Don't miss Mikva Challenge IL’s 2021 Virtual Spring Benefit! - Mikva Challenge

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Don’t miss Mikva Challenge IL’s 2021 Virtual Spring Benefit!

May 10, 2021

Last week, the Neighborhood Leadership Initiative kicked off Spring council sessions for the North Lawndale, New City/Back of the Yards, and Gage Park Councils and gathered to close out on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Council members discussed leadership, youth voice, challenges they face as youth leaders, and forming a consensus on a what a supportive youth-led space can look like.

The North Lawndale Council had a rich conversation around confidence and the importance of self-love when it comes to future planning. New City/BOTY Council members discussed with each other the challenges they are facing with in-person learning and the importance of speaking up, even when you don't feel listened to. Lastly, the Gage Park Council shared with each other the importance of building community and "feeling like a family" while also sharing their expertise in navigating school systems in an ongoing pandemic.

Remaking Middle School is an organization that re-envisions the middle school years as positive and transformative educational experiences for all young adults. Mikva students in our Neighborhood Leadership Initiative program had an opportunity to speak on the podcast* about the importance of youth voice as it relates to their lived experience in their communities.

*Sound on to hear clips.

It’s still Project Soapbox season. Thus far we’ve hosted Project Soapbox in 3 states including Illinois, D.C., and California. Tomorrow, youth voice will be lifted in New York. We look forward to sharing highlights with you all.