47 results for tag: Leadership Training


And on Day Eight of Creation, We Advocated for Change…

This year, my attention is on the power of advocacy and the opportunity for us to make a difference, as a Jewish community, in environmental policy. After spending a year with Jewcology and Canfei Nesharim focusing my attention on Jewish learning on the environment, and a second year focusing on action, I’ve come to understand that real change also requires a third piece: joining with others as citizens to make a difference. That is why, this year, we’re focusing on a Year of Jewish Policy Engagement on the Environment. We are blessed to live in a democracy like the United States, which gives us the power to influence our politicians by our ...

Announcing the Year of Jewish Policy Engagement on the Environment

Sign up here to become a partner in bringing the Year of Engagement to your Jewish community. Jewcology is partnering with the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life in 2014 for a Year of Jewish Policy Engagement on the Environment. This coming year, you’ll have the opportunity to: Get to know your elected representatives Engage your community to advocate for meaningful environmental change Learn about key opportunities to make a difference Act at the critical moment Watch the video to learn more about our partnership! Why are COEJL and Canfei Nesharim partnering in the Year of ...

Transformative Judaism and our Planetary Crisis

Since human action has endangered the web of life on earth, human action can heal it. And the religious and spiritual communities of our planet have the wisdoms and the tools to do the healing. Judaism is especially relevant because, unlike most world religions, we preserve the teachings of an indigenous people in the biblical tradition –- the spiritual wisdom of shepherds and farmers. And yet as a world people, we can now apply the earthiness of our origins to the Whole Earth. That does not mean simply repeating the ancient practices. For instance, the ancient code of kosher food does not take into account that we now “e...

How much difference is enough?

Back in the spring, I wrote a blog post saying that I wasn’t trying to save the world right now. As I’ve been pondering how to get back into the work of saving the world, I’ve bumped up against a big problem. If I’m going to try to save the world, I don’t think I can be satisfied until the whole wide world is fixed. I’ve always thought that was virtuous, but now I’m realizing it might simply be a recipe for banging my head against a wall. Here are some of the numerous environmental problems that I’ve recently confronted: Prenatal Exposure to Pollution Raises Risk of ...

Support the Year of Engagement

Exciting news! Canfei Nesharim is teaming up with the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) through our Jewcology project, on a new joint fundraising campaign. Together, we aim to raise a total of $10,000 by the end of Tishrei, October 3. MAKE AN ELUL DONATION TO SUPPORT JEWCOLOGY NOW! With your support, in 2014 Jewcology and COEJL will partner on a "Year of Jewish Policy Engagement on the Environment," which will provide tools to help Jewish environmental activists and local leaders become more involved in environmental action at the policy level. COEJL will provide advocacy guidance and connection with ...

Being Enough: Reflections on a Leadership Training

On Thursday, June 14, I had the privilege of leading the Jewcology Public Narrative Training at the Teva Seminar on Jewish Environmental Education. With my amazing team of co-facilitators, we organized a full-day training which taught 12 Jewish environmental leaders to tell their leadership story. Videos from the different parts of the training – including model stories – can be found on Jewcology’s website at http://www.jewcology.org/content/view/Videos-From-the-Recent-Jewcology-Public-Narrative-Training. For me, this was the first time I’d ever led a full-day training. I’ve led dozens of 45 minute, ...

Videos From the Recent Jewcology Public Narrative Training

Evonne Marzouk introduces the theory of public narrative and tells her story of self: Genevieve tells her story of self: Cindy shares her full leadership story: Story of Us/Now, modeled by Ora Berman: JR shares his story of self: Sybil shares her Full Leadership Story: Josh shares his Full Leadership Story:

Jewish Farm School Launches College Accredited Experiential Learning

The Jewish Farm School and Hebrew College are partnering to offer you a weeklong, intensive course exploring the intersection of Judaism, agriculture and contemporary food justice. In this week-long, service learning experience, participants will explore the relationship between Judaism, agriculture and contemporary food justice issues. This unique seminar will include farm work, text study and meetings with activists, community leaders, and business people. On the farm, you will gain hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture techniques such as planting, harvesting and soil building. In the bet midrash (study hall), you will explore a ...

Take an online, college-accredited course on Judaism and the environment!

Introducing an online, college-accredited course on Judaism and the environment! The course, ‘A Jewish Perspective on Environmental Sustainability,’ relates to contemporary environmental issues from the lens of Jewish teachings. The units covered include the Garden of Eden and a stewardship paradigm; Jewish sources on agriculture and globalized food production today; and the Torah’s injunction not to waste in regards to food and energy waste in modern society. The course is being offered by the New York-based Theological Research Institute, and has been accredited by the national PONSI accreditation agency in New ...

Jewish Urban Farming Internship

Urban Adamah, based in Berkeley, CA, is a three-month intensive residential leadership training program for young adults ages 20-29, that integrates urban organic farming, social justice work and progressive Jewish living and learning. Twelve Urban Adamah Fellows are selected each season to operate an organic farm and educational center, intern with community organizations addressing issues at the intersection of poverty, food security and environmental stewardship, and learn an approach to Jewish tradition that opens the heart and builds joyful community. Applicants do not need any farming for Jewish knowledge to participate. Fellows come from a ...

