Advocacy in Action: Responding to Domestic Violence from Multiple Perspectives

From the archives: NYJL volunteers stood with advocates and survivors of domestic violence at the 2016 Shine the Light Rally in front of the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Federal Building in Harlem.

On Monday, December 7, NYJL’s Advocates for Public Policy welcomed elected officials and community partners to NYJL’s annual (virtual) Legislative Breakfast and introduced the organization’s 2020–2021 advocacy agenda focusing on mental health, food insecurity and domestic violence. This event specifically highlighted how COVID-19 has exacerbated the public health crisis of domestic violence and explored ways to partner in this critical work to end gender-based and intimate partner violence. (more…)

NYJL volunteer shares her experience serving on a nonprofit junior board

Interview between Kaitlyn Krouse, NET Committee and Haley Mitchell, PIP Committee and Learn Fresh Junior Board Member

 

If you are interested in learning more about nonprofit board service please sign up to attend the next NET NonProfit Mixer on Tuesday, December 8,  from 7:00–9:00 p.m.

Haley Mitchell is originally from Powder Springs, GA, and currently resides in Astoria, Queens. She is a Field Clinical Engineer at Abbott Laboratories and considers her hobbies to be volunteering, watching reality TV, hiking, and exploring NYC Parks. After joining the NYJL a year ago, Haley volunteers for NYJL’s Playground Improvement Project and serves the Junior Board of Learn Fresh.

Kaitlyn spoke with Haley about the process she went through to apply and become accepted to join a Junior Board, the positive impact she and her peers are making on the board’s overall mission, and her advice for any NYJL members looking to go down a similar path.

When you attended the Nonprofit Education and Training (NET) Committee’s Non-Profit Mixer, did have a plan about the nonprofits you wanted to meet with?

One of my life goals is to serve on the board of a nonprofit organization, so I was super excited when I found out that NET was hosting a mixer! I didn’t go into the mixer with a list of organizations to talk to; however, given that I am in an early stage in my career with limited volunteer leadership experience, I specifically focused my time on organizations that were recruiting for a junior board. My main goal was to find a nonprofit where I felt that my participation on the junior board would have a tangible impact on the organization and help to develop my skills and capabilities as a leader and volunteer. I also wanted to make sure that the work each nonprofit is doing aligned with my passions so I kept an open mind and talked to as many organizations who were recruiting for a junior board as I could.

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Offering a “New View” online

After the recent installation of Internet access at Good Shepherd Services’ facilities, NYJL’s virtual workshops present a ‘New View’ for youth clients.

When the pandemic suddenly disrupted daily life and required everyone to limit physical contact, technology immediately became a necessary resource–to continue education programs, maintain employment, apply for unemployment assistance, attend doctor’s visits without leaving home, and stay connected to family and friends. The New York Junior League (NYJL), like it has done so many times before in its 120-year history, quickly mobilized to respond to our community partners’ evolving needs–among them, access to technology.

NYJL’s New View committee consulted community partner Good Shepherd Services—which meets children, youth, and families where they are to “create opportunities [for success] at school, at home, and in their community”—and asked the simple question, “What do you need, and how can we help?”

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NYJL and advocates urge the NYC mayor to prioritize educational needs of students experiencing homelessness in school reopening plans

On August 4, 2020, the New York Junior League joined Advocates for Children of New York and other organizations in New York City to send a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio asking that he prioritize the educational needs of students who are homeless, as part of the city’s plans for reopening schools this fall. We urge the educational leaders to offer students who are homeless full-time, in-person instruction or, at a minimum, ensure they have a space conducive to learning where they can access remote instruction and adult support on days when they cannot be in school, and to provide transportation to school as legally required. (more…)

Statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion from the NYJL Board of Directors

We recognize the heartbreaking and devastating effects of racism and inequity that are playing out in our City and country. For the past 120 years, New York Junior League (NYJL) volunteers have been community builders. At no other time in our history has this been more critical. We stand together with our NYC community, and in particular with the Black community, against exclusion, bias, structural and systemic racism and prejudice in all forms. Together, we find power and joy in working collaboratively to ensure that the Junior League of the City of New York is a place of ethical stance and substance, a place in which all members cultivate personal integrity in service to the collective values of respect and trust. The brutal events of the last several days have reinforced the importance of this, now more than ever. We will remember the names George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others who have lost their lives to violence or who have been threatened as a result of structural and systemic racism.

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