pronoun:______

Address______

City______State ______ZIP______Phone (_____) ______

Email______Cell (_____) ______

School you will attend in Fall of 2016: ______Age in the Autumn of 2016:______

Grade in the Autumn of 2016:______

Any dietary restrictions/needs (kashrut, allergies, etc.)?______

If you are traveling or going away to camp this Summer:

1. What are the dates you will be away? ______

2. What date will you return to Chicago? ______

3. What is your first day of school in the Autumn of 2016? ______

1. Describe your strengths and weaknesses in working with groups. ______

2. What will you offer to a diverse group of Jewish teens? ______

3. List all extracurricular activities, leadership roles, and/or jobs in which you are involved, as well as your anticipated involvement for next year. ______

4. Which of the following best describes your Jewish affiliation?  Secular—just Jewish, not religious  Reform  Reconstructionist  Renewal  Orthodox  Nondenominational  Modern Orthodox  Conservative  Other ______ Traditional

5. ____ I am ____ I am not currently involved in the Jewish community.

6. My family is affiliated with the following congregation and/or other Jewish organizations: ______

7. I currently or formerly belonged to a Jewish youth group(s). ____ Yes _____ No List group(s) ______Did you hold an office? ____Yes ____No If so, what/when? ______

I am currently involved with Jewish activities and/or education. _____ Yes _____ No If yes, please describe all activities and educational experiences, including Israel trips. ______

9. How did you hear about the Research Training Internship? ______

8. Please sign below to indicate that you have read the attached informational letter and that you understand the expectations and commitment associated with participation in the Research Training Internship program:

______(Signature of Applicant) 9. Please answer all of the following questions on ONE separate, typed page: 1) Why are you interested in becoming a Research Training Intern? 2) What do you believe are the most pressing expectations Jewish teen girls face today? 3) What do you think are some of the most pressing social injustice issues today? And if you could do anything to address it, what might you like to do?

Applicant Signature

By my signature below, I acknowledge that if accepted into the RTI program, I will be required to attend twice- monthly meetings, complete assignments, and plan and participate in a group research project.

Signature Date

Permission from Parent/Guardian

Name ______

Address ______

E-mail Address ______

Home Phone ______Business Phone ______Cell Phone ______

Relationship to Applicant ______

Emergency Contact Name and Phone ______

By my signature below, I acknowledge that ______(applicant’s name) is participating as a Jewish Federation of Chicago Research Training Intern, that I understand the program requirements, which include attending monthly meetings, completing assignments, and participating and planning a group research project. I will make every effort to support his/her participation in the program throughout the year.

Parent/Guardian Signature Date

Please mail the form to: Stephanie Goldfarb 30 S. Wells Street Chicago, IL 60606 OR Email to [email protected]. Please put “RTI Application” in the subject line.

Applications are due via email or post by August 1, 2016. Applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview by phone or in person, and notified of their status on a rolling basis (so the sooner you apply, the better your chances of acceptance!). Any questions or concerns can be directed to Stephanie Goldfarb at the email address above, or by calling 312-444-2802.

Good luck, and thank you for applying!