The Preston Partners Program

Preston Partners Program

Announcement!

Berkeley Friends Meeting is very excited to announce the appointment of our very first
Preston Partner, Floricel Liborio.

Floricel is a community organizer who has been volunteering for the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity for some time. Floricel proposed working with IM4HI (Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity) for her Preston Partners project; she will conduct “Know Your Rights” workshops for farm workers, utilizing a “kitchen table” approach—working in small groups and with individuals and otherwise serving as a source of information in her community.

Berkeley Friends Meeting believes that, in sponsoring Floricel, we are setting an excellent example for the future of our Preston Partners program. We believe that Ken and Leslie Preston, and the rest of the Preston family, would be very proud of the choice of Floricel for this project.

We look forward to working with Floricel, the Reverend Deborah Lee (Co-Executive Director of the Interfaith Movement), and the Interfaith Movement itself during the course of Floricel’s work as a Preston Partner.

Taking from the Interfaith Movement’s own words on their website,

“Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, the Baháʼí faith and many others share a central commitment to the sacredness of every person.

“Welcome the refugee.

“Treat the stranger as your own.

“Compassion knows no borders.

“Love has no walls.

“For more than twenty years, the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity has been joining hands with people of faith to act on these core beliefs. We defend the humanity of the immigrant and fight for the rights of the incarcerated.

“Working at the intersection of spirituality and social movements, we mobilize congregations to take a stand on issues of social justice like immigration and mass incarceration, and we engage people of faith to develop their own leadership so they can stand up against racism, discrimination and the political challenges of the day. We bring a faith voice to social movement coalitions, providing a compassionate religious perspective amidst the clamor of angry political actors.”

The Berkeley Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends is proud to present a paid opportunity to participate in a meaningful community service, advocacy, and/or learning project.

We are looking for an individual who would like to be a “Preston Partner” and work on a short-term, meaningful project with a community agency of their choice (probably for 3-5 months). We give priority to those wanting to partner with an organization working in the areas of immigration, climate change, or anti-racism. Priority is also given to Quakers.  A Stipend of $10,000 is paid for this work. 

Application Deadline:  Friday, January 31, 2025

The Process

An applicant should begin by developing an idea for a community or service learning project on which they would like to work and even which specific organization they would like to work with. For example, the project could be doing research for a Quaker or other advocacy organization, developing a social media site for an immigrant rights organization, or developing advocacy materials to support the efforts to reform a police department. The applicant should talk to the organization and work to create an outline of a project working with them that would involve three to six months of work; this would be the core of the proposal to us.

• We want individuals who are proposing a project that would be meaningful for them and for the organization with which they propose to work.

• We are looking for applicants who have relevant work skills

• We will give priority to proposals for work with climate change, anti-racism, or immigration organizations.

• We will give priority to Quaker youth.

Application and Materials Submission

An application for the Preston Partners would include the following:

• A letter of interest (or video) that addresses your leading to do this kind of work

• A short proposal, including an outline of your proposed project, on what you would like to do and with what organization you would like to work

• A current resume

• Statement outlining your workplace and other skills 

• Your connection to Quakerism 

• A timeline of your proposed project

• If you are within five years of a college degree, an unofficial transcript 

• If you are currently working, let us know how this project will fit into your schedule

• Anything else you would like us to know about you to help us know you better and help you be successful in this role

Please send your application materials to bfm.clerk@gmail.com by January 31, 2025. If you are submitting a video, please send us a link to the video rather than the video file. 

• Flyer for distribution