Complete List of Guidelines PDF

Selection of a Service or Cause
The applicant should pursue a service or cause that she/he finds intriguing. The volunteer activity or project proposed should support a service or advocate for a cause which will benefit society. The issue being addressed can focus on having a local, national or international impact.

The proposed Fellowship project cannot:

• Support proselytizing activities exclusively to promote a religious faith
• Support a political campaign to elect a candidate into office
• Support a hate or discrimination motivated organization

For example, a proposal to volunteer with a faith-based organization to eliminate capital punishment would be acceptable where as an application to convert death row inmates to a specific faith would not be. Please consult the Caltech Y staff for further clarification.

Selection of a Mentor Organization

The nature and location of the organization or project needs to be determined by the applicant. Organizations or projects can be located at countless sites across the globe. Your personal safety is our utmost concern, therefore travel to countries where the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations or to locations which the Y deems inappropriate, will not be allowed. The Y reserves the right to deny an organization or location, even after the Fellowship award is made, if a concern develops.

We recommend that applicants follow the steps below to identify and initiate contact with a mentor organization:

Promoting Awareness and Engagement on Campus
In addition to personal growth, the Fellowship seeks to encourage involvement within the Caltech community through the awareness and engagement campaign. This is an opportunity to share or spread your passion and knowledge for the cause and to encourage active support on campus.

Once the summer volunteer portion of the Fellowship is completed, the Fellow will be required to finalize and carry out their awareness and engagement campaign. The nature and format of the campaign will be determined by the Fellow. Coordinating volunteer opportunities, student trips, hosted speakers or discussion panels, promotional tabling, or workshops are just a few possibilities of what could be included within your campaign.

"Suggestions for Discussion with Prospective Mentor Organizations" provides some suggested questions.

Do your homework! Be sure to do some research before making a call to a potential mentor organization. The web has lots of information available, so don’t waste someone else’s time to learn details which are already in print.

Are you speaking with the correct person? Once you reach the organization ask a number of questions to determine whether you are speaking with the appropriate person to discuss the feasibility of volunteering. Ask to speak with the volunteer coordinator or someone who oversees the type of work that you are interested in doing if you are having difficulty figuring out a contact. If the contact person doesn’t have time at the moment to speak with you, find out when you can call them back.

Be sure to provide background information. Start the conversation off by explaining the gist of the ACT Fellowship and your personal interests. It may also be helpful to discuss your skill set and why you contacted this particular organization.

Clearly explain their responsibilities. Essentially the mentor organization’s responsibilities will be to help your figure out an appropriate project, provide you with the resources necessary to complete that project and supervise you through the duration of the Fellowship.  A full description of the Fellowship and mentor expectations are included in the Mentor Organization Letter.

Here are a few other questions which could be helpful:

• Does your office have direct contact with the population or cause it serves?
• What differentiates your organization for others working on a similar cause?
• What type of work do volunteers or interns typically do?
• Are there any projects that your organization has been hoping to accomplish which you think could be a good fit for me?
• If I volunteered with you, what would you expect my typical day to be like and what would be my responsibilities?
• Where is your office located? What is the typical schedule at your office?
• If I was awarded the ACT fellowship, would you be willing to host me this summer?
• What is your opinion about how this experience would enhance my ability or desire to advocate for this cause?

Stay in touch! When your conversation is over ask for their e-mail so you can send a personal summary about ACT and/or the Mentor Organization Letter. They probably won’t be able to give you an answer at that moment as to whether they can support your application, so ask when you can call them back.

"Suggestions for Discussion with Prospective Mentor Organizations (PDF)