Rise Up, Inc
Advise Civil Rights Accelerator Participants
Help everyday people past their first law to help their community
Posted October 31, 2024
Work & Deliverables
Join us in making legislative history! Rise Justice Labs is a first of its kind civil rights accelerator. Our mission is to help everyday people pass their first law. We have passed more than 91 laws across the country, and we are teaching others to do the same. We dismantle systemic barriers in the legislative process by giving everyday people a blueprint to access democracy.
We deliver on our mission through an intensive 12-week training program (October 28, 2024 to January 31, 2025) that includes seed funding, skills workshops, 1:1 coaching, guest lectures, access to professional services, and a network of Congressional and State legislators.
We are seeking short-term pro bono legal support to effectively equip program participants. Primary activities would likely include:
- Supporting ongoing research to help participants determine which rights already exist and where there are opportunities to strengthen the law (potential bill sponsors want to know that proposed legislation is not duplicating or creating conflict among existing laws and definitions);
- Reviewing and editing draft legislation;
- Giving feedback on memos to legislative and governors' offices;
- Answering questions about filing for 501(c)(3)/501(c)(4) status, if relevant.
We are currently looking for volunteer support on the following issue campaigns:
1. "Antiracism in Mental Health": A campaign aimed at reducing inequities in mental health crisis outcomes through mandating training for healthcare providers to prioritize safety and harm reduction during crisis interventions.
2. "Teaching for Belonging": Safeguard inclusive educational environments and academic freedom by dismantling the barriers contributing to student disengagement and the school-to-prison pipeline.
3. "No Tax on Trauma": Advocating for tax exemption on emotional distress claims, ensuring that survivors of sexual assault can heal without the burden of financial penalties.
Please indicate which of the above campaigns above (#1-3) you would be interested in supporting. After an initial placement call, volunteers will be introduced with team members to learn more about their current stage of campaign development and their legal needs. From then, We the Action volunteers will coordinate directly with their designated team. While the accelerator program formally ends on January 31, 2025, volunteers may decide if they’d like to continue supporting a team going forward.
Rise Up, Inc
Rise, a national nonprofit, was founded by Amanda Nguyen, a sexual assault survivor, in November 2014 to pen her own civil rights into existence along with the 25 million rape survivors in the United States. Rise started by passing the federal Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights unanimously through Congress and later signed into law by President Obama. Rise’s immediate goal is to scale up a social movement to pass their Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights - in all 50 states. Rise trains volunteers to pen their own rights into existence, giving them the tools and resources necessary to engage with state legislators with the ultimate goal of passing a bill in their home state.
Rise Up, Inc
Rise, a national nonprofit, was founded by Amanda Nguyen, a sexual assault survivor, in November 2014 to pen her own civil rights into existence along with the 25 million rape survivors in the United States. Rise started by passing the federal Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights unanimously through Congress and later signed into law by President Obama. Rise’s immediate goal is to scale up a social movement to pass their Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights - in all 50 states. Rise trains volunteers to pen their own rights into existence, giving them the tools and resources necessary to engage with state legislators with the ultimate goal of passing a bill in their home state.