Come inside the ‘Activist’s Studio’ this Sunday

I have often told myself that I want to change the world - and yet I'm not sure how to do so. My intentions are good. But my actions? Um, does reading and writing about activists count?

If you've ever felt the disparity between your aspirations and your actions, come to Sunday's Inside the Activists' Studio. The event, organized by American Jewish World Service-AVODAH and Progressive Jewish Alliance, promises to be compelling, entertaining, provocative and useful for all you hopefuly change-makers out there.

Inside the Activists' Studio was started in 2007. Then, it was a small operation that met in the Women's Building. IAS has since been polished and expanded to a larger venue in San Francisco, and has even grown beyond the Bay Area, with programs in New York and Washington, D.C.

"It really embodied the purpose of our organization — which is to create community and inspire people to sustain a sense of social change from a Jewish foundation," said Jocelyn Berger, the Bay Area Program Officer for the AJWS-AVODAH Partnership.

She added that she hopes that "people come out of this event with ideas for how to craft a life path that sustains work in the social change arena."

I hope I do, too.

So, you want the details?

Inside the Activists' Studio begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco with a panel discussion moderated by Michael Krasny, host of "Forum" on KQED Radio. Panelists will convene at 3 p.m. and include:

• Caitlin Sislin, advocacy director at the Women's Earth Alliance
• Daniel Kaufman, president of the One Percent Foundation
• Erin Potts, executive director of Air Traffic Control
• Jon Gilgoff, founding director of Brothers on the Rise

The panelelists will answer questions such as: What inspires you? What sustains your work? How does that work relate to your Jewish identity?

After the panel, Josh Healey, a Jewish poet and activist, will share with the audience a spoken word performance. And then — the main event! Skills-share workshops (This is the really useful part.) Workshops are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. Attendees can choose only one from the following options:

• Art is a Hammer: Spoken Word, Storytelling, and Social Change — with Josh Healey
• From the Farm to Your Plate: Jewish Perspectives on Food and Justice — with Sarah Leiber Church of PJA and Rabbi Dorothy Richman of Berkeley Hillel
• Making Change Happen: Moving from Ideal to Real — with Toby Rubin of UpStart Bay Area
• Toward Collective Liberation: Faith Based Organizing and Supporting LGBTQ Communities — with a Jew, Unitarian and a Baptist
• Unifying the Spheres: Social Change and Spiritual Transformation — with Josh Weisman and Eryn Kalish

There will also be a "wildcard" workshop selected from community proposals. A little birdie told me that one might focus on privilege and power in social justice work. Juicy.

And stick around after. You'll get dinner. And good, activist company.

The event is co-sponsored by: Bay Area Tribe, Birthright Israel NEXT, Contemporary Jewish Museum, EcoJews of the Bay, Hazon, The Hub at JCCSF, Jewschool, LGBT Alliance, Moishe House, New Generations of the New Israel Fund, UpStart Bay Area, Young Adult Division of the Jewish Community Federation and Zeek. Co-sponsored by: Bay Area Tribe, Birthright Israel NEXT Bay Area, Contemporary Jewish Museum, EcoJews of the Bay, Hazon, The Hub at JCCSF, Jewschool, LGBT Alliance, Moishe House, New Generations of the New Israel Fund, UpStart Bay Area, the Young Adults Division of the SFJCF, and Zeek.

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