a cohort program for emerging leaders in Southern social justice organizations.
In person retreats, coaching, & online learning
join a growing network of smart, strategic, supportive, stubborn, and southern emerging leaders. don’t miss out!
Ignite the South invites emerging leaders from social justice organizations to learn & forge connections.
It combines in-person retreats, individual coaching, and online learning over six months.
ITS Alumni are the core of a supportive and resourced cadre of leaders across the South.
multi-racial, multi- movement, & thoroughly unique
Hear more from ITS faculty and participants
what is ignite the south?
A LIBERATORY LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
Gain Self Awareness
Cultivate a Defiant Vision
Learn how to build Resilient Structures
Adopt new Models of Leadership
A SOUTHERN CONTEXT
Expand awareness of Southern history and its legacy
Meet elders and activists in the cities where we meet
Hone strategies that work for the Southern context
LASTING RELATIONSHIPS
Forge new friendships and connections with amazing leaders across the South
Stay in relationship through active alumni programming
Maintain access to resources for training and development
6 months
3 Retreats
4 Webinars
6 Coaching Sessions
+ Alumni Program
Dani from Cohort 1
LaToya from Cohort 1
FAQ
Staff and leaders on the front arc of their careers who have substantial responsibility in social, racial, and economic justice organizations in the South.
Who is it for?
What is involved?
Participants attend three 3-day off-sites; have 6 individual coaching sessions, & join in 4 online learning sessions.
Tuition is $500 for individuals; $1,000 for orgs under $.5M in budget; $2,000 for orgs under $2M and $3,000 over $2M budget. Scholarships are available.
What does it cost?
The cost of running the cohort program and Alumni network far exceeds the tuition. In 2023, we received support from Open Horizon and Ford Foundation and we are actively seeking additional partners. Our hope is that social justice funders will see the need for new investment in leadership development and network weaving across the region, and will believe in the potential of Ignite the South as much as we do.
How is it funded?
HOME ORGANIZATION
FOUNDING PARTNER
Imagine Us is a multi-racial, multi-generational community of equity-based consultants. Six partners and 25 associates came together in 2021 in recognition of the increasingly complex needs of social justice-minded leaders and organizations.
As equity-based consultants, we explicitly approach our work by unearthing and addressing systems of oppression that stifle the ability of all people from bringing their brilliance to bear.
We care about the South because of our own roots there, and because efforts to dismantle white supremacy have been thwarted by the appeasement of southern white people and their powerful allies across the country. Strengthening social movements in the South not only builds power, it pulls up forces of oppression from the roots.
www.imagineus.co
Open Horizon is a Northern Virginia-based family foundation seeking to expand opportunities and increase equity. Engaging on the individual, community, and systems levels we work to enable equitable access to education, experience, and economic power.
We are inspired by the potential of people to excel and make meaningful change when they have access to opportunity and support.
Current foundation priorities include funding and developing projects in the greater Washington DC area (DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia), the South, and nationally, focusing on education, equity, leadership development, economic power, and social justice.
www.open-horizon.org