The Louis August Jonas Foundation stands in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. COVID-19 has exacerbated anti-Asian sentiments and led to a stark rise in hate crimes directed at Asian individuals. We condemn the murders in Atlanta of 8 people—7 of them women and 6 of them of Asian descent. Their names are Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Soon C. Park, Hyun J. Grant, Suncha Kim, and Yong A. Yue.

Considering the diversity of our community, LAJF is taking steps to become more linguistically accessible. Considering the barriers that non-English speakers face when it comes to learning about, applying and going to Camp is very important. This LAJFellowship project will coordinate the translation of the key elements needed to learn about and apply to Camp Rising Sun to more than 15 languages. Having finalized the research phase, we are looking for volunteers that would like to help with the process of translating different resources. Learn more about the project in our blog this week.

From New Jersey to the Netherlands, from EMTs to climate justice activists, these alumni are changing the world. We will be hearing from five changemakers who are inspiring their communities in different ways, a continuation of and an addition to our series of Instagram takeovers over the last few months. And Kristen Chang ’14, Linda Barry ’16, Dominika Lasota ’18, Woohyun Kwen ’19, and Anneteke Adoga ’20 all certainly have a lot to say.

We are mobilizing the CRS network to help alums get internships. Whether you are looking for a job opportunity or would like to share your knowledge, there are many ways to get involved. This program will run until May.

LAJF is taking a step towards reducing its use of fossil fuel-generated energy by introducing solar energy to the CRS Campus. This initiative is being coordinated by the LAJF Sustainability fellow, Elise De Groote ‘12, ‘13, and spearheaded by alums who are experts in the field.

“As a leader, I was trying to figure out how to make it easier for the whole community to create a sense of belonging to Camp. I think many people still think that we should be an ideal leader, ignoring that they can be their own ideal leader and that they can take advantage of their own abilities to serve their community.”

Facing the reality that it would not be safe, we have made the decision to put our efforts into delivering our mission through a series of virtual programs instead of running an in-person CRS program. Learn more about this decision and the virtual offerings we will be providing through this blog.