NYJL’s Volunteer Education and Training (VET) program builds on volunteers’ skills through hands-on workshops, expert panels, committee assignments, and leadership positions that focus on timely community issues and practical skills for managing a nonprofit organization. These trainings concentrate on four core areas important to NYJL volunteers’ work: community, fundraising, volunteer experience, and strategy and communications.

The VET program also addresses topics that uniquely impact women’s personal and professional lives, including mental and
physical health, time management, self care, and work/life balance.

Past VET sessions have focused on:

• Topics on diversity, equity, and inclusion: unconscious bias, compassionate conversations, stereotypes
• Women in politics
• Fundraising best practices
• Building confidence
• Difficult conversations
• Mindfulness
• Personal health tips during COVID
• Presentation skills
• Mental health advocacy and awareness
• Social media and brand management

NYJL’s VET program collaborates with community programs to host Community Issues Forums. These forums provide a foundational understanding and current view of the issues facing our city and community partners. Volunteers learn from the expert organizations on the frontlines about the most impactful ways to support underserved communities.

Previous forums have covered the following topics:

• How to be an advocate for domestic violence survivors
• Working with populations struggling with mental health challenges
• Pivoting during a pandemic
• Homelessness and food insecurity during the pandemic
• Taking action against racism