Regular admission for the 2019-2020 cohort is closed. QuEST continues to seek applicants for our placement as General Intake Coordinator at Northwest Immigrants Rights Project. Spanish fluency preferred but candidates with any second language fluency are welcome. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the placement is filled.
The QuEST Community
QuEST accepts six young adults to participate in the program each year. Fellows come from a variety of socio-economic, cultural, racial, and religious backgrounds, and share a commitment to service, social justice, and nonviolence. Each person also commits to a year of voluntary simplicity. The Fellows’ experience includes building community by reaching agreements on household matters, cooking and eating together, and supporting each other throughout the ups and downs of the year. Participation in worship, program, and social activities of the sponsoring Quaker Meeting is encouraged, but not required, and is open to all regardless of faith.
Compensation
Fellows live together cooperatively in Quaker House, a six-bedroom 1910 home adjacent to the Meeting House in the University District of Seattle. QuEST pays for rent, utilities, bus passes, a health care expense fund, and a shared budget for house food. Agencies pay a $125 monthly stipend directly to the Fellow as a personal stipend. Fellows also receive $125 for personal enrichment, and QuEST will pay the interest that accumulates on Fellows’ student loans during their service year. Upon completion of the program, each Fellows receives a $1000 exit stipend and may be eligible for a $500 short-term, interest-free loan.
Training and Support
QuEST sponsors two monthly training sessions called QuEST Time as well as fall and summer weekend retreats. Some QuEST Times are educational workshops on topics like financial literacy, self-defense, anti-racism, or class awareness, often led by an outside facilitator or community organization. Other QuEST Times give space and structure for the Fellows’ individual and group reflection, when they have opportunity to use writing prompts, mindfulness practices, visual art, and discussion to process and integrate their experiences. Retreats focus on community building.
The Program Director meets one-one-one with the Fellows regularly. Each Fellow also has the opportunity to partner with a local Quaker or a former QuEST Fellow for a mentoring relationship. The mentor and mentee can explore Seattle together, discuss professional options, encourage each other’s spiritual growth, and/or form an intergenerational friendship.
Placement at a Non-Profit Agency
QuEST recruits quality placement agencies for each of our Fellows. QuEST strives to maintain a balanced offering of agency placements including social service work and social change work in a variety of fields. Each site provides meaningful full-time work as well as appropriate training and supervision. Our placements for the coming program year are at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, REACH, Transitional Resources, United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, and Washington Housing Alliance Action Fund. For full job descriptions, download Placements 2019-2020.
The Sponsoring Quaker Community
QuEST is a ministry of University Friends Meeting (UFM) and South Seattle Friends Meeting (SSFM), unprogrammed meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Participants in these meetings gather in silent worship on Sundays, with individuals speaking as they feel led by the spirit. UFM and SSFM connect with QuEST Fellows through several events during the year, including a fall welcome potluck, a Christmas open house, and opportunities for the Fellows to share their experiences. Members from these meetings serve as mentors to QuEST Fellows and as members of the QuEST Committee, which provides support and accountability to the director and the program.
In addition to QuEST, University Friends Meeting has several other ministries, including travelers’ lodgings on the lower floor of Quaker House, partnerships with homeless organizations that provide services and shelter to homeless adults in the UFM basement, and community and spiritual support for both survivors of sexual abuse and past sexual offenders. UFM is a safer place for both children and adults because of the awareness and education of this final ministry, which requires ongoing dialogue and engagement. For further information about the meetings and their ministries, see the UFM webpage and the SSFM webpage. You can find more about Quakers and Quakerism here and here.
Application Process
QuEST Fellows commit to a year of service that begins in late August. Applications to the program are due on March 15th of each year. After March 15th, applications may be accepted on space-available basis. Prospective Fellows will be interviewed by QuEST and by potential placement agencies. Efforts are made to match Fellows with their placement of interest, but placements at specific agencies are not guaranteed. Fellows make their final commitment in May once they have accepted a placement offer.
University Friends Meeting is an equal-opportunity employer.