The past six weeks at the Teen JUST-US Boston internship have been incredible for me. I have learned about a variety of social justice topics and issues like ableism, poverty, homelessness, immigration and most importantly what constitutes a fair and just world. First, when we ask what constitutes a fair and just society, we have to look at what aspects of society are unjust and unfair and see what factors are holding back people from opportunity and success. When asking ourselves what we can do to make our society more just and fair, we have to look to ourselves, as it is our responsibility to help those who are in need of allies. We talked about these issues every Wednesday by discussing and interpreting Jewish texts, as well as listening to speakers who shared their personal stories and life experiences. It opened up a world for me because for my whole life, I felt like I have been living in a bubble. Everything in my life was planned out for me, so I took it for granted. It is when we lose these things that we notice their existence.
My internship focused on finding donors, volunteers and recipients for the organization Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. Even though results were not guaranteed during this project, especially with the pandemic, I have acquired skills that teenagers need for the professional world. Rescuing Leftover Cuisine’s mission is to bring food to the table of families who are food insecure. In the U.S. alone, one out of seven Americans struggle with food security which seems strange for a country where 40 percent of food is thrown away to waste. With this internship, I found something meaningful to focus on, even possibly in the future beyond this summer. Teen JUST-US Boston and Rescuing Leftover Cuisine have taught me what it means to be a model community member, a model citizen, and a model American