August 2021

90 Co-Founders vote on the name Rhizome and incorporate a nonprofit. We finalize our mission: to activate young people’s identities into action & help youth treat civic service as the work of a lifetime.

Winter 2022

One of the earliest decisions we voted on was to focus on Title 1 and under-resourced high schools as we grow. Fellows make visits to elementary schools, teaching democracy to K-5 students by engaging in democratic simulations. K-5 visits are a huge success.

Summer 2022

We clarify our power sharing system: Organizers vote on our vision, goals, and changes to our work environment. Organizers also vote on nominations to the Board, and decide unified national actions. We create the framework for “Community Empowerment Events", which invite Fellows to take action around whatever ideas they are most passionate about. We build the website (for free, thanks Stephen Bourne-Brown!) and begin fundraising.

Winter 2022

Fellows continue leading local Community Empowerment Events around the inclusive, nonviolent, and nonpartisan ideas they are most passionate about. Fellows also finish teaching democracy to K-5 students

Summer 2023

We pause for a 6 week mental health break and engage in collective design processes to further streamline our model and make a greater impact in School Year 2023-2024. We celebrate our efforts and look ahead, as over 100 paid Youth Organizers prepare to support teams of Fellows in 24 Chapters.

Winter 2023

We meet for the first time ever at our in-person retreat for all Organizers! With over 80 people in attendance, we build culture, co-design our Student Bill of Rights, and make plans for the rest of 2024.

The name Rhizome is decided by just one vote - democracy at it's finest!

Fall 2021

We select our Board of Directors and start organizing. We build an outline of the Civic Service Fellowship, design our system, and start to pilot our early programming.

Spring 2022

Teams of Civic Service Fellows build voter education drives to share paths to young people running for office, motivate others to engage in local elections, and help peers register & pre-register themselves to vote.

By August, a year after launch, we start to pay Organizers before anyone else. Upon learning they will actually be paid for their work, Organizers demand to know when Rhizome will purchase our first yacht.

Fall 2022

Ramp up recruitment for the Civic Service Fellowship, expanding from 3 Chapters to 13 Chapters across the US. Fellows conduct surveys to understand what others in their high school care about. We receive 501(c)(3) status, Part-time Mentors start to get paid, we start fundraising to pay full time staff.

Spring 2023

As our systems are streamlined, we expand exponentially to 125 high schools across 13 Chapters and stop recruiting to set healthy limits and protect the mental health of our Organizers. Fellows build voter education drives and help peers register themselves to vote. We raise funds to pay our full time staff person and begin hiring a 2nd person.

Fall 2023

With over 100 paid Youth Organizers and just two full-time staff, we slow down to focus on setting our culture and building the infrastructure needed to support sustainable long-term efforts.

Spring 2024

We now have teams of Fellows who have joined from over 250 high schools! Fellows continue to build community empowerment events and lead voter education drives. At the same time, we staff up from 2 to 5 full-time Directors. With our new capacity, for the first time since launching nearly three years ago, we're able to offer deep and thorough trainings to support Organizers who lead our Chapters!