What We Do
Go South was founded in response to two challenges:
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The systemic lack of funding and human capital available to Southern organizations and communities working for positive change
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The large number of students at Northeastern colleges who do not consider the South when choosing where to live and work
Go South believes we can turn these challenges into an opportunity. By providing Yale students with an exciting, financially viable, and clear way to pursue work in the South, we aim to simultaneously support nonprofits in the vital work they already do and expand Yale students’ understanding of and commitment to the South.
This exchange not only facilitates relationships today, but also has the potential to alter the flow of resources tomorrow. Ivy League graduates are disproportionately represented amongst leaders in philanthropy and public policy. As long as the majority of those leaders have limited exposure to the South, its particular challenges, and its diverse and dynamic communities, our region’s nonprofits and grassroots movements will continue to be overlooked on the national stage. Regardless of where they choose to live, Go South program alums will become leaders who are invested in the work of Southern people and places.
Our Programs
Go South Summer: Our inaugural program, an 8-week summer fellowship that places undergraduates in public service job placements in the South at no cost to organizations and engages them with local alumni communities. We currently recruit from Ivy League universities and host fellows in Savannah, Georgia.
Go South Network: An informal partnership connecting nonprofits to career offices at Ivy League universities in order to better promote job opportunities in the South.