Several of our teen leaders who participated in the fall semester Panim el Panim course at BETC are joining with other teens of YMORE (Youth of Massachusetts Organizing for a Reformed Economy). Guiding the teens' efforts is Beth Reisfeld, a community organizer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston (JCRC), another GBIO member organization.
Jesse Weiss, a senior at Arlington High School, writes:
Teens at Beth El have been busy this fall - busier than we expected. In addition to SAT prep, college applications and insane amounts of homework, many of us have been involving ourselves with YMORE, (Youth of Massachusetts Organizing for a Reformed Economy) a youth/community organizing group. Beginning as a post-confirmation module taught by Beth Reisfeld, Rachel Spekman, and Candice Wesson, the 11th and 12th graders learned about organizing techniques and theory, and has culminated into Beth El teens becoming an integral part of the YMORE conglomerate.
For the past 3 months, all of YMORE has been conducting “house meetings” to gather information about what issues affect teens the most today. At Beth El, we held house meetings with the 9th and 10th grade confirmation classes, and relayed our research to YMORE. After a month of preparation, YMORE rounded up nearly 150 teens from the Greater Boston area to an event held in Jamaica Plain to celebrate the end of our “listening campaign” on MLK Day. On Sunday, 2/13, YMORE will meet to do some more research, and finalize what our next campaign will be.
YMORE’s first campaign was for youth jobs, and minimizing the number of “at-risk” youth in Boston. After hard campaigning, YMORE secured $8 million for youth jobs, and held a strong presence at the GBIO’s Gubernatorial Action associated with the “Move-Our-Money” campaign this past fall. YMORE proved itself this year as a strong organization that can make real change for Greater Boston youth. Surprisingly to some, but not remarkably, YMORE is a group of teens - not adults - and we aim to give a political voice to the youth of Massachusetts.
Ariel Morton, a junior at Arlington High School, writes about a YMORE gathering on January 17th, which drew teens from greater Boston -- teens of different neighborhoods, schools, races, classes -- to get together, meet one another, learn about organizing, and figure out how they can have a real impact in their communities:
On the afternoon of MLK day, approximately 200 teens gathered in Jamaica Plain for the cause of social justice. The teens of YMORE, a group comprised of young adults from all over Greater Boston were taking their NEXT STEP. Having completed a listening campaign to find out what issues matter to Boston teens, YMORE is now researching ways to address the issues we have agreed on, all centered on the stresses and problems of what is expected of us, and the ignorance many of us face every day. As we discussed these issues, it was easy to find common ground. I’m looking forward to YMORE’s continued efforts to make a difference. I encourage all who can to get involved.
For more information about BETC teen participation with YMORE,
contact Jesse Weiss
Beth Reisfeld can be reached at
