I think we can all agree Gen Z has lofty ideals and a spring in their step for social change that makes some of us old fogeys a little uncomfortable. But could they be the generation that deconstructs the nonprofit industrial complex while the rest of us stand by and watch the show?
Today, I’m joined by Sarah Medina Camiscoli, Assistant Professor of Law at Rutgers and the founding co-director of the Peer Defense Project. Sarah shows us how these visionary zoomers are experimenting with entirely new ways to build mission-driven organizations, from mutual aid networks to worker-self-directed nonprofits and beyond.
My fave takeaway - the power of Gen Z isn’t necessarily in the benjamins they can raise, but rather in their ability to multiply their following.
They’ve done what we Gen Xers and millennials have merely hoped to accomplish–leveraging digital community and grassroots solidarity to advance justice. (Sarah even gave me a template to start integrating some of these "prefigurative politics" into my own organization without fully disrupting the board and funders.)
So whether you lead an established nonprofit empire or are just a wannabe ally looking to support the next generation of world-changers, listen in on the discussion as Sarah breaks down everything you need to know. Stick around to the end for her best tips on bringing Zoomers onto your board, doing right by youth staffers, and opening up decision-making to a consent-based approach in your organization.
Important Links:
https://www.peerdefense.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-medina-camiscoli-74b31912b/
Peer Defense Project Resource Guide:
1. Sociocracy and Worker-Self Directed Nonprofits
2. Mutual Aid3. Action Networks (Hub and Spoke Collectives)
3. Action Networks (Hub and Spoke Collectives)
