Young Adult Leaders Fellowship

Young Adult Leaders Fellowship

(Young adults with intellectual disabilities or/and autism)

Young Adult Leaders Fellowship Program — Massachusetts Advocates for Children

Application deadline: November 15, 2026

Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) invites young adults 18 to 26 years old with an intellectual disability and/or autism to apply for MAC’s Young Adult Leaders Fellowship.

MAC’s Young Adult Leaders Fellowship is an opportunity to learn the professional skills needed to work in an office and be an advocate for people with disabilities.

About Massachusetts Advocates for Children

MAC is an advocacy and direct service nonprofit organization dedicated to removing barriers to educational and life opportunities for children and youth. Based in Boston for over 50 years, we advocate to improve educational opportunities for children and youth who face obstacles in school because of their disability, race, language, immigration status, or family income. We advocate on both the individual and systemic levels. Since 2016, MAC has been engaged in an organization-wide Racial Equity Initiative designed to make us better equipped to identify, name and respond to the effects of structural and other forms of racism within our organization and educational systems.

About the Fellowship

The Young Adult Leaders Fellowship is a one-year, part-time position for 16 hours a week. The Fellow is paid $15.00 per hour.

The Fellow will work with and learn from MAC staff during the year. The Fellow will learn about:

· How to advocate for individual students

· How to advocate for changes in the law and in policy

· How to teach or train people in the community

The Fellow will then use their skills to share their lived experience with MAC staff and in their advocacy.

The Fellow will be supervised by an experienced MAC advocate. They will also work with and learn from others in the office.

In the first part of the year, the Fellow will learn about the law and will learn skills needed to work in an office. In the second part of the year, the Fellow will learn to use advocacy skills to advocate for students. For example: 

· Fellows might testify on a bill at the State House,

· Fellows might present with MAC staff at trainings for youth and families,

· Fellows might attend school meetings to help advocate for a student.

The Fellow will receive:

• Supervised training and work experience at MAC for one year,

• Opportunities to learn from MAC staff and complete office tasks,

• The chance to attend in-person and/or remote meetings at schools, with legislators, and/or parent groups,

• Opportunities to work in an office, practice workplace social skills, and a chance to learn skills needed to work independently, and

• Supports in the workplace including peer mentoring with MAC law student interns.

The Fellowship Does Not Provide:

· 1:1 Job coaching/support in the workplace [Note: MAC welcomes the opportunity to work with established job coaches]

· Travel training

Skills and Experiences the Fellow should have:

• The fellow should be passionate about MAC’s mission. This could be because of their life experience.

• The Fellow should be comfortable using a computer and have some experience with different office computer programs (like Word and checking email). The Fellow does not need to be an expert on computers. The Fellow needs to be able to learn to use different programs.

• MAC prefers if the fellow knows some things about advocacy and the special education process. It is okay to apply if you do not already have this knowledge.

• MAC prefers if the Fellow is interested in working together with co-workers in a shared office space.

• The fellow should be open to working with people who have different backgrounds and life experiences.

Compensation and details:

• The Fellow is paid $15.00 per hour

• The Fellow will work 16 hours per week

• The Fellowship is for one year

• MAC’s offices are hybrid, with staff working at home and in the office. The Fellow needs to be able to come in to work in person at MAC’s downtown office.

• The Fellow and the supervisor will work together to decide whether some of the Fellow's hours can be remote in the future.

• The Fellow earns paid time off and sick time

MAC is an Equal Opportunity employer. Our team is built with an intentional commitment to equity and representation. We celebrate diversity and strive to dismantle dominant cultural systems of workplace requirements and restrictive hiring practices. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, or sexual orientation, in accordance with federal and state law. All applicants are welcome to apply and will be considered based on their qualifications for the role.

How to Apply:

Please complete the application online here:  Massachusetts Advocates for Children (MAC) Young Adult Leaders Fellowship Application