The Campus Organizing Program
Our Student Organizers are youth leaders in shaping U.S. foreign policy and building an effective peace movement for the future.
Recognizing the importance of youth voices in shaping the peace movement of the future, New York peace activist Don Shaffer helped kickstart the Campus Organizing Program in 2011 to support and mentor undergraduate student peace organizers. Beginning with one student chapter in 2012, the program has since been a presence on at least 60 college campuses across New York State and mentored more than 150 student Peace Action chapter leaders.
Over the years, our students have made an indelible mark on a grassroots peace network that has been active since the Cold War era, offering fresh perspectives and creative ideas to seasoned peace organizers and advocates. This youth-led approach has helped foster resilient connections and coalition power between groups working in different corners of peace and justice advocacy. Together, we are building an intersectional, intergenerational peace movement that is being heard across the world.
Students who participate in the program establish (or maintain) university-recognized Peace Action chapters on their college campuses, receive bi-weekly mentorship calls from our Student & Campaigns Coordinator, connect with a state-wide network of student organizers on monthly calls, recruit members on campus, and host educational and advocacy programs to mobilize their peers. They are also able to participate in educational conferences, forums, and skills-building trainings that we host, such as the annual PAFNYS Student Peace Conference, where they can learn from policy experts and experienced change-makers within our network. Campus Organizers choose their own areas of focus, coordinate their own actions and events, and take on the duties of leading their own student chapter group.
For many of the students who join the Campus Organizing Program, this is their first foray into grassroots organizing around the issues they care about. Through the program, students gain experience in planning events, managing budgets, coordinating volunteers, staying safe at demonstrations, and much more.
The Campus Organizing Program provides an invaluable pipeline for the peace movement by identifying new leaders and providing them with the tools they need to be effective peace advocates and organizers. Campus Organizers have gone on to work for Women Cross DMZ, Beyond the Bomb, the Costs of War project at Brown University, Global Zero, Ploughshares Fund, national Peace Action, Institute for Economics and Peace, Brooklyn for Peace, Win Without War, and many other incredible peace and justice movement partners.
““My time as a student organizer was invaluable to me becoming the peace and justice activist I am today... I learned so many skills as an organizer with PAFNYS that I still use today, from managing volunteers to learning how to use social media for social justice, managing budgets, & holding successful events. From [PAFNYS], I knew that I wanted a career in peace activism.””
Spring 2026 Campus Chapters
Adelphi University
Canisius University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Fordham University
Le Moyne College
Macaulay Honors College
Niagara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Siena University
SUNY Binghamton University
SUNY Buffalo State University
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY Stony Brook University
Be a Campus Organizer: Apply Today!
Who We Are: Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) is a non-profit organization working to end war, abolish nuclear weapons, stop arms proliferation, and redirect defense spending back into our communities.
Who You Are: A current undergraduate student at a New York State private or public college or university who is committed to building political awareness and activism on your campus to defend diplomacy and human rights. Ideally, you are a rising sophomore or junior with prior campus or community leadership/activism experience, and demonstrable interest in human rights/political science.
What You’ll Do: Our campus organizers establish campus-recognized Peace Action chapters on their campuses. You’ll be part of a network of student organizers on over a dozen campuses throughout New York State, who are youth leaders in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Here are some of the resources and experiences you’ll have access to:
● Be a part of our student activist community and receive trainings from leading peace and justice organizations. Past students have received trainings from: Amnesty International, Action Corps, Beautiful Trouble, National Priorities Project, FCNL, AFSC and more.
● Connect to field experts on U.S. foreign policy and military intervention. PAFNYS students have connected with experts in a range of fields, including: victim documentation in Yemen, U.S. defense spending, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Iraq War veterans.
● Use Peace Action resources to take action on key legislation that matters to you. We’ll send you up to date resources on current legislation shaping U.S. foreign policy, and all the petitions, call scripts, town hall questions & other tools to make a difference.
● Invitations to global webinars and events. We work with a range of international peace organizations to plan various conferences (in-person, hybrid, and virtual) around issues of peace and justice.
How This Works: You’ll connect with us on bi-weekly one-on-one check-in calls & connect to the entire PAFNYS student network and guest experts in monthly conference calls. You’ll be expected to establish a campus club, conduct regular meetings and plan at least 1 on-campus event and 1 either virtual or in-person event this semester. The time commitment is about 10 hours per week and you’ll receive a $500 stipend check per semester.
TO APPLY: Email your cover letter and resume to info@panys.org with the subject line: “APPLICATION: Campus Organizer [University].” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Application Details
Deadline: Rolling
Compensation: $500/semester
Commitment: 10 hours/week
Apply: Email your cover letter and resume to info@panys.org with the subject line: “APPLICATION: Campus Organizer [University].” Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.