Organizing Group (OG)

The Organizing Group (OG) is open to youth ages 14-18 in the Bay Area who are excited to connect around community care, social action, and Jewish social justice values. We do this by focusing on building relationships within the group, discussing the connections between Judaism and social justice, creating opportunities to learn more about yourself and how your experiences and identities play into your activist interests and leadership style, and engaging in social action projects together with clarity and confidence. Applications for OG are now closed.

In our 2023-2024 cohort, OG participants will:

  • Attend 8 workshops from September through March held once a month on Sunday afternoons in Berkeley from 2:00-5:00pm

    • The workshops are facilitated by current JYCA youth who have already been in the program for at least a year

    • Workshop topics are decided upon by youth in OG at the beginning of the year and are developed by youth facilitators with staff support. Our youth facilitators then lead the workshop for OG or invite guest speakers to share their expertise. Previous topics have included: 

      • Active Listening & Storytelling

      • Coolness & Vulnerability

      • Gender Oppression & Expression

      • Protest Safety

      • Community Care & Decolonized Self Care

      • Privilege & Positionality

      • Houselessness

      • Transformative Justice

      • Reproductive Justice & Abortion Access

      • Adultism & Youth Empowerment

    • Each workshop includes check-ins, games, time to connect with each other, and various activities that help us go deeper into the workshop topic using tools like storytelling, art, movement, and discussions. We really like to change things up throughout the workshop to keep things interesting, from pair shares or small group discussions, to moving around the room or moving to different rooms, to imagining or creating

  • Bond with all youth during two weekend retreats (in late September and mid March) in nature-filled spots around the Bay Area

  • Participate in two community action projects organized by our youth-led JYCA Action Committee (JAC)

  • Meet amazing people and build a fun, supportive, and inclusive community!

  • Have access to extra support through one-on-ones with youth facilitators and staff

We also invite youth who identify as Jews of Color, Sephardic, and Mizrahi (JOCSM) to consider joining our JAM (Jews Against Marginalization) program. JAM is a FREE affinity space for JOCSM youth to explore and celebrate their intersectional identities while building community. JAM enrollment is open on a rolling basis and you do not have to be enrolled in OG to join - though currently all of our JAM youth are also involved in OG! If you’re interested in joining JAM, there’s more information in the above application form or you can reach out to info@jycajustice.org!

Got questions? See the FAQ.
JYCA youth often continue participating in OG each year that they are in high school.