Young Religious Leaders Project

Building a Movement:

The Young Religious Leaders Project at CLUE is a training program for leaders interested in the work of economic justice. The Project works with young adults, from local high schools, colleges, seminaries and rabbinical schools, as well as at large, to train them in the struggle to eradicate poverty in our community. Through concrete organizing projects, direct action, and shared vision our Young Religious Leaders learn first hand about the reality of the working poor and how they can help transform our society together. At any given time, the Project is engaged in a variety of activities including internships, community gatherings, public education, creative actions, and fellowship. To elarn more information, please contact Campus Organizer Steve Holt, coordinator of the Young Religoius Leaders Project at sholt@cluela.org or 213-481-3740 .

Our Myspace

www.myspace.com/youngleadersproject Check out our MySpace page for updates and other events.

Young Religious Leaders Actions

Every semester the young religious leaders at CLUE organize an action to support worker rights. The last action in the fall of 2006 took place in front of the Hilton hotel in Glendale. The young leaders organized an alternative Christmas party to protest the party that the city was holding inside the Glendale Hilton regardless of the workers request for them to boycott the hotel. The party started off with picketing in front of the hotel. It then moved onto the lawn outside the hotel where workers, organizers, clergy and young leaders enjoyed tamales and champurrado while a group of the young leaders performed a skit reinacting The Christmas Carol with Scrooge being the owner of the hotel. Other young leaders changes the lyrics of classic Christmas songs to depict the struggle of the workers. These carolers did a delegation to the management of the hotel to share the songs with them.

 

Internista Summer 2008 interns reflect on their summer of action and service:

Jacob Bertenthal
Jacob Bertenthal is yet another example of his family’s long standing commitment to justice, righteousness, and doing good works. He has in the past forgone birthday presents in favor of sponsorship for the Los Angeles AIDS Walk, contributed a greater percentage of his Bar Mitzvah gift money than is customary, and volunteered his time to work on Katrina relief in Mississippi and Louisiana (as well as cutting off his prided mane of golden hair to make wigs for children with cancer). Most recently he has interned with CLUE for his second summer, working on the CLEAN Carwash campaign and devising a multi-media doctrine for recruiting religious youth, while growing his hair out to donate again.

 

 

Candie ODell
Candie ODell and is a United Methodist seminarian at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. I am pursuing ordination as a Deacon to do social justice ministry within and outside the bounds of the church. I live in Southern California where I enjoy singing, playing the guitar, reading and social justice. I can usually be found on a picket-line or protest for a number of issues. Next year I will be completing a year long internship with Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) in Chicago which fights for full inclusion of LGBT people in the United Methodist Church.

Karen Calderon
I recently graduated from Occidental College where I majored in Diplomacy & World Affairs with an emphasis in Latin American politics. For my senior comprehensives, I made a documentary on the New Sanctuary Movement where I was able to blend my passion for filmmaking and politics. As a daughter of two Guatemalan immigrants (now citizens), I have always been interested in the topic of immigration. As a result of my documentary, I decided to intern at CLUE with the New Sanctuary Movement. This summer, I worked on fundraising events, immigration research and created legal humanitarian packets. After CLUE, I hope to pursue a career in journalism and immigration work.

Rev. Joseph Shore-Goss
Rev. Joseph Shore-Goss, I am a seminarian intern from Claremont School of Theology where I am completing a joint MDIV and MA in Pastoral Care and Counseling with a concentration in Chaplaincy. I was ordained a minister in the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in April, 2008. I legally married my life partner on July 20th who is also serving as clergy with the UFMCC. I come to CLUE seeking a way to unite my political activism and my spirituality in a more interfaith context.

Hal Steinberg
Hal Steinberg is a second year intern with CLUE-LA. He currently attends American University in Washington D.C. where he is two courses away from graduating with a B.A. in American Studies. Hal was born and raised in Los Angeles. Hal came to CLUE-LA last summer having worked throughout college in his campus Jewish community and interfaith community, organizing students around issues of peace and justice. At school Hal is also actively involved in the student-labor alliance on campus which supported American University shuttle bus drivers in their efforts to unionize with the Teamsters and win their very first contract.