Social Justice Deep Dive

The heart of Tivnu’s experiential, participatory program is our sequence of learning opportunities with leading educators, activists, rabbis, and college professors. The goal? To understand social justice work — the kind of work Tivnu participants do all week long – from Jewish, local, and global perspectives. We want to look straight at the challenges facing our world, and steer straight toward solutions.

The challenges Americans face have deep roots in the make-up of our country. For solutions, we will have to dig even deeper. We’ll address questions like:

• What can we learn about participatory democracy from folks in a homeless encampment?
• How does an LGBTQ lens help us understand youth homelessness?
• How do Jewish roots in the labor movement affect fair labor practices today?
• How do we expand environmentalism by considering environmental justice?
• What does Maimonides teach us about affordable housing?

Your deeper engagement will take you out into the world, too, where you will:

• Tour homeless villages, maker spaces, and re-building sites
• Meet with high school-aged children of farmworker union activists
• Delve into economics from the perspectives of both privilege and poverty
• Investigate Jewish immigrant history, and the impact of urban renewal on Portland neighborhoods
• Dive deep into Jewish texts on nature and society, activism and justice
• Study with Professor of Urban Studies Naomi Adiv, bestselling author William Deresiewicz, director of Portland Jobs with Justice Will Layng, engaging rabbis Rachel Joseph and Benjamin Barnett, theater pioneers Dr. Elliot Leffler and Sacha Reich, and president of the Oregon Farmworkers’ Union Jaime Arredondo.
• And a dozen more amazing educators who make the Tivnu: Building Justice program an incredible opportunity for hands-on tikkun olam – repairing our broken world.

Please note: Tivnu is working with an academic partner to grant college credits through our program. Check back with us for more details and the latest developments.

Featured Gap Year Participant