Community Outreach Fellows serve as part-time members of the Harward Center staff, helping to connect the college to the off-campus community in mutually transformative ways. Each Fellow is responsible for collaborating with Harward Center staff and community partners to coordinate and/or develop site- or issue-based volunteer programs. Fellows also meet regularly to plan programming, report back on their progress, and reflect on their experience. Fellows benefit from leadership training, exploration of community issues through immersive experiences, and hands-on opportunities to develop leadership and project management skills. Each Fellow has the chance to shape programming by contributing innovative ideas and problem-solving skills to community needs. Successful Fellows tend to be deeply committed to community engagement and have the energy and desire to develop and grow community programs in partnership with others.

Community Outreach Fellows will:

• Represent the Harward Center as leaders on campus—recruiting, training, and coordinating other students as volunteers in the community.
• Strive to meet the needs of the community and to maintain strong relationships with community partners.
• Engage individually and collaboratively to meet program expectations.

Fellows are paid $1208 per semester for one academic year and must meet the following expectations:

• Commit to an average of 6 hours per week of community–engaged leadership. The time commitment may vary a little from week to week.
• In addition, attend bi-weekly meetings with the Fellows cohort and Harward Center staff, with additional meetings as needed.
• Report regularly on the progress of their program and on other program activities.

Examples of some of the community leadership positions available in 2025-2026 can be found here.

Please contact Ellen Alcorn (ealcorn@bates.edu) with questions about the Community Outreach Fellows Program.