By Kevin Dugan, Senior Communications Associate, External Affairs
Fellows and their host organizations came together to both look back at the work done engaging and educating voters in the South Bronx over the first year. In this blog, we detail some of their accomplishments and hear their thoughts on the Fellowship.
In 1976, Hostos Community College in the South Bronx—at the time the only bilingual CUNY school—was slated for closure. Neighborhood advocates and community organizations, including the Young Lords, successfully rallied to save it, allowing it to grow into the award-winning, community-serving institution it is today. This summer, 50 years later, it was an appropriate setting to celebrate the first year of the Civic Engagement Fellowship.
Launched last year as a partnership between CUNY ISLG and the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB), the two-year Civic Engagement Fellowship placed CUNY seniors within community-based organizations to support civic engagement and community building in the South Bronx. Since August 2025, over a dozen Fellows have worked directly with these organizations and with CUNY ISLG and NYCCFB staff part-time to host events, conduct community outreach, and develop innovative ways to boost voter participation and civic power in neighborhoods that have traditionally seen low engagement. As this first cohort graduated in May, they have now joined their host sites full-time for a year.
Since August 2025, over a dozen Fellows have worked directly with these organizations and with CUNY ISLG and NYCCFB staff part-time to host events, conduct community outreach, and develop innovative ways to boost voter participation and civic power in neighborhoods that have traditionally seen low engagement
“We know it takes community engagement to change how people think about what they see happening around them, and what democracy in our city looks like,” said Carolyn O’Neil, the former Neighborhoods Manager at NYCCFB who helped originate the program.
A Year of Making an Impact on Civic Engagement in the South Bronx
The gathering at Hostos was an opportunity for the Fellows and their host organizations to convene with CUNY ISLG and NYCCFB staff to share, reflect, and build on their accomplishments. For the past year, Fellows have participated in ongoing, hands-on training with CUNY ISLG and NYCCFB staff, as well as guest speakers, to build their civic engagement skills, while also learning about the structure of New York City’s government and the history of civic involvement in the South Bronx. Fellows also took a trip to City Hall this past spring, where they sat in on a Public Safety Committee hearing, toured the building and learned about its history, and met with a staff member of City Council Speaker Julie Menin’s office.
“One of the most valuable parts of the convening was having everyone in the same room,” said ISLG Senior Policy Associate Evan Goldstein. “Hearing firsthand about the innovative ways organizations are engaging the Bronx community and exploring new opportunities to expand their work together reinforces how much we can accomplish through collaboration.”
And in the program’s first year, the impact of the work done by the Fellows has been substantial. As of June 2026, work performed by the Fellows resulted in:
71,529 potential voters contacted/engaged
1,338 voters registered
636 civic engagement events attended by 24,002 community members
8,699 copies of voting materials requested from the CFB/NYC Votes
“There's a lot of programming that I've learned in my community and how I could use this to express to my neighbors that I talk to every day and get them more aware of what's happening around the neighborhood,” said Brandon LaFontaine, a Fellow working with South Bronx Unite. “I know so many people are interested in environmental action and you can connect these different interests into being politically active, going out to vote, registering to vote, volunteering. Helping others is a good way to make people get involved civically.”
Engaging young adults in the civic process was a key focus for many of the Fellows and community organizations. Mariel Charles, Division Director of Organizing at New Settlement, said their Fellow was able to connect with young people in their community and get them involved.
“Our Fellow, Angelina, has been able to build great relationships with young people. I believe they see themselves in what she's sharing in her as a student herself, as a New Yorker herself,” Charles said. “And they can see a lot of their concerns being brought up and shared by a Fellow, and are now equipped with more tools on how to navigate these systems so that they can feel less frustrated and more empowered in making sure that their voice is heard . . . It's allowed us to have a renewed sense of possibility in the civic process and overall.”
“It's allowed us to have a renewed sense of possibility in the civic process and overall.”
- Mariel Charles, Division Director of Organizing at New Settlement
New Opportunities for Bringing the Community into the Democratic Process
As the Fellowship enters its second year, the convening was an opportunity to look towards how the Fellowship’s achievements could be expanded to build sustainable community power in the South Bronx.
One way that many organizations connected their Fellows with existing work in community power-building was to integrate them into The People’s Money, NYC’s participatory budgeting process. The Bronx Defenders, one of the host organizations, gives credit to their Fellow for building participation in The People’s Money this year.
“This Fellowship and partnership with CUNY allows us to expand on that work and take it to the next level. This year, we reached 6,000 people voting in the People's Money, which is our largest amount of people yet,” said Aleciah Anthony, Director of Community Engagement at The Bronx Defenders. “The Fellowship develops leadership in the Fellows because they are ingrained in an organization, so they get to see the inner workings of an organization and what it takes to pull off the work. It also benefits the organization because of increased capacity to do some of the things we haven't been able to do in the past.”
One common thread among Fellows was their desire to expand civic engagement beyond the ballot box. Fellows and their hosts discussed events that were focused on civic engagement for high school students and other community members who may not be able to vote, due to age or immigration status, but who have a deep interest in civic engagement. Fellows also spoke about projects that showcased the voices of community members, such as videos and illustrated zines.
“At a time of deep cynicism and pessimism about government and participation, it has given me so much hope to see the amazing work the Fellows are doing every day,” said ISLG Associate Policy Director Patrick Hart. “The Fellows are making a difference on the ground in their communities and providing a roadmap for what civic engagement and community participation should look like.”
“The Fellows are making a difference on the ground in their communities and providing a roadmap for what civic engagement and community participation should look like.”
- Patrick Hart, CUNY ISLG Associate Policy Director
Fellows and their host sites shared their optimism and excitement for this next step in the program, with eyes towards ensuring that the South Bronx will be heard in November’s upcoming general election. After seeing what was accomplished in the first year of the program, we’re excited to see how they continue to raise up these voices.