Join SKILLS

Are you passionate about social justice? Are you interested in gaining experience in research, education, and/or organizational planning? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the SKILLS program is for you!

SKILLS is a social justice-centered academic outreach program geared towards local high school and elementary school students who aim to become first-generation college students. SKILLS students learn how to carry out original and linguistic research and language activism within their own communities. The project also provides students with academic skills and mentoring to help prepare them for college.

Undergraduate Students

SKILLS is seeking undergraduate students to serve as mentors for the winter and spring quarters. in three different roles in the program during both the winter and spring quarters:

Mentors

Undergraduate mentors support the SKILLS program by mentoring high school and middle school students while facilitating the program curriculum. Our undergraduate mentors get hands-on practice teaching and working with youth.

Responsibilities:

• Attending SKILLS program meetings as set by graduate student instructor(s)
• Collaborating with graduate instructor(s) and researcher(s)
• Mentoring high school students
• Facilitating semester-long high schooler-led research projects

Professional Development Opportunities:

• Gaining mentorship from graduate students, fellow undergraduate students, and faculty
• Designing and/or adapting a curriculum for a range of subjects (such as linguistics, sociology, and history)
• Designing and/or adapting a curriculum for a range of social topics (protest, college experience, memes)
• Research experience (collecting data, transcribing audio or video, thematic coding, interpreting data)

Required Qualification:

• Enrolled UCSB undergraduate student for Winter and Spring quarters

Preferred Qualification (not required):

• Spanish (and other languages) bilingual
• Coursework in linguistics and/or a desire to learn more about sociocultural linguistics
• Experience working or volunteering in K-12 classrooms or with youth in non-school settings
• Commitment to social-justice based teaching practices

How to Apply

You will also need to submit your resume using the Google form, and answer a few questions about your interest in the program. Please contact our Program Coordinator Mary Franitza (mfranitza@ucsb.edu), if you have any questions.

Apply at: https://ucsb.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ehz0hp7HnoAF6lg

The priority deadline to submit applications is 11:59 PM on December 2nd.

Apply Now

Graduate Students

SKILLS is seeking graduate students to design and implement course lessons based on social justice curriculum. Graduate student instructors will be able to work alongside fellow graduate students from different fields and undergraduate students.

Instructors are responsible for

• Designing weekly lessons to be implemented in high school classrooms based on SKILLS curriculum
• Hiring and training undergraduate students to mentor high school students
• Guiding K-12 students in research projects to be presented at UCSB
• Mentoring undergraduate students 
• Collaborating with fellow graduate students and ED, LING, and CHST faculty

Requirements

• Commitment to the program for both Winter and Spring quarters
• Commitment of 5-10 hours/week of work
• Concurrent enrollment in ED/CH ST for 4 units (add code will be supplied upon acceptance to the program)

Other Qualifications

• Ability to speak Spanish or a language other than English is desirable, but not required
• Research related to language, social justice, social identities, community engagement, youth development

How to Apply

Please contact our Program Coordinator Mary Franitza (mfranitza@ucsb.edu), if you are interested or have any questions.

Partner Teachers

If you are committed to social justice and are interested in a culturally responsive, engaging, and research-oriented curriculum for your students, School Kids Investigating Language in Life and Society–SKILLS–may be exactly what you are looking for. We work with local teachers to introduce a linguistics course that emphasizes the racial, cultural dynamics of language within the everyday lives of students. Please contact our Program Coordinator Mary Franitza (mfranitza@ucsb.edu) with your questions and interest.