Registration is open for our 2021 course offering! You can learn more below and register here.
The course runs from February 28 – April 17.
About Don’t Kvetch, Organize!
In January 2020, we will be offering our seven week online course, Don’t Kvetch, Organize! Guided by experienced trainers and instructors, we will examine different ways that community organizing has been used to build a more just world for all and how our Jewish tradition and history inform our own commitments and approaches to acting for justice.
We are particularly excited because this Winter, we will host our third cohort for Jews of Color in the course. This cohort will learn together how community organizing skills and frameworks can support their Jewish and justice work. The course also provides a platform to engage with other Jews of Color across the country who are working for social justice, while building relationships with each other through participating in the course together.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn from Expert Trainers including many leading organizers, scholars, and cutting edge professionals such as:
- Yavilah McCoy: Yavilah McCoy is the CEO and Executive Director of Dimensions, which is a women and Jewish People of Color led nonprofit that provides training and consultancy in diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Marshall Ganz: social movement legend, world-renowned thought leader, Harvard educator
- Dove Kent: former Executive Director of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) in New York, now works as Senior Strategy Officer at Bend the Arc.
- Rabbi Jonah Pesner: Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
- Heather Booth: nationally recognized and long-time civil rights organizer
- Ruth Messinger: former president of the American Jewish World Service, currently serving as their Global Ambassador
The cohort meetings… felt really empowering. I’ve never been in a JOC space before, let alone a JOC organizing space. My fellow cohort members are wonderful… I feel very grateful for this space!
This was hugely helpful … and I’m very much looking forward to continuing this work into the future.
I have learned to be patient with the long process, have small achievable goals along the way and make changes to the plan without letting my mistakes get me down.
See more of what our past participants are saying here!
By participating in the Jews of Color Cohort you will gain:
- A community of peers who also identify as Jews of Color that share language and knowledge to support your work tackling issues you care about, even after the course!
- A natural and powerful connection between your Jewish identity and your commitment to acting for justice;
- Stories that give a behind the scenes look at different organizing efforts, both iconic and lesser known;
- An understanding of one community organizing model and how it can be used in a practical way to effectively address issues, big and small;
- An analysis of widening economic disparity, and insight into how to work across lines of race and other identities;
- A fast track introduction to Social Justice Organizing and access to network of Social Justice professionals;
THE BASICS | The course will:
- Run for seven weeks, including a vacation week in the middle of the course. The course will open on January 26, 2020 and run until March 18, 2020.
- Be taught by experienced trainers and visionary Jewish leaders;
- Be offered to 150 people around the world including at least one group of 15-25 Jews of Color
- Include weekly online training videos that students can watch on their own schedule;
- Include three virtual group meetings (scheduled based on your availability), led by Course Instructors, where students can build relationships with one another, reflect together on what they’re learning, and push their learning further;
- Include a workload of about 3 hours of coursework total per week.
- Will be accessible to most screen readers, and all pre-recorded materials will be closed captioned (and closed captioning is available upon request for webinars). For more information to make sure this course will be accessible to you, please email dontkvetch@joinforjustice.org.
“One key message that I am taking away from this course is the idea that Judaism is a radical tradition. That themes of justice and equity are embedded throughout Jewish tradition. Woven into even the most mainstream of rituals (like Shabbat, for example). Before this class, I felt like I had a few explicit connection points between Judaism and my social justice values. Now I feel like the whole of Jewish tradition is a connection. I am excited to continue to wake up to the radical potential in everyday Judaism–drawing upon it as I continue my work.”
You can see more information about the course syllabus here.
Who is the Jews of Color cohort meant for?
- Jews of Color who want to build relationships with other JOCs across the country
- Anyone who identifies as a person of color and either identifies as Jewish or has a connection and interest in exploring community organizing through a Jewish lens. Non-Jewish people of color who enroll in Don’t Kvetch, Organize! will be invited to join the Jews of Color cohort.
Who is the course meant for?
- People who want to learn how they can have a meaningful impact on issues that impact them and people they care about
- People who want to explore how Judaism or their Jewish identity can strengthen and be strengthened by their commitment to having a meaningful impact
- People who have been doing social justice work but feel like they’re not getting very far and wonder if there is a way to be more effective
- People who want to meet and spend time with like-minded folks who share experiences and interests
- People who are interested in connecting with other people of color from across the country
Cost:
- The course is being offered on a sliding scale $125 – $345 based on income.
- Register with a friend and you both will receive a $50 recruitment discount
- A limited number of partial scholarships are available for those who need additional support. Requests received before November 22, 2019 will prioritized. Request a partial scholarship at http://bit.ly/scholarshipDKO
Early registration is available through Friday, November 22. The final deadline to register is December 15.
For more information, contact Rachel Brown at dontkvetch@joinforjustice.org or by phone at 617.459.4731.
