Southeast Immigrant Rights Network

The Hummingbird Institute is an initiative of the Southeast Immigrant Rights Network (SEIRN) in collaboration with The Praxis Project. This initiative seeks to bring together grassroots immigrant and refugee leaders from around the Southeast to advance their leadership and organizing skills. 

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The goal of this initiative is to strengthen the democratic leadership and organizing skills of grassroots immigrant and refugee leaders in the Southeast, and foster a collective vision of justice and dignity for all.
 

The Hummingbird Institute is for Southeast grassroots leaders committed to: 

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• strengthening the power of their community to protect and defend their human rights and dignity

• exercising collective and democratic leadership, and support the development of new leaders within their groups and in the movement

• deepening their understanding of how the fight for the rights of immigrants is linked to a broader movement for justice

• being part of a  collective learning process acknowledging that there will be difficult conversations

• advancing a collective vision of justice centered on the dignity of all people

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PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:​

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• Form a committed group of Southeast immigrant and refugee leaders to deepen our understanding of collective leadership and community organizing.

• Create spaces for reflection and collective learning about how the way we exercise leadership can impact our struggle for justice.  

• Seek and identify alternative solutions or strategies to address challenges we face when organizing in the community.

• Learn about popular education and why and how to integrate it into our community organizing practices.

• Learn about radical healing and how to incorporate it into our organizing work.

• Expand our political analysis and challenge our beliefs about what the struggle for immigrant justice entails.

• Create individual action plans and an accountability process to continue strengthening our leadership upon the conclusion of the program

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REQUIREMENTS: 

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• live and organize in the Southeast as part of a grassroots group

• have taken (or are committed to take) steps to establish a comité or grassroots group in their community

• have 1 to 3 years of community organizing experience

• be able to participate in four in person gatherings and virtual follow up sessions between gatherings.

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PROGRAM DETAILS AND TIME COMMITMENT: 

 

• The first gathering will take place August 16th through the 18th in Durham, North Carolina.

• The second gathering will take place December 6th through the 8th in Durham, North Carolina.

• 2025 dates will be confirmed by the end of 2024

  • Third gathering will take place in Spring 2025, location and date to be determined 

  • Fourth gathering will take place at the end of Summer 2025, location and date to be determined 

• Gatherings will begin with dinner on Friday at 5:00 pm and end with lunch on Sunday at 2:00 pm.

• SEIRN will:

  • Reimburse travel up to a predetermined amount based on location

  • Pay for lodging for all participants 

  • Offer a stipend to participants to partially cover lost wages during the in-person gatherings (partial stipends will be processed after each gathering)

  • Provide English-Spanish interpretation 

  • Provide childcare for children ages 3-12; care for older children may be provided depending on need.  

  • Cover the following meals: dinner on Friday; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday. Meals during travel will not be reimbursed.

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PROJECT FEATURES:

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• This project will be open to 25 grassroots immigrant/refugee leaders from the Southeast.

• As part of the program, participants will develop and implement an action plan to further their leadership and organizing skills, with support from SEIRN staff and fellow comrades.

• Participants will deepen relationships with other committed immigrant/refugee leaders from the Southeast.

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APPLICATION PROCESS: ​

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• The deadline to apply is May 22nd at 5:00 pm ET 

• As part of the selection process, candidates may be asked to participate in a short interview in the weeks of June 3rd-14th

• Finalists will receive an acceptance letter and will be asked to confirm their participation the week of July 8th

• To ensure a more diverse cohort, up to 3 people from the same organization or group can apply, but each person must apply individually. Please note that if more than one person from a group applies, there is no guarantee that they will all be accepted. Substitutions will not be accepted. 

 

If you have any questions, need help filling out the application or need further information, please contact Nayely Perez-Huerta at nayely@seirn.org or 919-341-9796.