AFTER Fellow & Leadership Program

Learn. Lead. Advocate.

Developing the next generation of professionals who understand how to navigate complex systems, advocate effectively, and create meaningful change for families.

The AFTER Fellow & Leadership Program is an immersive professional-development experience for students and emerging professionals interested in healthcare, education, disability, psychology, social work, public health, advocacy, nonprofit leadership, and community impact.

This isn't an internship built around observation.

AFTER Fellows are part of the work.

Fellows receive structured leadership training while contributing to real projects across The AFTER Organization. They research resources, build community partnerships, develop programs, strengthen referral pathways, create tools for families, and help solve real challenges affecting children and families navigating complex systems.

Where Systems Meet

Families rarely experience medical, educational, developmental, and disability needs independently.

A diagnosis can affect school.

A school concern can uncover a developmental need.

A medical recommendation can require educational accommodations.

A family may suddenly find themselves coordinating specialists, evaluations, therapies, insurance, schools, community programs, and multiple agencies — without anyone explaining how those pieces fit together.

AFTER Fellows learn to see the whole picture.

Through hands-on experience, mentorship, and structured training, Fellows learn how systems intersect and how professionals can help families move through them more effectively.

Fellowship Areas

Fellows may work across one or more areas based on their interests, academic background, strengths, and organizational priorities:

Family Navigation & Advocacy

Learn how to identify needs, research resources, understand referral pathways, and help build systems that connect families with appropriate services.

Medical Systems & Healthcare Navigation

Develop a foundational understanding of healthcare systems, specialties, referrals, diagnoses (DX), evaluations, testing, treatment recommendations, care coordination, insurance barriers, and continuity of care.

Education & Disability Systems

Explore educational pathways, special education, IEPs, Section 504, evaluations, accommodations, alternative education, disability services, and the relationship between medical and educational needs.

Research & Resource Development

Research programs, providers, services, funding opportunities, community resources, and gaps in existing systems — then turn that information into resources people can actually use.

Community Development & Strategic Partnerships

Identify and cultivate relationships with healthcare organizations, educational institutions, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, and community partners.

Programs & Innovation

Help develop and strengthen AFTER programs, educational resources, family-support initiatives, community projects, and new solutions to identified needs.

Communications & Public Awareness

Support educational content, storytelling, outreach, public-awareness initiatives, social media, and communications that make complicated information accessible to families and communities.

The Leadership Experience

Being an AFTER Fellow means learning how to think, not simply being given a list of tasks.

Fellows participate in structured leadership and professional-development training designed around the real systems encountered by the families and communities AFTER serves.

Training areas include:

  • Family Navigation & Referral Pathways

  • Understanding Healthcare Systems

  • Diagnosis (DX) & Medical-System Literacy

  • Educational Systems & Advocacy

  • Disability Resources & Supports

  • Research & Resource Verification

  • Professional Communication

  • Community Engagement

  • Ethics, Confidentiality & Professional Boundaries

  • Nonprofit Operations

  • Partnership Development

  • Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking

  • Leadership & Professional Growth

Fellows are never expected to provide medical, legal, or clinical advice. Instead, they learn how to understand systems, identify credible information and resources, recognize professional boundaries, and help make complicated processes easier to navigate.

Real Work. Real Responsibility. Real Impact.

We believe emerging professionals learn best when they are trusted with meaningful work.

Depending on their fellowship placement, AFTER Fellows may develop family resources, research services, build referral pathways, identify community gaps, support outreach, assist with partnerships, contribute to programs, develop educational materials, participate in advocacy initiatives, or lead an individual fellowship project.

Fellows aren't here to watch the work happen.

They're here to help move it forward.

Who Should Apply?

The AFTER Fellow & Leadership Program welcomes motivated college students, graduate students, and emerging professionals from a variety of disciplines.

Relevant fields may include:

Psychology • Social Work • Public Health • Healthcare • Nursing • Education • Special Education • Human Services • Sociology • Communications • Marketing • Nonprofit Management • Public Administration • Pre-Law • Political Science • Business • and related disciplines

We aren't looking for applicants who already know everything.

We're looking for people who are curious, dependable, thoughtful, willing to learn, comfortable asking questions, and ready to take ownership of meaningful work.

What Fellows Gain

AFTER Fellows leave the program with practical experience that extends beyond traditional internship hours.

The fellowship is designed to build:

  • Leadership experience

  • Professional communication skills

  • Understanding of complex family-serving systems

  • Nonprofit experience

  • Research and resource-development skills

  • Community engagement experience

  • Interdisciplinary thinking

  • Project ownership

  • Professional mentorship

  • Tangible work products and accomplishments

  • Greater confidence navigating professional environments

Fellowship Cohorts

The AFTER Fellow & Leadership Program operates through structured cohorts throughout the year.

Spring Cohort- January to May
Summer Cohort- End May- Beginning August
Fall Cohort- August-December

Fellowship opportunities, schedules, and required hours may vary by cohort, university requirements, organizational priorities, and assigned fellowship track.

Academic credit and practicum placements may be available in coordination with participating colleges and universities.

University & Community Partnerships

The AFTER Organization welcomes partnerships with colleges, universities, academic departments, field-placement programs, and community organizations interested in preparing future professionals for the realities of working with children and families.

We especially value interdisciplinary partnerships that allow students to understand what happens between systems , where healthcare, education, disability, community resources, and family needs intersect.

Interested in becoming a university or community partner? Contact The AFTER Organization.

Become an AFTER Fellow

If you're looking for an experience where you'll be challenged to learn, lead, think critically, and create something meaningful, we want to hear from you.

APPLY TO BECOME AN AFTER FELLOW BELOW

Fellowship availability and application periods vary by cohort.

Never an “AFTER” Thought™

The AFTER Organization, Inc.