Young people hold untapped collective power to build the safer, happier, and healthier world we want to live in.
Rhizome and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announced a $620,000 initiative aimed at creating a new Civic Service Fellowship program in Washington high schools. This three-year initiative will establish over 100 teams of Fellows in hyperlocal Chapters across the state of Washington. Rhizome’s Civic Service Fellowship prioritizes rural communities, under-resourced areas, and communities of color.
The Civic Service Fellowship will empower high school students to lead year-round initiatives designed to boost civic engagement within their schools and communities. This will include organizing community events, educating younger students about democracy, and assisting their eligible peers with voter registration or pre-registration. Students have the opportunity to mend divisions, combat disengagement, and address the mental health crisis by creating civic communities. By inviting students to gain leadership experience and build healthy habits based on who they want to become, Rhizome inspires responsibility and produces pathways for lifelong leadership and public engagement
Civic participation can be an important factor for young people’s social and mental well-being. Recent research from Gallup has found that less than half of Gen Z members feel as though they are “thriving” and only 44% feel prepared for their future. While 76% of young people across the country believe their age group has the power to enact change, only 40% of all youth—and only 34% of youth of color—report feeling well-qualified to participate in politics. In an era marked by diminishing public trust and worsening mental health outcomes among young people, this initiative will equip students with the tools to engage their communities in building a healthier world for all.
“After 90 of us came together as Co-Founders of Rhizome just two years ago, we are thrilled to announce this multi-year partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, addressing the need for sustainable systems that empower emerging leaders to shape change,” said Jacob Merkle, Rhizome’s CEO. “In an era of unmet challenges to our civic and mental health, this collaboration allows Rhizome to scale our grassroots system, deepen our impact, and build collective power for young people. We’re grateful for the foundation's recognition that young people are the future. We hope this early commitment will spur philanthropy to provide more scale-enabling, no-strings-attached funding for young people to create the safer, happier, and healthier world they deserve.”
According to Ms. Reidel, Rhizome removes the responsibility of supporting a student club outside of class from the teacher and places it on the students and their Rhizome mentor. It honors student agency and diversity by equipping students to promote civic engagement within their school and identify issues they would like to address at a local level and authentically work toward their solution.
Funds from the partnership will directly support student-led efforts by paying a dedicated team of Rhizome’s student organizers in Washington, who will work to implement the Civic Service Fellowship in local schools in their communities. By funding this important work, Rhizome and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation are investing deeply in the next generation of lifelong civic leaders.