they are next up
Get to know two of the young people at the heart of our programs.
A jokingly self-proclaimed Next Up “nepo baby,” 17 year-old Nicole R. was first introduced to our organization through her older sister, Isabelle.
Nicole watched as her big sister got to intern with Next Up—recalling in particular an event Isabelle helped host called “Step Up Clackamas,” back in 2023. Still in middle school at the time, Nicole didn’t quite meet the Next Up age requirement to participate herself yet. But the second she—“finally,” as she puts it—could? She was on it; checking and re-checking Next Up’s Instagram for the perfect opportunity for her to get involved.
Towards the end of Nicole’s freshman year of high school, she found it: a position opening up on Next Up’s Youth Action Team. It was there, as a member of YAT, that then-15-year-old Nicole was able to turn her budding love of politics into something tangible—learning about the logistics that go into crafting policy, and getting hands-on experience amplifying Next Up’s youth-led legislative agenda.
“When I was first developing my interest in politics, I felt really overwhelmed… I was barely a teenager, [and] whenever I [thought] of politics, I always [thought] of grown ups, and people who have decades of experience in legislative fields,” said Nicole. “I think that being involved in Next Up really opened my eyes to how many of these issues affect youth as well.”
At this year’s Next Up Youth Lobby Day in Salem, Nicole got the opportunity to be a Youth Lobby Lead—overseeing a group of young lobbyists advocating for issues like the Immigrant Justice Package, the Anti-Hunger Package, and the First Time Voters Act. Having been on the storytelling side of the lobby team the year before—nervously scrolling through notes on her phone before speaking to legislative staff—Nicole calls the experience “a full circle moment.”
“I had a lot more confidence going into the legislative session this year. Being able to be in a larger role where I was organizing other storytellers—I felt very empowered… being able to [take on] an instructive role,” she says.
Through her involvement with Next Up and other civic organizations, Nicole came to realize her passion for ensuring people have access to the things they need—from voting rights, to good food, to healthcare in rural communities. So, Nicole has decided to pursue civil engineering, with a goal of ultimately working in urban planning.
Though, she says, her heart really does lie in politics, and she could definitely see herself pursuing politics in the future. After she fulfills her urban planning dreams, of course.
“It takes a lot of willpower to be involved in an industry like this, especially looking at the state of politics right now—it can feel super overwhelming,” says Nicole. “But having really great support systems at Next Up really is motivating—[being] involved in programs like these makes advocacy so much easier and more accessible. And fun!”
Ultimately, however, whether she’s acting as a lobby lead, a storyteller, or even just scrolling through Next Up’s Instagram, Nicole says she’s grateful to be a part of the organization’s commitment to amplifying youth voice.
“Whether it’s giving youth resources to learn how to write testimony, give verbal testimony, or having opportunities like our Lobby Day where individuals are getting to interact with staff or legislators themselves—I think that’s just such an amazing opportunity that not many organizations do, or at least, make as accessible as Next Up [does],” Nicole says. “You can learn so much [about politics] just like scrolling on [Next Up’s] Instagram, and I love how that’s so accessible to youth.”
Meet Nicole r.
“As the years go on, I’ve seen the program get stronger and stronger, and more people come, and then move onto other things, and use the skills that we practice in CAT to continue the organizing [work], and I love that,” says Marae. “We’re all working together to make it stronger.”
Marae, who works at Oregon Food Bank, says she deeply values the collaborative nature that she, Jasia, and the rest of the young leaders on CAT have created for the program—particularly in the way that collaboration extends to building truly meaningful connections with other local community organizations.
“Whether they’re food justice or music [organizations]—we’re all in alignment with our values and what we care about. It creates a sense of community,” says Marae. “Now, in my personal life, I can go to this other organization and feel welcomed, because I know that they welcome people from Next Up.”
In addition to community building, Marae says she appreciates the opportunities that Next Up makes more accessible to young people—particularly the process of lobbying legislators.
“It’s one of those things where we, as people of color, have been left out of this process,” says Marae. “Next Up gives us the floor to… be able to go into this space where we’ve been traditionally left out, and be given an opportunity to be heard. It brought down the barriers I saw to making change.”
This past summer, Marae was selected to be a facilitator for our Youth Philanthropy Academy; a leadership development program, designed with a particular focus on the perspective of Black youth in Portland, aimed to introduce youth to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector.
Marae, whose previous community organizing experience was more so grassroots and mutual aid focused, felt it was important to learn about the systemic version of philanthropy, and says she really appreciated the context in which Youth Philanthropy Academy discussed it.
“I didn't know how much we would be centering community organizations, but also talking about systemic racism, disability justice, food justice, and different types of advocacy,” says Marae. “And so that just felt even more perfect—it was acknowledging the challenges that I face as a Black woman—these are always things on my mind whenever I join something, so it was really meaningful and felt very personal and safe for us to learn about.”
Being a facilitator for Youth Philanthropy Academy allowed Marae to flex the innately collaborative leadership style that she brings to CAT, but to a cohort entirely her own. She says the program allowed her the perfect combination of freedom, flexibility and support to figure out how to be the best facilitator she can be, “and I realized I’m kinda good at it,” she laughs.
Overall, whether she’s putting together a screening of Sudan, Remember Us, or plotting a collaboration benefit show with someone she just met at an open mic (stay tuned for that, btw)—Marae brings so much knowledge, compassion, and insight to our Next Up community; which allows us to create amazing things together.
“Next Up is really awesome because we’re trying to have these [difficult] conversations in fun ways, so that it’s not so intimidating,” says Marae. “We’re creating spaces that allow for us to be vulnerable, and learn together, and ask questions, and like, start on different pages. It’s OK to start on different pages.”
Marae T. has been familiar with our organization since it was called the Bus Project (throwback!). But it wasn’t until she saw a photo of our Advocacy Manager, Jasia, in our email newsletter that she felt propelled to officially get involved with Next Up.
She decided to apply for our Community Action Team back in 2023—which, serendipitously, and unbeknownst to Marae at the time, was led by Jasia. Ever since then, Marae has become a pillar of our organization, particularly our Community Action Team, working alongside Jasia to help develop the content and curriculum for our grassroots community organizing program for the past three years.