The Seed Fellowship
High School Youth
The future is created by the seeds you plant today.
The Seed Fellowship is a program for South Asian high school students to plant seeds for the future of their world, their community, and their lives. Our Seed Fellows learn about South Asian history, civic engagement, team building, and storytelling skills. Through the program, they will get to:
Create a community project that is rooted in their passions, purpose, and family history
Volunteer with the Banyan Tree to support local issues
Lead sessions in our youth development program (Root to Rise) after getting trained in facilitation
Write a family history that they can publish in a multimedia magazine for South Asian youth
Build lifelong friendships, find mentors, and form a supportive community to guide them through the ups and downs of school, and the journey through college / finding a job.
The Details
Where
At the Treehouse (Banyan Tree Headquarters) in Berkeley, CA (near Willard Park). The exact location is provided to participants only.
When
The Spring Session will run February 1 - May 24, every Sunday from 3-4:30PM. Participants will also need to sign up for a weekly volunteer shift at one of the following times:
Wednesday, 4-6PM
Sunday, 10AM-12PM
Who
Participants: All high school and college students are welcome to join. We put participants into age-based cohorts, so they will get to interact with other people in their stage of life, and grow together.
Instructors: The Banyan Tree is rooted in the South Asian American experience, so our instructors have a deep understanding of what it is like to grow up as a brown kid in America. The lead instructors for this program are Tara Kola and Sonali Bhandari.
What
The Seed Fellowship is a hands-on leadership development program. Some of the things that our Seed Fellows do include:
Developing a community project that allows them to grow essential and practical leadership, team-building, and facilitation skills
Volunteering in workshops for TK-5th graders that explore South Asian culture through art, STEM, sports, storytelling, cooking, and more
Connecting with inspiring mentors from our network of professionals, community leaders, and recent college grads
Building a supportive community of lifelong friends
Contributing to our multimedia magazine in order to explore South Asian history and culture, while growing communication, storytelling, and media skills
Cost
For High School Students: The Seed Fellowship costs $120/month. Please email us at tara@the-banyan-tree.org if this is cost prohibitive for your family. We offer scholarships for high school students with a household income of less than $100,000/year.
Your tuition includes:
All materials needed
Instruction from experienced educators
Vegan Snack (no nuts)
Apply Now
⋆
Apply Now ⋆
Join an Introduction Call to learn more.
Apply to the Seed Fellowship
The Banyan Tree is excited to open the Seed Fellowship to our high school and college community! Once you apply, we will contact you within a few days to schedule an interview. We will then give you the acceptance decision within a few days.