Build WYE with us
There are three clear directions of participation: found or join a school chapter, volunteer through programme roles with defined responsibilities, or apply to the summer Evanston joint internship. Applications on all three are submitted after registering at the WYE Team portal and proceed through independent review, and all role eligibility, duties, and record requirements remain genuine and explicit.
School Chapters
Found, join, or help run school communities for economic discussion, writing, and research. Chapters may organise economics reading, current-affairs discussion, writing, data activities, and research showcases.
Volunteering & Programme Roles
Take on clearly defined roles in editing, research, events, resources, communications, community outreach, and chapter coordination. Every role has a named lead, expected outcomes, and a genuine activity record; some roles may offer stipends or CPT / OPT documentation support for eligible, genuine positions.
Summer Evanston Joint Internship
An in-person joint internship held each summer in Evanston, Illinois. Interns work as research, editorial or programme assistants, taking a real economics research or publication task through to completion under a mentor, while using local academic and campus resources. The programme runs small and collaborative; outputs go into WYE’s public publications or resource library.
- Length: 6–8 weeks over the summer (exact dates set in that year’s announcement)
- Format: mostly in-person, with remote coordination calls
- Output: a credited research draft, dataset, or public resource
- Records: a full work log and mentor assessment; eligible students receive CPT / OPT documentation support
Beyond the research itself, the programme helps interns use Evanston’s local academic and campus resources. What’s open, and how many places there are, varies by year — that year’s announcement and partner terms govern.
Access to study space and print collections at Northwestern University during scheduled hours, including the economics, social science, and government documents areas. Database and electronic-resource access is limited by the university’s own terms; the programme explains beforehand what is available and what needs a workaround.
Evanston sits on Lake Michigan; the programme runs beginner sailing lessons at weekends — sail handling, reading the wind, and hands-on time on a small two-person boat, led by a certified instructor with safety gear and life jackets included. Open to complete beginners; swimming ability and a signed safety waiver are required. Places are limited and filled in order of sign-up.
Public summer talks, seminars, and researcher interviews; interns submit a one-page note on each session as part of their research log. Some sessions are recorded and turned into public resources.
The programme helps arrange shared summer housing and commuting, and provides pre-arrival notes on local life, nearby food, and transit into Chicago. Housing arrangements and any subsidy are stated in the offer letter, with no hidden charges.
Food and local transport stipend, up to $300 per person, paid for the actual weeks on site.
An $800 internship work stipend for completing role duties and the work log.
Paid directly by WYE or reimbursed on receipts, never through a personal transfer; the timing is stated in the offer letter.
Airfare, accommodation costs, personal insurance, and visa-related fees; no hidden charges — every item is listed in the offer letter.
Library access, sailing places, and housing arrangements follow each year’s formal announcement. Programme and role questions can go to volunteer@worldyoungeconomist.org; students needing CPT / OPT documentation support should state their school and timeline in the email.
From learner to teaching team
This path stands apart from the three tracks above: first complete learning and produce work within a WYE programme, then serve as a teaching assistant after internal certification, and gradually take on independent teaching and training new assistants. It is the main route into WYE’s internal teaching and full-time roles — not a promise of hiring, but a way of turning “can this person teach” into something documented and checkable.
Finish one full track: the Essay Prize, the Publication Pathway, a programme role, or the summer internship, and leave behind one credited piece of finished work or public resource.
Complete basic teaching training and pass a review: a trial lesson, a sample of marked work, and an academic-integrity and conduct assessment. A pass is recorded in the personal file.
Lead writing workshops or data groups, or mark submissions, as a teaching assistant, with hours logged and student feedback recorded. Steady performers can go on to teach independently and help write course materials.
Accumulated hours, feedback, and finished work form the basis of an application for a full-time research, editing, or programme role at WYE. Roles are openly recruited; certification does not guarantee hiring.
Practical training and status planning for international students
If you hold F-1 status, teaching and programme roles may require the matching work authorisation. Below is how the three stages of authorisation relate and a typical timeline; no work can start before authorisation is granted.
Authorised by the school’s DSO, must be directly related to the student’s field, and usually needs course credit or a curricular requirement behind it. Generally capped at 20 hours a week during term, full-time in official annual breaks. Authorisation is printed on the I-20, and work can start only once granted.
Apply to USCIS and wait for the EAD card; work can start only on or after the card’s effective date. The application window generally runs from 90 days before to 60 days after graduation — apply early so processing delays don’t eat into the available time; there is a cap on days of unemployment.
Eligible STEM degrees can extend 24 months on top of the 12-month OPT, for about three years total. Requires an E-Verify employer, a filed I-983 training plan, and annual evaluations; must be filed before the current OPT expires.
A STEM graduate using the full 12 + 24 months can, in principle, reach three lottery cycles (registration each March, effective each October). Using all three depends on planning the timeline well ahead — not on finding an employer at the last minute.
Disclaimer: the above is general information, not legal or immigration advice, and rules and timelines can change. Confirm any application with the school’s DSO or a licensed immigration attorney, and follow the latest USCIS and SEVP guidance. WYE does not process any visa or work authorisation on a student’s behalf.
Beyond Economics
Beyond economics, we also film, climb, write poetry, cook, fix computers, and study a cup of coffee in earnest. Each sticky note is a member’s self-description — move your cursor to see whose it is, and click to read the full profile.
Member profiles below are placeholders and will be confirmed individually before formal release.
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Registration provides timely updates and convenient access to site materials, forums, and other account features. Registering an account is not the same as joining a volunteer team or a school chapter; the two are independent actions.
About Registration →Schools, researchers, educators, companies, and non-profit organisations may contact WYE about public events, research resources, student opportunities, or programme support.
Contact the Partnerships Team →Entering the WYE Essay Prize or the Publication Pathway requires joining no team first; many members came to know WYE through a single piece of work.
View the WYE Essay Prize →