It is with great sadness that we share that this year’s STAND Managing Committee has made the decision to sunset the organization in June 2025. We are deeply proud of the work STAND has done over the past 20 years: building connections between like-minded youth, developing peer learning models, leading cutting-edge digital organizing efforts, sending brilliant leaders into humanitarianism, politics, and community organizing, and connecting hundreds of thousands of people determined to build a better world.
STAND has adapted to many challenging moments throughout our existence. Given shifting funder priorities and the closure of major anti-genocide organizations like the Genocide Intervention Network, United to End Genocide, and the Save Darfur Coalition, STAND has struggled to stay afloat. Two years ago, we were unable to renew funding for our single staff member, a role that provided important support and stability to our student organizers. Without adequate professional and financial support, along with a decrease in overall grassroots engagement, we have struggled to adapt to the shifting landscape. Even so, we cherish all that we have learned and every relationship we have held with our partners and amongst our student leaders, and we are proud of our accomplishments over the last several years:
- Divestment from companies in Sudan by more than 27 state pension funds and 60 universities
- 2011 End Genocide Summit, with nearly 300 students in attendance
- Passage of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act
- Conscious Consumption Campaign and passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
- Training hundreds of youth across the United States on advocacy, education, and leadership skills
As atrocities continue in many countries around the world, including in Sudan, where the 2004 Darfur Genocide sparked the formation of STAND, we remain committed to the belief in solidarity and action that has motivated student activists for so long. It is our hope that STAND’s legacy can live on and that the resources and knowledge we have built over the past two decades can continue to help passionate youth participate in likeminded organizing spaces.
It is important to note that this doesn’t have to be the end forever. If you or someone you know is interested in genocide and mass atrocities prevention activism, please don’t hesitate to reach out to either us at info@standnow.org. We still have chapter resources and educational resources available to those who want to continue activism work, and a strong network of partner organizations. We would be happy to set up a meeting or help you find other ways to get or stay involved in this work, or to reinvent it in the future. The Alumni Google Group will remain active; email us if you would like to join. The STAND website and social media accounts will be available for archive material for at least the next 5 years. We are in the process of archiving other materials and finding ways to preserve STAND’s legacy, including through our remaining chapters.
On a more personal note, STAND has been an important part of both of our lives — we joined at the beginning of high school and are now rising seniors in college. This organization has shaped our understanding of the world and our own power within it, and it has made a profound impact not only on the paths our lives will take as we graduate, but also who we are as people.
However you have been involved with STAND, we hope that your experiences were equally meaningful, and we thank each and every one of you for making this organization so special to be a part of throughout the years. We would like to invite you all to join us in commemorating STAND’s legacy and thinking about the future of this work on February, 2/2 at 4 PM ET. You can sign up here, and we will send you the link to join closer to the event. If you are interested in sharing photos, memories, or reflections from your time with STAND, regardless of whether or not you can attend, please email them to info@standnow.org.
In Solidarity,
Mira Mehta and Allison Weiner
STAND Student Directors 2023-24