Valley Forward is a youth leadership nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing social, environmental, and economic justice initiatives in the San Joaquin Valley. We recruit and train bilingual college students to become agents of change as Outreach Specialists in our Fellowship program. Valley Forward engages in numerous education and outreach projects where our fellows share resources with our communities via door-to-door canvassing, community canvassing, phone banking, and text banking.

We have open Fellowship positions available to all college students, regardless of immigration status. We are recruiting canvassers that want to make a difference in election justice. Are you interested in community service, voter engagement, and social justice? We want you!

Student Fellows, trained as Outreach Specialists, will engage our communities of Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings County on several programs. Fellows who complete 100 hours of community service in our programs are eligible to receive a $2,500 financial fellowship award. We provide all the training, canvassing materials, and some travel reimbursement in the form of gas cards for team drivers.

Join our 2026 Voter Education, Leadership and Advocacy (VELA) program!

Key Dates:

• August 21st - Applications Due
• September 5th - Anticipated Start Date
• November 3rd - End Date (2 months)

Valley Forward understands that students' school schedules are dynamic and the priority. We offer students the ability to create their own Fellowship schedule with the following guidelines:

Qualifications:

• Be at least 18 years of age and a college student
• Have a valid CA Driver’s License
• Have valid car insurance
• Ability to travel across different counties
• Ability to complete 50 or 100 hours by the end of each month