Stone Leaders for Change
Grants Awarded

Communities United develops community leadership to build a shared root cause analysis of problems impacting their communities, to develop and advance innovative power-building strategies, and to engage in creating transformative systems change. Co-Executive Directors Jenny Arwade and Raul Botello as Stone Leader(s) for Change will explore and document the evolution CU has experienced in its 20-year history as a healing-centered organization through seeing the power of young people and community members using their lived experiences and doing direct action to create transformative systemic change.

Chicago Freedom School supports young people to take action for justice in their personal lives and communities. Executive Director Tony Alvarado-Rivera as a Stone Leader for Change will strengthen his leadership skills to navigate the organization more effectively into the post-pandemic era. To do this, Tony will focus on coaching, continuing education, and self- and collective-care

RYSE is building a community that inspires and empowers young people to love, learn, educate, heal, and transform lives and communities. As a Stone Leader for Change, Executive Director Kimberly Aceves-Iñiguez focused on deepening her knowledge of power-building mechanisms, such as Youth Voting Power, Policy Power and Training, and Direct Political Power to better assert a more effective vision for enacting youth-driven change.

Oakland Kids First drives to increase youth voice, leadership and power to create engaging and equitable public schools where all students learn and lead. Executive Director Lukas Brekke-Miesner Stone Leaders for Change experience focused on gaining perspective and insights from other field leaders on everything ranging from budgeting, board development, team management, and HR practices to coalition building, organizing strategy, and fiscal sponsorship. Through this, Brekke-Miesner will help position the organization in taking a more powerful advocacy stance.

Mikva develops youth to be empowered, informed, and active citizens who will promote a just and equitable society. As Executive Director, Verneé Green envisions growing the organization towards becoming a hub for continuous learning and improvement in the field of Action Civics. To support this vision, Green’s Stone Leaders for Change experience focused on building her leadership and expanding her skills in innovative practices and better extend this knowledge to Mikva staff.

Coleman Advocates works to promote access for families to high quality education, living wage jobs, family-supporting benefits, affordable housing, and a voice in the decisions that affect families and young people most. As a Stone Leader for Change, Executive Director Neva Walker strengthened her coaching skills to better support BIPOC movement leaders, within her organization and across the field, in their work and promote liberation for collective healing.

Youth United for Change’s (YUC) model of community organizing brings diverse groups of youth together to target common concerns and act collectively on their own behalf, both to impact institutions and policy and to develop themselves as young leaders. As a Stone Leader for Change, Executive Director Rapheal Randall deepened his understanding of participatory budgeting as a means to expanding the democratic participation of Black and brown working-class communities.

The Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) builds the power of young people and provides youth with tools that will allow them to organize and build their own power in order to make a positive change in their schools and communities. As a Stone Leader for Change, Executive Director Fred Pinguel has had the opportunity to strengthen the organization’s communications and financial literacy in order to make it more efficient with planning, performance, operations, and to productively communicate PSU’s story.