To honor the 5th year of the Youth Organizing Institute summer program and the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer of 1964, YOI officially renamed our summer training institute YOI Summer Freedom School.

Over the past five years, over 200 youth have completed our intensive multi-week popular education curriculum.  Students undergo a rigorous applicaition and interview process to become part of the summer cohort.  Because the Youth Organizing Institute is committed to eliminating barriers youth of color and low-wealth youth face, we provide transportation, meals, and stipends to all students who complete our program.  We are proud of the accomplishments of our alumni.

Since our inception we have relied on grassroots sustainers, community friends and allies to keep our program alive. We could have never done it without your support.

In that spirit and in recognition of our 5th year, we are launching a major donor campaign to ensure that the next 5 years of YOI Summer Freedom School are even more successful. 

Our Freedom Fighters Fund invites fellow freedom fighters to join one of three distinguished giving circles with allies and organizations who share the commitment to supporting and sustaining youth-centered spaces within our movements.

  • The COMMUNITY POWER CIRCLE  (donors who have committed to a multi-year gift of $1,000 or more)
  • The BRIDGE BUILDER CIRCLE (donors who have committed to a multi-year gift of $2,000 or more)
  • The MOVEMENT BUILDER CIRCLE  (donors who have committed to a multi-year gift of $5,000 or more)

Freedom Fighter Giving Circle Members will:

  • be recognized as a part of our inaugural major donor campaign on the website and in our annual report;
  • receive a special table with guest tickets at our Annual Ella Baker Gala;
  • receive a goodies package with our youth ‘zine by our Class of 2014 Freedom School graduates,
  • a YOI t-shirt, button and other YOI cool things;
  • record a tax-deductible donation.

Give a sustaining investment in leadership and youth development.  Help us water and cultivate the seeds for the coming generation of Freedom Fighters who will thoughtfully grow our movement as they simultaneously stand on the front-lines in the fight against right-wing austerity and repression.

Supporting the Youth Organizing Institute is an investment in social justice centered philanthropy that will secure a future where more and more students can learn about their history, build the movement, and deepen the possibility of revolutionary change.

The time is now!

Interested in being a part of a giving circle, contact Loan Tran at Loan [at] empoweryouthnc [dot] org.