ABOUT US:
Through year-round nonpartisan education, leadership development, advocacy, and deep collaboration, we create pathways for meaningful local civic participation — informing, connecting and activating you to be the ones.
OUR MISSION:
Be The Ones is a nonpartisan grassroots organization building healthier communities, a more equitable democracy, and expanding power by removing barriers to local civic participation across South Carolina.
WHAT WE DO:
Our work is rooted in and built with community.
To remove barriers to local civic participation, we first have to understand them.
So we go to the source. We ask. We listen. And we keep listening.
Grounded in lived experience, we co-create solutions that increase civic understanding, motivate engagement, and cultivate a culture of accessible, inclusive, sustainable — and joyful — participation.
We blend relational organizing and movement-building with creativity, imagination, storytelling, art, music, food, and culture as core civic methods that cultivate agency — helping people see themselves as active shapers of their communities — while creating a strong sense of place and possibility.
We foster curiosity, joy, and experimentation — piloting and testing tools, tactics, and creative civic experiments to discover what truly moves people to show up and build lasting people-power.
THREE STRATEGIES. TWO PROGRAMS. ONE MISSION
CORE STRATEGIES:
Be The Ones expands participation, shifts systems, and builds shared power by removing barriers to local civic lifeL:
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PARTICIPATION
Creating clear, supported pathways for people to show up with the information, relationships, and confidence needed to engage
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SYSTEMS CHANGE
Making civic systems more transparent, accessible, and accountable, and equipping communities to shape the policies and decisions that affect their lives
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POWER
Growing leadership, relationships, and collective capacity so communities can act and lead together — not just once, but over time
CORE PROGRAMS:
Our strategies come to life through two connected programs:
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YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAM
Developing and investing in the rising generation of civic leaders
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CIVIC LEARNING & PARTICIPATION PROGRAM
Strengthening civic knowledge, systems & infrastructure that make participation possible
OUR APPROACH:
What we do matters. How we do it is what sets us apart.
Be The Ones uses creativity, imagination, and culture as core civic methods — inviting people into civic life and making complex systems more accessible and understandable. We create spaces where participation feels social, connected, and celebrated.
For us, civic engagement isn’t transactional. It’s relational. It’s cultural. It’s deeply human.
We treat imagination as strategy, creativity as a tool, and co-creation as a form of power.
We center joy because joy builds trust. Joy builds belonging. Joy builds staying power.
Joy isn’t extra — it’s foundational. It’s fuel. It’s resistance.
THE RESULT:
Communities across South Carolina are strong, resilient & thriving because our systems and structures are built to support equitable access to resources and opportunities. Justice for all is achieved.
GET INVOLVED:
Join us in being the ones who shape the communities and democracy we want to be a part of.
