Civic participation should always be an opportunity, not an obstacle.
That’s why our initiatives are rooted in educating, engaging, and energizing (informing, engaging, activating) you to be the ones.
OUR MISSION:
Be The Ones is a nonpartisan grassroots organization building healthier communities, a more equitable democracy, and expanding power by removing barriers to local civic participation across the Southeast.
HOW WE DO IT:
Our work is centered on building for and with communities. In order to remove barriers to local civic participation we have to know what the barriers are.
We go right to the source. We ask, we listen.
Once we know what’s needed, coupled with quantitative data, we create resources and solutions that increase civic understanding, motivate engagement and create a culture of accessible, inclusive, sustainable and joyful participation.
We blend year-round community organizing and movement-building with technology, relational strategies, storytelling, arts, music, and culture to create a sense of place and possibility to do this work.
Recognizing there is no one size fits all approach to solving local civic information and participation gaps, we foster a culture of innovation, creativity and experimentation by piloting and implementing a wide range of tools, tactics and strategies.
Our Initiatives
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ELECTORAL WORK
Nonpartisan year-round civic engagement ensuring people are prepared and equipped to participate in local races and elections and become lifelong voters.
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ADVOCACY WORK
Intentional experiences and events to gain the skills and knowledge needed to champion issues they’re passionate about & skills to make real change.
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LEADERSHIP WORK
Training & supporting a new generation of leaders to become the next generation of movement builders.
WHY WE DO IT:
Have you ever felt powerless around politics? Like your voice doesn’t matter, or your values aren’t reflected in the system? When it comes to policies that impact the future, young people are the most impacted — and too often, the least involved. Politicians and corporations make decisions that affect us — while leaving us out of the conversation. An unfriendly political climate, housing and climate crises, and continual attacks on our democracy all pose big risks to our livelihoods, opportunities, and wellbeing. Defeated to participate? You are not alone.
It’s not just about creating and giving people the information - its helping them understand how and why they should care - and the tools to use the inforamtion to advocate and engage in their communiutes and be leaders. Its about giving them power, expanding their opportuniteis to have a voice in teh future of their communities,
Healthy thriving communities and an equitable democracy depend on participation. We need greater participation in local civic activities from communities of intersecting identities. But, you cannot care about what you don’t know. And this starts with what is happening in your own backyard.
It’s time for our generation to step up, speak up, and take action. But you don’t have to have all the answers to make a real difference, and you don’t have to do it alone. Together, we will be the ones to build the communities we want to be a part of.
Decreased access to local news has a direct impact on civic outcomes like voting, volunteering, and running for office. - but it isn’t just about creating and giving information - it about how it is created, shared and by whom.
While we believe that everyone deserves access to information dn we hope to expand our work one day, we are deeply focused on historicaly marginalized communities - language here.
We are stronger when we work together.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN WHY WE ARE COMMITTED TO ALL THINGS LOCAL.
17 year old from Dorchester County, SC
“Thank you for coming and talking about voting. No one has ever asked me if I want to vote and why before. I feel like my voice meant something.”
Our Story:
How It Started…
Be The Ones began as a volunteer effort born out of two conversations in 2020. Beth didn’t see the importance of voting or why she should participate. Sam kept hearing “local elections really matter,” but couldn’t figure out why the coroner race was worthy of their attention & where would they even start to find information on their coroner? We asked ourselves: “what could happen if we actually stopped repeating the phrase “but local elections matter,” over and over and actually tried to help people with the information they needed to participate?”
How It’s Going…
Be The Ones has engaged in 800+ conversations to identify civic pain points, listen to lived experiences and work through what folks really need in order to participate. We’ve engaged with the civically curious, civically engaged, and civically disinterested. We’ve run unique and interesting experiments, launched programs that have flopped and ones that have brought new voices and power into civic spaces. We’ve activated 50,000+ folks across the Southeast and we’re just getting started.
Will you join us in being the ones?
OUR IMPACT:
Leadership Team:
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Cate Mayer
Founder & Director
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Munir Meghjani
Director, Community Partnerships and Programs
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This You?
Want to join us? We’re expanding our team very soon! If you’re interested in learning more, email: hello@betheones.org.
We also have the opportunity to work with an incredible team of folks - from talented designers to technology geniuses and community organizers that allow us to do this work and fulfill our mission. We couldn’t do it without them.
Advisory Board List:
Coming soon!
Memberships & Partnerships:
Support This Work
We’re excited for Vote Local Day 2023 on October 7th. To ensure it’s a successful and seamless event, we need your help. Would you consider making a donation today to support Vote Local Day ‘23?