Youth Equity Discovery Initiative (YEDI)
The Youth Equity Discovery Initiative (YEDI) aims to provide undergraduate students — particularly students with lived experience of marginalization — a mentored trajectory of meaningful, community-engaged research to become changemakers toward youth well-being and equity. YEDI is a program of Innovations for Youth, a cross-disciplinary, innovative research hub addressing issues of youth equity through collaborative research, training and community engagement.
The initiative draws upon successful undergraduate training and a community of faculty united around youth equity in the School of Education, the School of Social Welfare, and the School of Public Health. This cross-disciplinary approach fosters students’ inter-professional skills for addressing youth inequities in their careers. It will also promote a community of YEDI scholars who not only support youth, but also support each other.
College Corp
College Corps is an AmeriCorps program run in partnership with California Volunteers to create debt-free pathways to college while mobilizing thousands of college students to tackle pressing community issues. At UC Berkeley,100 undergraduates serve with community partners supporting food and climate justice, K-12 education, and behavioral health & wellness efforts.
- Join a cohort of college students in a first-of-its-kind statewide partnership addressing societal challenges and helping to build more equitable communities across California
- Commit to serving 450 hours (10-15/week) in person from late August, 2025 through July 31, 2026
- Graduate with less debt as College Corps Fellows will receive $10,000 through:
- a $7,000 living stipend paid monthly throughout your active service term
- a $3,000 Education Award upon successful completion of 450 hours
- Serve through an in-person community placement working on an issue you are passionate about:
Food Justice, Climate Justice, K-12 Education, or Youth Behavioral Health
Visit the College Corps website for application eligibilty, details/deadlines, and opportunities.
Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
The Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP) provides an opportunity for Berkeley undergraduates to work with faculty members and research staff on cutting-edge research projects. Working closely with mentors, students will deepen their knowledge and skills in areas of special interest, while experiencing what it means to be part of an intellectual community engaged in research. The program is designed to stimulate awareness of advanced research and interest in graduate study. Students are not paid for their participation; instead, they earn 1 unit of academic credit for every 3 hours of research work completed (limited to 4 units per term). Students can participate in one project per semester.
As an apprentice, students
- learn advanced research skills
- explore fields of interest
- find out what it is like to be an academic at the world’s premier research institution
The program is open to matriculated UC Berkeley undergraduates. (Concurrent enrollment students and students studying abroad are not eligible to apply.)
International students applying for positions at UCSF will need to get CPT approval before they can start to work with a mentor at UCSF. Please meet with an advisor at BIO before you apply to see if you are qualified to receive CPT approval. Some projects at UCSF require commuting. Please see the Student Transportation Handbook for more information.
Each semester, projects from a wide range of disciplines are open to new applicants. Faculty and undergraduates from all of the schools and colleges at the University of California at Berkeley are welcome to participate.
Social Welfare Special Studies Courses and Honors Program
Social Welfare undergraduate major students may receive credit for supervised, individual or organized group independent study exploring social welfare topics not typically addressed in the existing curriculum. Credit may be obtained through one of the Special Study course options: SOCWEL 97/197, SOCWEL 98/198, and SOCWEL 199. More information can be found in the Current Student Hub and the Undergraduate Major Student Handbook.
The Undergraduate Honors Program in Social Welfare (also known as "departmental honors" or "honors in the major") provides an opportunity for qualified undergraduate majors in Social Welfare to study a topic of interest in depth and develop a thesis product that showcases student knowledge. Students can choose between one of three options:
- Option A: A written paper, usually about 25-30 pages in length, that is based on a selective review of scholarly academic literature on a topic of a student’s choosing.
- Option B: A written paper, usually about 25-30 pages in length, that is based on the scholarly literature, and that also answers a research question based on data the student has readily available to analyze. These data might include a publicly available dataset, a dataset derived from a URAP(link is external)/research project students may have worked on with faculty (with faculty approval), a project sponsored by the Social Science Research Pathway(link is external), YEDI(link is external), or primary data collection through a small-scale qualitative research project. (Other options may be possible based on instructor approval.)
- Option C: A creative alternative to Options A & B above such as a podcast or video (usually approximately 20 minutes in duration) that is based on the scholarly literature. Students may select a social welfare topic of their choosing; some students may also select a topic that is also grounded in the student’s experience working in a local, community-based agency (usually through College Corps or another Public Service Center-sponsored activity. Other options may be possible based on instructor approval.)
Additional information on the Honors Program can be found in the Current Students Hub and the Undergraduate Major Student Handbook.