Update on the 2026 Summer Organizer Program

February 5, 2026 — By Jenica

Around this time of the year, we typically launch applications for our newest cohort of Summer Organizers and begin recruiting SOP alumni to our Selection Team. Instead, our staff team would like to announce that we are pausing the Summer Organizer Program for 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make! The Summer Organizer Program is one of our longest running programs, a powerful offering for our movement, and a transformative experience for our participants and the many folks who support the program as supervisors, partners and volunteers. This year, however, our staff team has made decisions across our organization to narrow our work in order to make space for the demands of our Theory of Change process and adapt to emergent crises we know are on the horizon. 

We want to be intentional about the future of the Summer Organizer Program and will be evaluating SOP alongside our other programs (LEX, Peer Counseling etc.) as we further develop our Theory of Change and usher Lavender Phoenix into a new era of organizing.  We know that many folks, young people especially, connect with Lavender Phoenix through SOP and we’ve shared some offerings below to support that. Each offering is an opportunity to build belonging and purpose with our members and QTAPI community while growing your organizing skills. 

  • Join the fight for  Care Not Cops! We demand a People’s Budget in SF – not more policing, militarization or surveillance. Take action for true care and safety from now through June. Read more about the campaign here!
  • Grow with us at LEX! Our annual Leadership Exchange will continue this summer across two weekends (7/11, 7/12, 7/25, and 7/26) led by Julz, our Membership Coordinator. Over two weekends, our QTAPI cohort will build relationships and grow key skills for values-based organizing. If you’re interested in participating, email julz@lavenderphoenix.org to express interest!
  • Fundraise with us! As we pause a major program this year, member-led fundraising is a grounding way to keep resourcing LavNix’s long-term vision. Fundraising together helps sustain our staff, strengthen our infrastructure, and give us the flexibility to respond to emerging crises & challenges while we deepen our Theory of Change. We will be running our annual grassroots fundraising campaign from July to August with trainings, phone banking spaces & coaching, so that we can continue to practice leaning into our values TOGETHER! Please reach out to eri@lavenderphoenix.org if you are interested in learning more.
  • Join Rise Up 2026! If you are a TQAPI person living in the Bay Area and interested in joining Lavender Phoenix as a member, look out for applications for our 2026 Rise Up cohort (2025 info here) in the fall (launching via Instagram and our website). 

We hope to see you this year! If you have any questions or concerns about our decision, please don’t hesitate to reach out to info@lavenderphoenix.org.