GOA Leaders Enact Climate Activism Series

By Hannah Weisz ‘24​
Earlier this semester, GOA’s Climate Activism Club participated in a series of training sessions with other chapters (called kvutzot) of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM), as part of a national Climate Activism Series. At these training sessions, members learned about the science and policy of climate change, its intersection with social justice and the basics of safe, effective activism.

JYCM was created for and by Jewish teens, one of those being Golda Och sophomore Shayne Cytrynbaum, president of the Climate Activism Club and national Policy Director for the movement. 
“I first joined JYCM in the spring of 2021,” said Cytrynbaum. “I had been looking for a climate activist organization for a while that was small enough that I could really make an impact myself, but at the same time was still [making progress], and that also would welcome my Jewishness and JYCM fit all the factors… a year later I applied and got in as the Policy Director on the Executive Board.”
    Another trainer at this year’s Climate Activism Series was Rivka Schafer, a senior at the Idea School in Tenafly.
    “I started attending JYCM programming in tenth grade and was so inspired by what I learned that I applied to be on the Leadership Board for the next year,” Schafer said. “Now I am finally able to change the world for the better.”
    Both students used their years of experience with JYCM to create the program, sharing their skills with other Jewish teens interested in climate activism.
    “We first started planning the Climate Activism Series at our annual Leadership Board retreat back in August in Maryland,” explained Cytrynbaum. “Our initial ideas for what the climate activism series was going to be were very different from how it ended up… some of the teen-led training already existed as part of our repertoire, while others we made from scratch.”
    Cytrynbaum holds a special leadership role, being both a representative of our school and an administrator in JYCM.
“I also served as a campaign captain for this part of our annual campaign centered around this Climate Activism Series, so a lot of planning also went into how the event would be run from a logistical standpoint: dates, the schedule, how to make it a hybrid sort of event, what would participants have to bring, and so on,” he said.
Cytrynbaum’s efforts resulted in a day of nation-wide learning and preparation for Jewish teens to become active contributors to the movement for climate justice.
Former president of the Climate Activism Club and senior Daniel Shapiro said regarding his experience with the programming, “This training series gave me good ideas to add to my own organization’s trainings. It was well constructed, informative and the trainers’ enthusiasm was plain to see.”
    Oren Goldman, a member of the Climate Activism Club, was a first-time attendee of this year’s Climate Activism Series.
“I loved attending the Climate Activism Series,” Goldman said. “All of the teaching sessions were meaningful and presented in an engaging and professional manner. The training made me feel more prepared for climate action in the future.”
Schafer commented on their experience as a trainer saying that it “showed me how eager everyone was to learn more about climate activism…I was so impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication of the attendees. It gave me hope to see that so many people were dedicated to saving the world.”
As JYCM plans for the future, its schedule is packed. Any Jewish teen, whether part of an affiliated Kvutzah or not, is always welcome to join their events.
    “Running around the same time as the Climate Activism Series, we also had a Tu B’Shvat Seder in New York City, a Day of Education and Action in Colorado… and also leading a big part of BBYO’s (B'nai Brit Youth Organization) international conference,” Cytrynbaum said. “But what I am most excited for coming up is the third part of our annual campaign, which we are calling the Alim Campaign… all of our Kvutzot (chapters) organize an action in their own communities centered around climate justice,” he continued. “The point is that they take what they learned throughout this entire campaign and this Climate Activism Series, and put it to work by organizing an action in their own community.”
Another JYCM event that Schafer also recommended was the JYCM-USY Climate Activism Shabbaton, which ran on February 24-26. “This retreat is open to everyone who is passionate about climate change and it is going to be an amazing weekend for learning about activism, making connections with other teens, and having fun!”