Frequently Asked Questions
What are the dates of the program?
The 2025 Engaged Summer Program runs from the week of June 2nd thru August 8th.
How will my application be evaluated?
Our program looks to engage students in learning about social justice issues that impact communities in the Northern Virginia area. Organizations applying to the be a partner for the Engaged Summer program should have a clear project that students are able to complete over the summer that align with the organizations mission.
How are students matched with a community partner site?
Community Partners and students will participant in virtual Interview Days on April 10th and 11th. Each student will have the opportunity to interview with up to three community partners. After the interviews, Community partners and students will provide their rankings based on their interviews. CECiL staff will then compile the responses and then match students and partners. All matching will be completed by April 28th.
How many students can I be matched with?
Partners can request up to 3 student fellows, however, the number of volunteers available is dependant on the student fellow application pool and funding availability. We will try to match each partner with at least 1 volunteer.
Can other members of my staff participate in the Interview Day?
Yes. Community partners who are accepted as a partner site for the Engaged Summer program are required to participate in the Interview Day and are welcome to invite other members of their team to participate in the student interviews.
My organization requires that students complete a background check, how will I be notified of the student that is placed at my site.
Engaged Summer Partners will be notified of their match by April 28th. Once matches are made, partners will be given the contact information for their student and can begin to coordinate any site-specific onboarding needs.
What if the student that I would like to work with selects another organization as their first choice to work with?
During interviews, partners generally meet up to 15 students. Each partner will be able to rank the students that they interviewed, and matching will consider both the student and the partner's ranking. If a student is no longer available, the CECiL staff will then select the next student and partner combination that is available.
While we will do our best to match partners with a student, being selected as a partner site does not guarantee that we will be able to match you with a student. Depending on the organization’s timeline and application pool we may be able to work with you to find another match.
Are there other dates that I need to be available?
Yes, we ask all partners or their representatives to participate in the Engaged Summer Training on May 21st (details will be shared with all partners once they are selected). Additionally, Engaged Summer Partners are expected to attend scheduled partner meetings over the duration of the program. If the site supervisor is unable to make the meeting, they are asked to send a representative.
How are the students’ hours managed?
Once matching for the Engaged Summer Program is completed, students and partners will be able to connect to coordinate the volunteer hours during the program. Students will be required to share their hours with CECiL staff and communicate any absences with their site supervisor and include CECiL staff.