We hope that your delegation of teens that was planning to join us in D.C. this winter will join us virtually this year. This program will not be repetitive of L’Taken, so all teens in your community are encouraged to join: those who have not yet been on L’Taken as well as those who have previously attended.
The RAC Social Justice Academy will run three stand-alone units designed for grades 9-12 over the course of the 2020-2021/5781 academic year. Congregations/delegations can pick and choose which they will participate in.
Questions? Email Academy@RAC.org.
Unit 1: Civic Engagement
Essential questions:
- Why is the activism of young, emerging voters so crucial right now?
- What role do they have to play in our democracy?
- How does our Judaism call us to act in this moment?
Sessions:
- Session 1: 75 minutes
- Session 2: 75 minutes
- Session 3: optional, self-facilitated by congregation/delegation (w/ facilitation guide provided by RAC)
Unit 2: REDI
(Racial Equity, Diversity, Inclusion)
- Learn some basic understandings of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices
- Begin to examine how our identities inform the way we show up to various spaces, and in turn impact those we engage with
- Begin to understand the value of disrupting dominant culture with the goal of creating more explicit antiracist environments
- Gain practical resources and practices that we can incorporate throughout our communities
Sessions:
- Session 1: 90 minutes
- Session 2: 90 minutes
Unit 3: Action & Advocacy
Essential Questions
- Why should I be a Jewish voice for justice?
- How is my faith, moral voice an important voice in this moment?
- What is an issue and a systemic solution I can advocate for ?
- How can I take action?
Sessions:
- Session 1: 75 minutes - Judaism, Justice & Systemic Change
- Session 2: 75 minutes - What’s the problem? solution? Issue-based
- Session 3: 75 minutes - Taking Action Session 4: optional, self-facilitated by delegation (w/ facilitation guide provided by RAC)
- Optional Session: virtual lobbying (federal or state where applicable)
Rabbi David Saperstein Social Justice Scholars
The RAC is excited to announce a new opportunity for RAC Social Justice Academy participants: the Rabbi David Saperstein Social Justice Scholars. To be a Scholar, we require that students:
- Participate in and complete all three Social Justice Academy units (Students who register for all three units will automatically be enrolled in the Scholars program)
- Demonstrate active and engaged participation throughout the duration of the Academy
- Participate in a lobby visit, or other advocacy action upon completion of Unit three
Upon completion, Scholars will receive:
- A digital certificate of completion
- RAC Social Justice Academy stickers (swag!)
- An invitation to a bonus Zoom call with a special, celebrity guest!
- Suggested language about the program to use on a resume
- If our program meets your school’s Service Learning requirements, we are happy to provide 9.25 hours
FAQs
Q: Is there a program fee?
A: Yes, there is a suggested program fee for each unit (see above). We are using a pay-what-you-can model recognizing that for some this suggested fee is a barrier for participation and others may be able to contribute more to make this opportunity possible for others. During group registration, congregations/delegations can choose to cover the cost of their students’ fee. If you opt to cover student fees, you’ll need to let your families know that when they reach the payment page at registration they should opt to not pay as the congregation has already covered their fee. Congregations/groups that are choosing to cover their participants' fees are invited to also pay what they can.
Q: What ages can participate in the RAC Social Justice Academy?
A: We are designing the program for high school students, grade 9-12. You can choose to have your 8th grade students participate but please know the program is being designed with high school students in mind.
Q: Does an adult from my congregation/delegation need to participate along with my students?
A: Yes, this program is optimized as a delegation-based experience. For this reason, we are asking that at least one adult facilitator participate alongside their teens. Facilitators will have small roles during the sessions, often facilitating a small group discussion for their students (facilitation guide provided in advance). The RAC will also be providing delegation leaders an additional, optional session that facilitators can choose to run for their group as part of units 1 & 3 .
Q: How does registration for the Social Justice Academy work?
A: The Social Justice Academy registration is a two-part registration (much like L’Taken!) First, delegations will register using the Group Registration. Then, the family of each participating teen will do an individual registration. We also require one adult from the congregation/group to participate alongside the teens for each session. This does not need to be the same facilitator each time but anyone who plans to attend alongside their teens will also need to do an individual registration. More details about this process are below:
Congregations/Groups:
Please fill out the Social Justice Academy Group Registration form. This is where you will identify which Units (Civic Engagement, REDI, Action & Advocacy) and which Sections (Ex. Monday 7pm ET, Wednesday at 8:30pm ET) your congregation/group will participate in. After your group is registered, we’ll send follow-up details the contacts provided in the group registration form.
Student/Family Registration:
Each participating teen/family will need to do an individual registration via CampMinder. We will notify you once this registration is live and provide an email template so you can communicate the registration instructions to your family. The individual registration will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. We will provide detailed instructions once student registration is live so you know what to communicate to your families so they can register easily.
Chaperone Adult Registration:
We do require one adult to be on each session with your students. Each adult who might participate at any point alongside their teen delegation must register. Please have your chaperone(s) register using this link. There is no program fees for the adult chaperone facilitators.