Protect. Empower. Reclaim.
Our Future
OUR MISSION
Our Future is a paid fellowship program that equips emerging leaders with the tools they need to be valued and empowered advocates for justice, sustainability, and equity.
We invest in those who face social and economic barriers to service and advocacy work by giving them resources, a livable wage, professional mentorship, and connections to local organizations.
Through our program, fellows turn their ideas into reality and grow as powerful agents of change for their communities.
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Create
We recognize that communities have the best understanding of their own needs, and that investing in those directly affected by inequity brings positive change.
In this spirit, fellows receive funding and support to develop a community project based on their knowledge, experience and advocacy goals.
They’ll propose a budget, timeline, and outreach plan and see their project through every phase: from development to implementation to completion.
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Network
Our program centers on the idea that existing leaders in the field have critical knowledge and guidance to offer future leaders.
By connecting with those who came before us, we learn from past and present initiatives in order to think critically and creatively about future solutions.
Fellows experience networking opportunities and mentorship by working closely with staff, learning from local leaders and topical experts, and partnering with community organizations.
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Grow
We are solely focused on uplifting emerging leaders, uniquely positioning us to ask fellows not what they can do for us, but what we can do for them.
The fellowship program is dedicated to filling gaps and alleviating barriers that prevent new voices from joining the community service sector.
Throughout their term fellows are paid to attend professional development trainings to expand useful skills that align with their goals and interests.
OUR STORY
Co-Directors Angel Ramirez and Ayla Boylen spent their college years addressing big social problems such as climate destruction, food insecurity, racism in the criminal justice system, and educational inequities.
The sheer amount of work necessary to solve these issues, however, was incompatible with school, working to survive, and maintaining mental and physical health.
Angel and Ayla developed an idea to provide financial, social, and professional resources to emerging leaders in the service and activism sector, and found a home for their program at Our Future, a non-profit created by leading climate activists after the 2020 derecho storm.
The derecho relief effort brought climate activists closer to residents most vulnerable to disasters and inspired them to form Our Future to invest energy, money, and labor into projects that build social capital, autonomy, and resilience in Linn County’s marginalized communities.
The fellowship program perfectly coincided with these goals and in August of 2022, Our Future’s Board voted to take on the program as its sole purpose.