The Policy Lab is excited to announce a collaboration with DreamKit, a New Haven organization that is developing the nation’s first comprehensive web-based app for youth experiencing homelessness. DreamKit’s mission is to “create individually customizable pathways out of homelessness through technology, community engagement, and equitable access to resources.” Together, The Policy Lab and DreamKit will conduct research to inform the design of DreamKit’s app and broaden our knowledge about the problems confronting homeless youth in New Haven.
We invite applications from undergraduates for the position of Yale Policy Lab Fellow (YPF). YPFs will work with Adam Thal, Ph.D., (Coordinator of the Policy Lab) and Marina Mamolejo, MPH, (Founder and Executive director of DreamKit) to conduct qualitative research about youth homelessness in New Haven.
This research will consist of conducting qualitative focus groups, ethnographic observations, and semi-structured interviews with local employers and community groups. The goal of these interviews is to find immediate and systemic barriers youth experiencing homelessness face in gaining employment, mentorship, and permanent housing in New Haven.
The positions will involve hands-on work conducting qualitative research in New Haven. To make this collaboration successful, we are particularly seeking undergraduates with:
-A background in qualitative research, social science, public health, and/or related fields
-A willingness to travel around New Haven to conduct research
-Experience analyzing data with Microsoft Excel, Access, R, SPSS and/or similar programs
The expected time commitment is approximately two hours per week, and we expect that this project will last through the spring semester.
If you are interested in the position, please send a CV and one-page letter describing your interest and qualifications to policylab@yale.edu. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.