jhjacobs

Justin Jacobs

Justin joined AJWS as the Senior Marketing and Storytelling Officer in September 2018. He spent much of his career as a journalist, chronicling arts, culture and news for a variety of magazines and newspapers in the U.S., Middle East and Asia. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009 with a degree in English Writing and Religious Studies, and in 2011 moved to Tel Aviv, Israel, where he worked in writing and marketing for both non-profit organizations and high tech startups.

Learning through playing: Thoughtshop Foundation is sparking life-changing conversations in India

Thoughtshop Foundation — a longtime AJWS grantee based in Kolkata — uses a unique approach to expand what’s possible for girls and women within India’s deeply patriarchal, restrictive society. They call it “design thinking,” and for a growing collective of young people across the state of West Bengal, it has proven life-changing. Thoughtshop developed beautifully …

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This is Me: Traditional dance in the Dominican Republic is helping girls reclaim their identity

Teresa Mercedes Emilia, 19, says she was blessed to grow up surrounded by strong women — especially her proud grandmother. She was born in the rural community of Los Mercedes, which was founded by Afro-descendent people (known as “cimarrones”) who liberated themselves from enslavement and created their own autonomous communities. Teresa remembers picking coffee beans, …

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