Calling Southern LGBTQ+ freedom fighters committed to meeting wretched times with bold and visionary campaign organizing to build power and transform our communities. 

Apply for  SONG’s Free From Fear 2024 Cohort today!

This year, SONG is re-igniting our Free From Fear campaigns across the region. We are building on nearly a decade of waging campaigns that address life and death issues for LGBTQ+ people in Southern towns and cities and that move to attack, weaken, and transform sites of fear and violence named by our people, from police departments to detention centers and jails to state legislatures and more. 

After a period of evaluation, strategic planning, and mapping our current terrain, SONG is ready to re-ignite Free From Fear under a broadened banner that includes: 

  1. Campaigns that fight for local housing + land liberation 
  2. Campaigns that fight to protect and defend our Queer & Trans kindred who are under attack and 
  3. Campaigns that confront escalating criminalization by the state including the rise of paramilitary police training grounds known as Cop Cities. 

Are any of these issues impacting your local community? Apply and connect with SONG!

APPLY NOW

The Program

The 2024 Free From Fear Cohort is an 8-month cohort of up to 14 lead organizers to develop and run locally-rooted Free From Fear campaign work in up to 7 sites across the South. It is strongly encouraged to apply in pairs. Selected leads will go through a period of onboarding, political education, and training and will pair with a SONG OG coach. Leads must agree to SONG’s Leadership Agreements and Code of Conduct, be grounded in SONG’s Theory of Change, and commit to the objective of developing and running local campaign work in alignment with SONG’s Free From Fear campaign vision. 

By campaigns we mean time-bound organizing fights waged against a particular target to win concrete demands around issues that impact your constituency. Leads are expected to adhere to SONG’s core organizing methods of direct action organizing campaigns, base building, culture change, multiracial coalitions + alliances, communications, and leadership development. 

This cohort is open to all current SONG members in the South (become a member or renew your membership here). Members who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, members living in Deep South states (AL, MS, GA, LA, SC), and members living in small towns and rural areas are especially encouraged to apply. Leads must be 18 years or older by the May 1st start date.

Program Expectations and Leadership Development

Grassroots Organizing & Campaign Development

  • Develop and run local campaigns in alignment with SONG’s Free From Fear campaign vision
  • Conduct outreach  and base-building with local members, partners, community members, and organizations
  • Hold a local event and/or action in support of campaign development
  • Support with synthesis and development of recommendations for the 2025 campaign scope
  • Support regional Free From Fear calls and gatherings as appropriate

Leadership Development & Training

  • Adherence to SONG’s Leadership Agreements and Code of Conduct
  • Complete orientation and onboarding
  • Complete political education programming (ex. SONG’s history and organizing methodology, PIC Abolition, Capitalism, Organizing, Global Solidarity, etc.)
  • Complete training programming (ex. base-building, campaign and community  organizing, safety and security, conflict resolution, database, etc.)
  • Biweekly meetings with SONG OG coach beginning in July
  • Biweekly supervision meetings beginning in July

Administrative Responsibilities

  • Cohort team meetings and calls
  • Operational systems and communications
  • Managing local organizing site budget
  • Work planning and adherence
  • Evaluation and documentation
  • Database Management

Timeline

  • Start date: May 1, 2024
  • Onboarding and Political Education: May 2024
  • Training and Local Campaign Planning: June-July
    • Organizational break: June 17-June 30th
  • Running Local Campaigns and Base-building: July – November
  • Evaluation and Reportbacks: November – December
  • End Date: January 3, 2024
    • Organizational break begins December 16th

Compensation

Each lead will be paid weekly at a rate of $50/hour for 15 hours a week for 35 weeks. Leads will be paid throughout SONG’s organizational summer and winter breaks and will be invited to take a break along with SONG staff. Leads must be able to commit to the full 8-month program.

The Deadline:

The application deadline is Friday, April 12, 2024, at 11:59 pm eastern. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact angela henderson at angela@songsouth.org. 

APPLY NOW!