Over 60 Volunteers Attend New Inclusion Training

Recently, over 60 JLGB volunteers took part in newly developed inclusion training, funded by the Judith Trust, in order to further accomodate young people with different needs. The training was run by education consultant Jo Richler and covered various disabilities and how JLGB can make all our programming more accessible.This is just the first step of many in how JLGB can become an even more inclusive organisation in everything that it provides. Whether it be camps, weekly groups, award progrmmes or anything else then JLGB believes that there should be no limitations to who is able to access our programmes.

The Judith Trust chose JLGB to take on the next phase of their Inclusion Campaign, and are funding the project for the next two years. By passing the baton on to JLGB, the Judith Trust hopes that even more Jewish young people with individual needs, as well as the youth leaders and community professionals who support them, have the toolkits they need to reach their potential by making youth social action more accessible, inclusive and empowering for all.

The Judith Trust began its Inclusion Campaign in 2011, and has been working cross-communally throughout the Jewish community to promote the inclusion of people with learning disabilities and/or mental ill-health into Jewish community life. In parallel, the JLGB have been running accessible and inclusive activities for young people with physical and learning difficulties across its network, most notably through its adapted kosher Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition provision.

This collaboration is the perfect synergy to empower Jewish young women and men of all abilities to take part in youth activities, volunteering, leadership and social action opportunities throughout our community, whilst ensuring that their individual inclusion needs can be met.

In the coming years, JLGB will engage an estimated 15,000 Jewish young people through it’s ‘evolve – youth volunteering and skills initiative’, which is a unique collective impact project and game changer for youth social action across the Jewish community. The backbone of evolve is a digital platform, funded by the Wohl Foundation, which matches, records and rewards young people’s volunteering through national awards and accreditation.

Through evolve, JLGB are already on course to work with over 300 charities to create faith-based and culturally sensitive volunteering opportunities, and now through this campaign will broaden accessibility even further with an inclusion kitemark for evolve charities whose opportunities are adaptable for young people with individual needs.

All synagogues, youth groups, community centres and charities are invited to get involved with the next exciting steps of the campaign and plans are already underway to offer inclusion workshops for all stakeholders, including parents. To find out more please email empower@jlgb.org or call 020 8989 8990.