Riverflow Community Fellowship Year
A Transformative Year of Community, Leadership & Belonging
The Riverflow Community Fellowship is a one-year immersive leadership training and service experience rooted in intentional community, inclusion, and shared life.
Riverflow is a therapeutic and intentional community in Monkton, Vermont, where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities — known in our community as Friends — live integrated, dignified, and love-filled lives. Fellows join Riverflow for one year to live and work alongside Friends, supporting daily life, deepening relationships, and helping cultivate a culture of belonging.
This is a year of formation, self discovery, and learning about inclusive community building.
Riverflow is a community dedicated to radical inclusion, serving neurodiverse folks with significant support needs.
What Fellows Do
Fellows are active members of the Riverflow community. Over the course of the year, Fellows:
- Support Friends in daily living activities and routines
- Participate in shared meals, celebrations, and community life
- Assist with programming, land stewardship, and creative projects
- Help cultivate inclusive social spaces and meaningful relationships
- Contribute to the operational and relational rhythms of the community
- Research and write a paper on the history of Disability in the US. A focus paper is also offered on an approved topic connected to Disability. Fellows will be invited to offer a presentation of their research to parents/guardians, community members, and Board members at the end of the Fellowship.
- Learn by living in mutuality alongside Friends and community members
Leadership & Professional Development
The Riverflow Fellowship is intentionally designed to foster transformative leadership growth. Throughout the year, Fellows engage in:
- Relational Leadership Training – building emotional intelligence, conflict navigation skills, and compassionate communication–readings include Emergent Strategy by Adrienne maree Brown; The Time Tax by …
- Disability Justice & Inclusion Education – exploring models of disability, rights-based frameworks, and community-based supports–Readings include but are not limited to The Anti-Ableist Manifesto by Tiffany Yu; [others]
- Intentional Community Studies – learning about eco-village and cohousing models, and reimagining inclusive housing futures–Eco Village Ithaca, Founders of Camphill
- Mindfulness & Reflective Practice – cultivating self-awareness, resilience, and grounded presence–Creating a calendar of the festivals to make meaning of the year
- Project Leadership Opportunities – designing and leading a community initiative aligned with Riverflow’s mission
- Weekly supervision with an experienced mentor from the Leadership Team
Fellows leave with strengthened skills in teamwork, facilitation, advocacy, and inclusive leadership — valuable preparation for careers in social work, healthcare, nonprofit leadership, community development, education, and/or public service.
What Fellows Gain
A Riverflow Fellowship year offers:
- Hands-on experience supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Deep relational skills and leadership formation
- Experience living in intentional community
- Mentorship from experienced community leaders
- A stronger sense of vocation and purpose
- Lifelong friendships
Many Fellows describe the year as transformational — a time when their understanding of community, dignity, and human potential expanded in unexpected and lasting ways.
Who Should Apply
We welcome emerging leaders who are:
- Curious and open-hearted
- Committed to equity and inclusion
- Interested in disability justice and community life
- Willing to grow through challenge and reflection
- Excited to live relationally and collaboratively
No prior experience in the field is required. We are looking for individuals with a willingness to learn and a desire to contribute meaningfully. An undergraduate degree is preferred but not required.
A Year That Shapes a Life
At Riverflow, we believe everyone deserves to live in a community where they are known, needed, and loved. The Fellowship year invites young leaders to step into that vision, not as helpers on the outside, but as full participants in a shared life.
If you are seeking a year that will stretch you, ground you, and awaken your leadership potential from the inside out, the Riverflow Community Fellowship may be calling you.