Results of Jewcology Leadership Trainings

“I enjoyed it very much and found the narrative format very powerful and the process even therapeutic.” - Jewcology Leadership Training Participant “…I felt empowered to tell my story… and I felt the intense writing sessions forced me to focus in on the most important aspects of my story. I fully intend to use what I've learned in ‘the real world’!” - Jewcology Leadership Training Participant “It taught me to articulate my motivations, and the importance of doing so to engage others in change.” - Jewcology Leadership Training Participant With the support of the ...

What is Public Narrative?

Although I have participated in all three of the Jewcology Public Narrative trainings, I still struggle to succinctly describe the experience (don’t tell). So I did what all good folks do in this day and age, I googled it. Marshall Ganz, Professor at the Kennedy School, long time organizer, has this to say in his course outline where he teaches the tenants of it: The questions of what am I called to do, what my community is called to do, and what we are called to do now are at least as old as Moses’ conversation with God at the burning bush. Why me? asks Moses, when called to free his people. And, who – or what - is ...

Baby steps…

As a participant in the recent Jewcology Public Narrative Training—surrounded by a collection of eloquent and accomplished Jewish environmental/ social justice activists—I couldn’t help but recall the classic “sailing” scene in the delightfully goofy 1991 Bill Murray comedy “What About Bob?” For those of you who haven’t seen the film, Murray plays Bob Wiley—a man so overcome by obsessive-compulsive fear and anxiety that he can hardly make it through his morning hygiene ritual, let alone face the world outside his front door. At a certain point in the movie, Bob is offered the opportunity to ...

Reflections on the Jewcology Leadership Training

One of the major things that struck me during my time at the Jewcology Leadership Training in Public Narrative, that felt powerful and resonant, was the fact that several trainers and participants cried (heck, maybe we all did!) at different points in either listening to others’ stories or telling their own story, and that it felt completely natural and unsurprising. I felt like everyone who attended the training was feeling the catharsis of telling about our frustration and our emotional discomfort with mainstream acceptance of environmental degradation. Many of us shared the feelings that were being relayed in these stories- the moments in ...

Leadership Training #3

Thanks to everyone who participated in the third Jewcology Leadership Training, which took place on August 21 at UC-Davis, a bonus day to the Hazon Food Conference. Fourteen participants learned to tell their own stories, the story of their communities, and stories to motivate action now. We learned how to inspire and motivate others with stories, and to overcome our own fears and burnout by finding continual inspiration from our passion and purpose. More details about the training results will be coming soon, but in the meanwhile we wanted to share some photos from the training. Congratulations to all who participated! To see the ...

Emerging Leaders Project

The Emerging Religious Leaders Sustainability Project brings together Muslim, Christian, and Jewish seminary students from Israel and the West Bank for a series of ten interactive seminars on human coexistence and environmental sustainability. The seminars, spread out over six months and centered in Jerusalem, will focus on how we live on the land (environmental sustainability) and how we live together (human sustainability). The seminars will incorporate sources of profound wisdom and teaching concerning harmony and balance with nature that have arisen in several religions across space and time. Five of the sessions will include experiential, ...

Jewish Eco Seminars

* Jewish Eco Seminars engages and educates the Jewish community through inspiring programs linking Israel, the environment, and Jewish values. * In Israel, we provide experiential, guided programs in English, Spanish, and Hebrew on a range of subjects and places for groups, couples and individuals. * In North America, we deliver dynamic talks, classes, and activities on Israel-focused Jewish environmental topics to a range of Jewish institutions. * We also offer free distance learning classes on Jewish environmental teachings through an online platform.

The Arava Institute is offering two $1000 scholarships for fall 2011 semester

www. a r a v a . o r g The Arava Institute is offering two $1000 scholarships for fall 2011 semester. Suitable candidates must Be North American Be accepted to the Fall 2011 semester.  Be able to demonstrate leadership accomplishments.  Have a passion for environmental issues. As part of the application process to the Arava Institute you are required to provide two letters of recommendation and a personal essay. To apply for the grant: 1. One of your letters of recommendation must address your leadership skills and accomplishments. 2. Your personal admission essay should highligh...

What’s the Story?

How do you motivate people? In the Jewish-environmental movement, it seems that we share fact after fact about the environmental challenges we face, and list after list of things that people can do to make a difference. We’ve also gotten good at telling people what Jewish values should motivate them, and bringing them outdoors to grow food or see the beauty of nature. While we’ve made some headway as a movement, we certainly have not mastered environmental motivation in the Jewish community. The key to understanding motivation is that it comes from the heart, not from the head. We touch people at the level of values ...

Leadership Training at Hazon Food Conference, August 21

Are you educating the Jewish community about protecting the environment? Have you faced challenges with: motivating people into action? inspiring Jews who don’t have the same values as you? or moving a community into activism and shared commitment? Jewcology is partnering with educators from Harvard University on a new leadership training intended to address these specific issues, in order to empower Jews who are seeking to educate Jewish communities about the importance of protecting the environment. Date: Sunday August 21 Time: 10:30am-6:30pm Location: UC-Davis (University of California) Cost: $60 This leadership ...