NCJW LIFTS
We will do another LIFTS Cohort in 2023. Below are the details from our first-ever completed Cohort.
NCJW LIFTS: Leaders Impacting the Future Together Series
When women lead, change follows. NCJW has been leading the way for over 125 years. But it is not enough to lead unless we also lift – lift up other voices and lift up the next generation. NCJW LIFTS brings together an annual cohort of 8-10 advocates who seek professional growth, relationship-building opportunities, and a higher level of involvement with NCJW and the progressive community. ** You do not need to be currently involved with NCJW to apply! The 2022 cohort will begin in early January and will meet every 3-4 weeks until early June.
Please note that the order of the sessions may change but the dates will remain the same.
Session 1: Telling Your Story: Communication Strategies (January 13, 2022)
Discover effective communication techniques for women in leadership. Learn how to communicate with a wide range of audiences overcoming stereotypes, biases and misconceptions
Session 2: Value Driven Leadership (February 3, 2022)
We will identify the personal values that can drive your leadership presence and impact your decision making. Everyone has different roles to play in organizational work – we will discuss your strengths and how to lean into them to help inspire and support others.
Session 3: Inside NCJW and Progressive Changemaking (February 24, 2022)
Gain a deeper understanding of NCJW both locally and nationally – Its history, accomplishments, current programs and issues. Think about how projects and programs add value to NCJW and the community and brainstorm a project for the cohort to work on as a group.
Session 4: Issue to Action (March 17, 2022)
How do you go from talking about an issue to taking action? Learn how to take an issue and develop ways to advocate and provide service. Take the issue from session 3 and make a plan to create meaningful change in the community.
Session 5: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (April 7, 2022)
Together we will explore an introduction to racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will develop a shared language, unpack our own privileged and oppressed identities, and learn practices for anti-racist leadership. While this work will take a lifetime, this session will prepare leaders with the tools for reflection and action to set a foundation for leadership centered in anti-racism and equity.
Session 6: Leadership Roundtable (April 28, 2022)
Connect with strong women leaders from the Chicagoland area as you learn the tools and techniques that they employ as they create meaningful change in the community.
Session 7: Advocacy in Action: NCJW Washington Institute (May 16, 2022)
Participate in NCJW Washington Institute 2022 either in-person or virtually. At this premier three-day conference, you’ll build connections with NCJW leaders and advocates from across the country, hear from lawmakers and powerful speakers on the frontlines of making change happen, strengthen your skills, and have the opportunity to meet with your elected officials. Washington Institute is a highlight of the NCJW experience, providing opportunities for education, advocacy, and community-building. We are pleased to offer our NCJW LIFTS cohort the chance to participate.
Session 8: Work/Life Balance and NCJW LIFTS Graduation (June 9, 2022)
Before you graduate from the NCJW LIFTS inaugural cohort, learn about achieving balance in your own life and identify ways you can become an NCJW leader.
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) exists to create a space where women* can come together to transform our world. We work to improve the lives and protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of our communities, building and acting in partnerships with those most directly affected by our work. Our approach is intentionally intersectional, and utilizes a variety of methods of social change, including education, advocacy, and community service—we know everything is connected.
NCJW has 200,000 advocates in all 50 states (and in Israel), and Chicago North Shore is one of 58 amazing sections forming the hub of our local, state and national activism. We are strong, powerful, progressive, Jewish women. We get things done. And we are changing the world.
*We use ‘women’ expansively to include anyone who identifies with this term, which may include cis women, trans women, and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary folks.