This is YOI’s inaugural media round-up! Check in every other week to find a collection of articles, blog posts, art and media from our YOI alums/grads, community partners and allies and relevant movement updates in North Carolina, across the South and what’s inspiring us from all over the country and world–with a particular focus on […]

On August 9 to 11th we had a small convening in Portland, Oregon with our national partners in the Dignity in School Campaign.  Together we had valuable workshops media campaigns, base building and on collecting school discipline statistic from all school districts. Most of the workshop were led by fellow DSC members from community groups, DSC […]

Ajamu is one our Freedom School graduates. In the blog post below he writes about why it’s been important for him as an African-American teenager to show up in solidarity with communities in Ferguson and Palestine.  After the killing of unarmed Mike Brown, it deeply impacted the African-American community. It brought a major uprising in […]

We want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to our community partners, friends, allies, parents and most of all: our young people who were a part of this Summer Freedom School. This is the 5th year we held our program and this year it was in commemoration of the 50th year anniversary of […]

  If you get a chance today, grab a copy of The Triangle Tribune! We are front page! Here is an excerpt from the article quoting our YOI folks, Monse and Sanyu, who talk about the importance of Freedom Summer and why our summer program, in its 5th year, is a Freedom School! “I had the opportunity […]

Donate Today! In honor of the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer and the 5th anniversary of the Youth Organizing Institute, we have launched an online fundraising campaign to raise $5,000! All contributions will go toward sending a North Carolina youth delegation to a national Freedom Summer convening in Jackson, Mississippi and to cover the costs of our Freedom School.  CAN YOU HELP US […]

On May 20 NC HEAT and the Youth Organizing Institute mobilized to the Wake County School Board meeting to once again raise concerns during public comment. While the theme of the school board meeting was commemorating the 60th anniversary of Brown V. Board of Education, the struggle for equitable public schools remains today. Youth and Adult […]

May 17, 2014 marked the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Broad of Education.  There were rallies, marches and workshops organized across the country to not only celebrate this victory, but to highlight the ongoing struggle to provide each student with the equal opportunity to a quality education.  A YOI member, Sanyu, was fortunate enough to […]

May 19 was the first “Moral Monday” of 2014. While NC has continued to pass regressive policies it has not demoralized the movement, rather it has made us stronger. NC HEAT members went on stage to join two youth speakers as they demanded the NCGA listen to the youth and the issues affecting their communities […]