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1. Spotlighting the first-ever District Councils

JCUA is partnering with 30 organizations across Chicago and Illinois to spread the word about District Council elections on February 28! Earlier this week, we co-hosted a special panel event with the Promote the Vote coalition, where Director of Antiracism & Equity Jackie Baldwin helped lead an informative teach-in about how we arrived at this historic moment for police accountability and what District Councils will bring Chicago. You can watch the full event!

2. JCUA teen organizers come together!

JCUA’s teen organizers came together last weekend for our annual Shabbaton retreat. Participants in the Or Tzedek Teen Internship and Youth Organizing Caucus built community, strategized on how to continue strengthening youth power at JCUA, and participated in a campaign selection process to decide where to put youth energy for the rest of this academic year. Together, youth organizers decided to join the Immigration Committee’s work to pass the 2023 ICIRR platform!

3. Evanston CVP project makes progress

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Evanston’s Margarita Inn has provided necessary housing to individuals experiencing homelessness. Now with the signing of a Good Neighbor Agreement, the facility run by our Community Ventures Program (CVP) partner Connections for the Homeless is one step closer to becoming a permanent fixture in the community.

“What you have done here, in partnership with the neighborhood, is to create an infrastructure around the Margarita Inn that will ensure things go better for everyone, for the neighbors and the residents, not to mention the works of Connections, for a long time to come,” said Evanston mayor Daniel Biss.

The agreement will be voted on in City Council on February 27. If you are an Evanston resident, show your support for the Margarita Inn by sending a letter of support.