IGNITE, America's largest, most diverse nonprofit organization devoted to young women's political empowerment, is proud to announce the addition of Anna Del Castillo and Heather McLeod Grant to its Board of Directors.
At IGNITE, our mission remains to propel young women into political leadership and fuel a movement for a more inclusive democracy. Today, we celebrate Kamala Harris securing the votes to become the first woman of color nominee for President by a major political party in the United States. This historic event transcends political ideologies and partisanship, marking a significant breakthrough in our ongoing struggle for gender equality and diverse racial representation in political offices across America. The road to this moment has been paved with challenges, many of which echo the experiences of the countless young women we train and mentor at Ignite. Vice President Harris's nomination marks a long overdue milestone and serves as a beacon of progress. It challenges outdated yet still all too prevalent notions of what a leader looks like.
(Sacramento, CA, April 22—For Immediate Release)—Over 150 Gen Z women from across the state of California will gather at the state Capitol today to lobby their elected representatives on Assembly Bill 810—to Protect Students from Sexual Violence and Harassment in California institutions of higher education.
Erika Alvarez is a second-year Dr. Anne Moses IGNITE Houston Fellow. Below, Erika shares more about her community involvement and passion for civic engagement.
What I enjoy most about being involved in my community is the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on people's lives and contribute to positive change. My passion for civic engagement started when I immigrated to the United States from Venezuela at a young age.
Investment in the next generation of leaders is key to creating lasting change. We are grateful that the Crimsonbridge Foundation has generously continued their investment in IGNITE for the 2023-24 program year. The Crimsonbridge Foundation works towards solutions that help youth across America thrive, focusing on education, leadership, environment sustainability, and capacity-building to support their vision of social change. The Crimsonbridge Foundation funds IGNITE through the Women and Girls’ Leadership and Civic Engagement strand, which helps us support IGNITE’s political leadership and civic engagement of young women.
Julia Perrotta is proud to serve as IGNITE’s Civic Engagement Coordinator. Julia recently graduated the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied...
Since IGNITE’s start in 2010, we’ve trained over 35,000 young women-identifying persons to own their political power. As we continue to build a movement of young leaders, the financial investment of supporters like The Herb Block Foundation is crucial. We are grateful to The Herb Block Foundation, who generously awarded IGNITE an “Encouraging Citizen Involvement” grant of $15,000. This grant aims to ensure a “responsible, responsive democratic government” through civic engagement activities such as citizen education and voter participation. IGNITE will use the proceeds of this grant to further our mission in New Jersey.
Growing up, I could never master the art of “jumping in” between two jump ropes when playing Double Dutch. In Double Dutch, two ropes are being turned inwards, one behind the other. While I knew how to jump solo, I struggled to jump with two ropes out of fear of being tangled or struck by the rope when attempting to “jump in.” Ultimately, I found my best skill was to be one of the people turning the ropes.
Jordan Boykin is the current Ignite High School facilitator in the Houston area. She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, with a major in Mass Media arts with a...