We are thrilled to officially announce our slate of candidates who have earned Next Up Action Fund’s endorsement for Oregon’s May 17, 2022 primary election. We want to elect leaders that come from our communities, share our values, and will fight for young people in Oregon. The people elected to local offices make crucial decisions… Read More
In 2021, with our community’s support, we invested in youth leadership and built youth political power! Our work included: running four cohorts for young people ages 13 – 35 to learn organizing skills and how to fight for social justice hosting 23 educational events that bolster political education and civic engagement for critical opportunities such… Read More
💥 It’s true, our endorsement questionnaire is now live and accepting responses until March 8th at 5pm Our endorsement committee makes decisions based on questionnaire responses, interview responses, and the overarching goal to amplify and support young people in Oregon to be leaders in their community. We are particularly interested in races that include candidates… Read More
During the 2021 legislative session, we supported and championed bills that addressed breaking down systemic barriers to civic participation. We were able to support the passage of numerous bills rooted in racial, gender, and economic justice, such as updating ballot postmark date to election day, the voter language access act, ending slavery, child care for… Read More
We’re so excited to welcome two new amazing people to the Next Up organizing and youth leadership development team. Antonia McSwain (they/them), has joined as the Youth Leadership Organizer, and Erin San Antonio (they/siya) is the Community Engagement Organizer. Read more about each of them below. Antonia McSwain Youth Leadership Organizer Antonia (they/them) is a… Read More
Our board and youth leaders are the core of Next Up’s community. We’re so grateful for everything they contribute to Next Up, and we want to uplift their voices to our extended community! Below we’ve highlighted six board of directors and youth action team members who shared their stories with us. We also conducted one… Read More
We’re back in Willamette Week’s Give!Guide for a 5th year! Give!Guide features 170+ nonprofits based in Portland that are handpicked for their impact on Portland communities. Our goal is to raise $15,000 through Give!Guide while celebrating and lifting up the young people who do the work of leading Oregon forward. Here are 5 reasons to… Read More
Move over, Netflix. Try subscribing to democracy! Monthly donations, of any amount, offer the most stable and sustainable support for our work. This year, we’re in a one-week, friendly competition with other youth organizations around the county – meaning your monthly donation could help us unlock even more support from the Alliance for Youth Action. Join… Read More
Dear Friend, As most of you know, in Spring of 2021, Samantha Gladu announced that she would be stepping down as Executive Director of Next Up and Next Up Action Fund. Thanks to Samantha’s three years of leadership, she collaboratively built a visionary 5 year strategic plan that set strong policies and values in place… Read More
Dear Friend, It’s time for the 2021 legislative wrap-up. When we entered the session in January we had a bold agenda to transform our electoral system. We prioritized bills that were rooted in racial, economic, and youth justice, and more specifically, ones that would break down systemic barriers to participation, and increase equitable processes and… Read More
