Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist Program
The application to apply for 2024 TFVSA is now closed.
Each year the Twink Frey Visiting Social Activist (TFVSA) Program brings to CEW+ a social justice activist whose work affects women and recognizes gender equity issues. One goal of the program is to build the capacity and effectiveness of social activists by giving the TFVSA time, space, and support to work on a project that would not be possible under the activist’s usual working circumstances.
The TFVSA program gives the selected TFVSA time for reflection, research, planning, and writing related to their area of activism. Each TFVSA is required to work on a project that will advance their future work and potentially benefit other activists.
If selected, the applicant is invited to reside near campus for up to one month or make intermittent visits to Ann Arbor and work remotely. The 2024 residency will take place during the winter semester with a presentation of their project the following fall semester at the CEW+ Annual Advocacy Symposium. The activist receives a $10,000 stipend to cover their expenses while in Ann Arbor. Travel expenses to and from Ann Arbor are separately reimbursed by the endowment fund.
Connections between Visiting Social Activists and influential community leaders at U-M and in the Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Grand Rapids regions have a positive and synergistic effect on all involved. Nationally prominent activists draw visitors to U-M, which advances U-M’s commitment to serving the community. Through interactions and presentations, the TFVSA provides inspiration to community and campus members to advance social justice in their communities. Interactions between academics and TFVSAs nurture a “scholar-activist” mindset that can improve the quality of work done in academia as well as in social justice organizations.
The TFVSA program is made possible through a generous gift from U-M alumna Twink Frey.
Eligibility
The TFVSA program supports activists whose work addresses gender equity issues that affect the lives of women and/or girls. The program defines social justice and equity programs broadly to include activism in such areas as housing, employment, income support, food security, education, violence, child care, health care, and employer benefits like paid sick leave and retirement income.
Visiting Social Activist Project
Interested activists must:
- Develop a project proposal relevant to their work. Examples include a report, plan of action, communication strategy, training tool, or another item. Applicants must outline a plan for working on the project during their residency and describe how insights gained from the engagement will be integrated into the activist’s future work.
- Applicants should be able to suggest ways to disseminate their completed project deliverables in order to advance the work of other activists. Ideas with the potential to have a regional or national impact and/or to be replicable by other activists are encouraged. The deliverable will later be shared on CEW+’s website.
- Commit to spending four weeks dedicated to their residency during the U-M winter semester, understanding that meetings and interactions can take place virtually but will happen during EST business hours.
- During residency, engage virtually or in-person with U-M constituents including researchers, courses, community members, and/or students.
- Present at the annual CEW+ Advocacy Symposium the fall directly after their TFVSA residency. Presentations should: make accessible to a wide audience the importance of the work completed during their TFVSA residency; showcase their project; provide action steps and tools for how audience members (faculty, staff, students, and the broader community members) can implement change in their scope of influence.
Application & Selection Process
- The application review and selection process takes place between April 1, 2023, and May 15, 2023
- Notification of the selected visiting social activist by May 31, 2023
- The 2024 TFVSA will be publicly announced and introduced at the CEW+ Advocacy Symposium in October 2023
- The four-week residency (virtual and/or in-person) should take place between February 1 and April 5, 2024
- The CEW+ Advocacy Symposium in-person presentation will occur in October 2024 in Ann Arbor, MI
If you have questions please contact Advocacy Program Manager Liz DeBetta, Ph.D. at ldebetta@umich.edu.