Jewish Justice Winter Break Teen Program

2020 has presented young people with questions like no other. They’ve watched as adults have mishandled a global pandemic and confronted a national reckoning with race. They’ve taken to the streets to protest climate change and to social media to spread information about the mishandling of justice for individuals such as Breonna Taylor and Jacob Blake. But it’s not enough. They don’t just want simple answers; they don’t just want to post. They want to know how they can be a part of change and learn how to achieve a more equitable world. And as their parents, teachers, counselors, educators, and friends, we want to make sure they have all the tools to do so. The time is now.  

That's why we (some organizers who came together as part of the Let My People Go Campaign) dreamed up Achshav: Jewish Social Justice Alternative Winter Break (hosted by SAJ). This will be a virtually-conducted one-week program held during winter break 2020 (Sunday, December 27 – Thursday, December 31), for individuals aged 13 to 18.

SAJ has given our team many of the tools we needed to take this live (Zoom, website, sign up form), but we are reliant on the tuition of our participants in order to pay our educators and counselors. (And we don't yet know how many participants we'll have!) So we have created this gofundme campaign to raise a little bit of cash in advance, and have a cushion with which we know we'll be able to compensate everyone fairly. 

We truly appreciate your time and interest in assisting us to create an incredible program for the next generation of organizers. 

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Here's a little bit more about Achshav: Jewish Social Justice Alternative Winter Break.

Through daily programming, youth will engage in age-appropriate lessons from skilled educators on power/oppression, antisemitism, race, the Black Lives Matter Movement, immigration justice, bail/bond reform, and more; and engage in workshops to learn key organizing skills such as fundraising, communications, solidarity/allyship, and creative action. In daily smaller-group "bunk" settings, participants will also be able to ask questions, troubleshoot, work in smaller group settings to understand their role in the larger justice ecosystem, and learn one-on-one from established and burgeoning organizers (their counselors).

By the end of the week-long program, participants will have identified a local or national campaign or movement they feel strongly about and applied their newfound skills to understanding its purpose. They will work with a partner (bunkmate) on a creative project that will display deep comprehension and commitment to an issue they’ve identified. They will also walk away from the week with a newfound understanding of justice and activism and the ability to speak and write clearly and passionately about their individual stake in social justice issues. Participants will emerge with a network of equally engaged peers as well as a newfound understanding of their individual stake in justice and activism—one they will be able to take to their next stage of life.

Thank you for making sure we can turn this dream into a reality and fairly compensate our educators and counselors.