Making Room to Rise: A Call to the Next Generation of Leaders

An Update and Invitation from
Rudy Click, Founder of Camel City United Indivisible

Over the past few meetings, I’ve been sharing something personal with our members.

My role is changing.

Not because I’m leaving.
Not because I’m burned out.
Not because I’m disengaging.

But because this movement is growing.

And when something grows, leadership has to grow with it.

Knowing Who You Are as a Leader

Running Camel City United Indivisible has taught me a lot.

About organizing.
About community.
About power.

But it has also taught me a lot about myself.

I am not an administrator at heart.

I’m not most alive sitting in meetings about meetings.
I’m not energized by managing calendars, files, and forms.
I’m not built to spend my best hours buried in inboxes.

I respect that work deeply.
Every strong organization needs it.

But that’s not where I’m strongest.

I’m strongest in the field.
On the block.
At the door.
In the street.
With people.

I’m strongest when I’m helping clear obstacles.
Securing permits.
Solving problems.
Building relationships.
Making sure things can happen.

That’s where I do my best leadership.

Why I’m Stepping Back to Move Us Forward

So when I say I’m stepping back, I don’t mean stepping away.

I mean stepping aside—so others can step up.

For too long, too much has flowed through one person.

That’s not healthy.
That’s not sustainable.
That’s not how movements last.

Real movements distribute leadership.

They create space.
They develop people.
They multiply capacity.

And that’s what time it is for CCUI.

We Need Builders of Infrastructure

As we grow, we need more than passion.

We need structure.
We need systems.
We need organizers who can manage meetings.
Keep records.
Coordinate teams.
Run operations.
Hold continuity.

We need administrators.
Facilitators.
Coordinators.
Strategists.

Not as “paper-pushers.”

As movement architects.

People who understand that logistics is justice.
That organization is power.
That preparation is protection.

This work is sacred.
And it matters.

The Ring Is Being Offered

Let me use an image.

Right now, this movement is holding out a ring.

An opportunity.

A chance to grow.

To lead.
To shape something real.
To become something new.

And I’m saying to you:

Reach for it.

Grab it.

Don’t wait to be invited twice.
Don’t wait until you feel “ready.”
Don’t wait until you think you’re perfect.

Nobody ever is.

Leadership is learned by doing.

This movement is offering you a gift:

A place to become who you are capable of being.

A Message to Young and Emerging Leaders

Especially to our younger members.

To folks who may be watching quietly.
Learning.
Wondering if there’s room for you.

There is.

We need you.

We need your creativity.
Your technology skills.
Your energy.
Your perspective.
Your courage.

This is your space.

Not someday.
Not later.

Now!

This movement will stretch you.
Challenge you.
Grow you.
Strengthen you.

Like the old Army slogan said: Be all you can be.

That’s not about militarism.
That’s about potential.

That’s what organizing does.

It reveals who you are.

What I’m Moving Toward

As I step back from daily administration, I’m stepping deeper into:

Field organizing.
Relationship building.
Training.
Mentorship.
Strategic growth.
External partnerships.

I’ll still be here.
Still accountable.
Still engaged.

But my role is shifting—from carrying everything to cultivating everyone.

From doing everything to developing others.

That’s leadership too.

This Is How Movements Survive

Every movement that lasts learns this lesson.

It cannot depend on one voice.
One face.
One organizer.
One personality.

It must become many.

Many leaders.
Many centers of gravity.
Many carriers of vision.

That’s how we protect what we’ve built.
That’s how we grow stronger.
That’s how we honor this work.

An Invitation

So this is my invitation to you.

If you’ve been waiting:
Step forward.

If you’ve been unsure:
Try.

If you’ve been learning quietly:
Now is your time.

This movement is offering you the ring.

Reach for it.

Let’s build this together.
Let’s grow together.
Let’s lead together.

And let’s become—together—everything we are capable of being.