Chilombo Scholars Program
ABOUT THE CHILOMBO SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The Chilombo Scholars Program by Chilombo Global Career Services is a 10-week summer applied experience program for students and recent graduates (undergraduate and graduate level) of Black/African Descent with a background in public health. The program consists of 4 components:
- Paid Work Experiences: Scholars will be paid a total of $1200 ($12/hour for 10 hours a week, which includes 1 week of paid time off)
- Professional Development Sessions
- One on One Career Coaching
- Group-Check-ins/Guest Speakers
Positions may be focused in the following areas:
- grant/ proposal writing
- program planning & implementation
- report writing
- data analysis/visualization
- research, literature reviews
- implementing health education lessons
- curriculum development
- community outreach
2021 CHILOMBO SCHOLARS & NONPROFIT PARTNERS
Kendra Hester; Research and Social Media Intern at Project: Life’s Journey, presenting: Assessing STD Prevention and Promotion Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Virginia
Romae Morgan, MPH; Community Engagement Intern at Black Health Commission presenting: Community Engagement is a Full Movie Production.
Mariama Stevenson; Community Chapter Intern at A Friend of Mind presenting: Breaking Mental Health Stigma in the Muslim Community.
Elizabeth Seymour, Public Health Research Intern at Diversity in Diabetes presenting: #seecolor.
Brianna Hanson, MPH; Just Health Fellow at Girl Plus Environment (Formerly Millennials 4 Environmental Justice) presenting: Something to Chew On: An Overview of the Food 4 Thought Digital Campaign.
CHILOMBO SCHOLARS TIMELINE
We strive to make this process as transparent as possible- below is the timeline. We are working to obtain funding for the 2023 Chilombo Scholars Program.
CHILOMBO SCHOLARS TIMELINE 2021
- March 1, 2021: Nonprofits Applications Open
- March 17, 2021: Nonprofits Applications due
- March 23, 2021: Scholars Applications Open
- March 31, 2021: Nonprofits informed of acceptance
- April 6, 2021: Scholars Applications due
- April 16-20, 2021: Scholars that make it to next round hear from nonprofits about scheduling interviews
- April 19-April 30, 2021: Scholars conduct interviews with nonprofits
- May 7, 2021: Matching preferences are due to Chilombo Careers
- May 10, 2021: Nonprofits & Scholars receive their final Match
- May 15, 2021: Scholars must confirm acceptance into program
- May 15-June 1, 2021: Waitlisted candidates informed of acceptance if a spot opens up
- June 7, 2021: Onboarding week begins! (Scholars must be available from 6-8pm EST Mon-Thurs this week)
- August 12, 2021: Internship Showcase (Watch recording below)
Future Scholars
Do you aspire to work in public health? Would you like to grow your experience in the social sector? Chilombo Careers has launched the Chilombo Scholars program to provide a pathway for students and recent graduates (undergraduate and graduate level) of Black/African Descent in public health to gain paid experience.
Onboarding & Professional Development- Upon acceptance into the program, you will begin with a paid week of professional development sessions with your Chilombo Scholars cohort. The daily sessions will aim to prepare you for your supportive roles at your future placements.
Applied Experience & Final Deliverable- During weeks 2-9 you will spend 10 hours a week obtaining real world experience. During week 8 you will present a deliverable on your overall experience with your cohort and the Chilombo Careers team.
Career Coaching- You will also gain access to a one on one coaching session with a career coach from the Chilombo Careers team to ask any questions you have about careers, resume revamping, interview prep, and more.
Eligibility
- Undergraduate juniors and seniors, those taking a gap year, graduate students, or recent (within 2 years) graduates.
- 0-2 years of experience in public health
- A United States citizen or permanent resident
- Must identify as Black or of African descent
- Can commit to 10 hours a week during the course of the program
Future Partners
We invite Black led nonprofits to apply to be a Chilombo Scholars Partner. Chilombo Careers wants to increase the talent going into the social sector, while closing up the financial inequality gap Black ran organizations face. How? We will pay for your organization to have one scholar this summer.
Experiences for Summer 2021 must be remote, and you cannot request a scholar for administrative tasks. scholars are present to support your mission, but they must be learning from this also.
During the first week we lead scholars in a series of training sessions that should help them at each placement. However, as a nonprofit partner, you are still required to onboard the scholar within your organization. If accepted as a partner, you would also go through a training to ensure you are prepared to accept a scholar. Throughout the process we will be in communication with you and the scholars. Upon completion of the program we are asking scholars to create a creative project to showcase their new knowledge, and all parties will complete a survey at the midpoint and end of the program so we can improve throughout the program.
Eligibility
- Must be a U.S. registered nonprofit organization; 501c(3) status is preferred but not required
- Must provide services related to health, education, public health, or healthcare
- Must be a Black/African Descent led organization
- Operating budget must be under $100,000
- Organization must have one leader who can dedicate weekly time to the scholar
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where are scholars from? Scholars are public health students and early career professionals from across the United States.
How much will each scholar be paid? Scholars are paid $12 an hour. After completing the program, the total amount received will be $1200.
How much does a nonprofit have to pay in order to partner with Chilombo Careers? Nonprofit organizations are not required to pay anything at this time unless they can pay 50% of their Scholars stipend. Chilombo Careers will cover the rest.
Could I view the professional development material even if I am not a scholar? Yes, you can purchase tickets to gain access to the sessions.
Can the Chilombo team help my nonprofit develop the work experience? No, we can answer questions and offer small guidance, but nonprofits should apply knowing what the scholar’s day to day activities will be.
As a scholar, how many sessions are there during onboarding week? You will have 4 sessions (1 logistics, 3 professional development) with Chilombo Careers spread out over the course of a week. You will also have a training session with your nonprofit placement, but they will inform you on the details.
When would scholars receive the training schedule? Once accepted into the program you will receive a calendar with the exact times of every training.
Will Chilombo Careers handle payroll for scholars? No, nonprofits will add scholars to their payroll systems. Paid scholars are legally considered employees. We encourage nonprofits to consult with their board or an accountant with your questions especially if the scholar will be your first paid worker.
Do scholars pay taxes on money earned? Yes.
Does the nonprofit need to show proof of paying scholars to the Chilombo team? Yes. You are receiving funds from us to pay scholars, so we do request proof.
Can scholars change their placement? Yes, on a case by case basis, it’s possible for scholars to be placed at a different nonprofit within their first 3 weeks.
Will scholars receive insurance or other fringe benefits? No.
How is this program funded? The 2021 program was partially funded by the Facebook Small Business Grants Program for Black-Owned Businesses that Chilombo Global Career Services LLC was awarded in December 2020. It is also partially funded by the revenue from Chilombo Global Career Services LLC. We are currently seeking out funding to continue the program in 2023 and beyond. If you or your organization would like to sponsor a scholar so that we can provide additional paid experiences, please reach out to us at the email listed below or send donations with the note ‘chilomboscholars’ to @chilombocareers on Venmo, $chilombocareers on CashApp, or the Chilombo Careers Paypal.