(Oakland, CA – April 4th, 2022) Since 2018, Surge has had the incredible honor of joining disruptors in the Bay Area to carve out a fellowship space designed specifically for connection among emerging leaders of color in education. Throughout this journey, there have been challenges, not in building community, but in building continuing financial support for the Surge experience. It’s a fight we anticipated, and one that we will continue to fight.
Today we share that we will not be recruiting for a new class of Surge Oakland Fellows this year. We will instead shift our focus and work diligently to secure funding in the Bay Area for future programming to support, connect, and elevate new cohorts of BIPOC leaders—likely through the Surge Academy.
Our journey in Oakland continues, and our immediate focus will be on serving our Oakland Alumni; not only in providing new programming and connection points but growing the Surge Alumni experience as a whole. Our VP of Alumni Impact, Tiara Wheatley, is building a comprehensive strategy that will cultivate spaces for our national network of Surge siblings to connect and to build coalition.
Oakland has been and continues to be a deeply important space for racial equity, progress and revolution. Moving forward, we look to connect with leaders and allies who share our commitment to the Bay Area and may have connections and capital that could support our efforts. If you believe that you can support us in any way, please feel contact us at info@surgeinstitute.org.
Thank you for your support of Surge’s work and impact.
MEDIA CONTACT:
melorie@surgeinstitute.org
| About The Surge Institute:
The Surge Institute is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established with a simple but important mission to develop and elevate leaders of color who create transformative change for children, families, and communities. Founded by Carmita Semaan in 2014, the organization was designed to empower emerging diverse leaders to change the landscape of education by providing them with a unique, authentic leadership development experience. To learn more about The Surge Institute, please visit: www.surgeinstitute.org |
