Project: JewV’Nation Fellowship

Background: April Baskin is the original creator and visionary behind the inspiring and impactful JewV’Nation Fellowship. (JewV’Nation is pronounced “juvination” and is an English/Hebrew play on words, meaning “Jew and Nation.”) April stewarded the innovative fellowship’s development and advancement for it’s first three cohorts: National, Jews of Color, and LGBTQIA+. With each passing cohort, the applicant pool doubled in size and April and her team refined the program, using the best practices of design thinking. The URJ and April are invested in continuing to support these leaders as they continue to make their dreams real and impact their communities and the movements.

JewV’Nation Fellowship Overview: JewV’Nation is a leadership development program for visionary Jewish leaders across North America. The JewV’Nation Leadership Cohort is a nine-month fellowship supporting Reform Jewish leaders, age “18 to 118,” through professional development, networking opportunities, and project incubation to build the field of Jewish leaders in the Reform Movement and beyond.

More specifically, I designed the fellowship to include the following:

• Twice-monthly live online leadership seminars

• Cohort relationship building

• Individualized coaching with established Jewish leaders for mentorship and movement-building — connecting the rising cohort of leaders with existing LGBTQIA+ leaders in the field

• Two intensive in-person retreats to kick off and close the fellowship

• Fellows receive support and resources to designing and implementing impactful projects that advance Jewish diversity, inclusion, and equity

Meet the Fellows (…they’re amazing!)