Board Updates
The JYCM team has had an incredibly productive few months. Our leadership board has worked hard to construct our Movement DNA (theory of change and strategic objective), inspired by organizations such as Uprooted & Rising and Sunrise Movement. We have facilitated important conversations about what it means to be a Jewish Youth Climate Movement, and what we should do next.
Additionally, the leadership board has been planning a special Jewish Youth Climate Activism Series throughout April and May, open to all leadership board members and Kvutzah (local JYCM chapter) members. This is an exciting opportunity to learn together in meaningful workshops and exercises.
Communications Team Update:
This month, the Comms team has been working hard to update and revamp the JYCM website! We want it to be a place where visitors can learn everything they need to know about who we are, what we do, and how to get involved. We have collected suggestions and edits from the whole JYCM leadership board, and are in the process of creating new webpages and optimizing current ones. Beginning within the next few months, you may start to see the updates published, and we are excited about what this means for JYCM!
Actions & Advocacy Team Update:
The A&A team has been working to develop partnerships for future campaigns as well as to fortify JYCM’s foundation. We are excited to continue this work!
Public Relations Team Update:
The PR team has started working on fundraising and are working hard to come up with fun programs. At the last JYCM full board meeting, members of the PR team looked at other movement’s DNA for inspiration to make the JYCM DNA, and are working on the story and structure of our Movement DNA.
Welcome to our new JYCM Kvutzot!
We now have 18 Kvutzot (chapters) - welcome to our newest members:
Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield, MI
The Kitchen SF in San Francisco, CA
NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement
To learn more about building a JYCM Kvutzah, visit our Kvutzah page here.
"The moment we decide to fulfill something, we can do anything." -Greta Thunberg
A Word from a Board Member
My name is Eli Anderson, and I live in, and grew up in Tulsa Oklahoma. I am a senior at Booker T. Washington High School, and will attend Fort Lewis College next fall and I cannot wait. JYCM has helped me develop as a person in so many ways since joining in April last year. I have grown more confident in both my writing and my public speaking. I have also learned so much about the climate, and the work we and other people are doing to combat climate change.
I truly would not be who I am today without JYCM and the community we have created over the past year, and I cannot wait to see where JYCM goes in the future, and look forward to staying as connected as possible in the coming years.
Sharing Our Stories
On Air Toxicity and Fall Nostalgia
How does climate change affect me
My spirit falls directly
On air toxicity and Fall nostalgia
As tiredness steeps my lungs
…
In California we do not
Breathe the same
August, September, October, November
We smoke cigarettes outside with
Weak lungs
Toxins for all ages
As dried farmland burns
Over the course of our storytelling campaign, we've learned the importance of storytelling in the climate movement. We gave everyone a chance to learn how to tell their story and share it with everyone. In the coming months we will be sharing people's climate stories in JYCM's monthly newsletters. If you're interested in having yours featured, please reach out to jycm@hazon.org.
Without further ado, we'd like to introduce this months story written by one of our board members, Alex. You can read their full story here.
JYCM Included on Slingshot's Annual “10 to Watch” List!
Slingshot, an organization that engages young Jewish philanthropists to make lasting impact, has announced its 2021 “10 to Watch” list that highlights young organizations and projects in North America that are responding to current and timely needs in the Jewish community and beyond. The Jewish Youth Climate Movement is so honored to be among nine other incredible up-and-coming initiatives. You can read the announcement article in Alma about why Jewish innovation matters.