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
News
2022 Legislative Wrap Up
Dear Friend, It’s time for the 2022 legislative wrap-up. Even though the legislative session lasted only a month, and was definitely a whirlwind, we were able to champion and pass bills rooted in racial, economic, and youth justice. Now that the legislative session has concluded, here are some of the achievements that we are celebrating with… Read More
2021 End of Year Report
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
2022 Endorsement Process
💥 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
2022 Legislative Session Priorities
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
Welcome Iya and Erin to Next Up!
We’re so excited to welcome two new amazing people to the Next Up organizing and youth leadership development team. Iya 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. Iya C. McSwain Youth Leadership Organizer Iya (they/them) is… Read More
Highlighting Community Stories from Next Up
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
5th year in Give!Guide – 5 reasons to support us!
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
October 4-10: become a monthly donor, subscribe to democracy!
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
Welcome Elona J Wilson as Next Up’s Executive Director
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