Announcing Departure of Founder and Executive Director, Gilad Cohen

TORONTO June 2, 2022 - After over 10 successful years of leadership, the Board of Directors announce that founder Gilad Cohen will be stepping down as the Executive Director of JAYU on August 31, 2022.

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
”On behalf of the JAYU Board of Directors, I want to say how incredibly indebted we are to our Founder and Executive Director, Gilad Cohen, who has decided to step down from his role at JAYU. We sincerely respect his decision to leave the organization after serving as its leader since its inception over ten years ago.

Gilad’s dedication and perseverance to telling human rights stories through the arts has been inspiring and helped bring JAYU to an incredible place. From its humble beginnings as a weekend film festival, to an organization that employs eight full time staff and a budget of over $1 million for its myriad of year-round programming, Gilad and his team have touched the lives of thousands in our many communities.

While we are sad to see Gilad leave, we are excited about the next stage in JAYU’s future as we search for a new executive director. Later this month we will share a posting with our community, and hope you will support the role we are looking to fill by sharing it with your community as well to help us find a successor who will build on the tremendous work already accomplished.

With Gilad planning to leave at the end of the summer, there will be time to properly fete him - something we will invite you to join us in doing. Until then, know that the Board will work closely with Gilad and the incredible JAYU team to ensure a smooth transition to a new leader, and a new chapter.

Thank you for your continued support. And thank you again to Gilad for his vision, determination and leadership.”

- David Vella
Chair, JAYU Board of Directors

MESSAGE FROM GILAD COHEN

”It is with immense love, respect, and gratitude that I announce that I will be stepping down as the Executive Director of JAYU and my last day with the organization will be on August 31, 2022. This may come across as a shock and reaching this conclusion has been, without an ounce of doubt, the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. At the same time, it is also one of the most exciting moments not only for me, but for JAYU as well. Looking at everything that has been built – including the most passionate, hard-working and gifted team I’ve ever worked with – I have zero doubt that the organization will not only sustain, but thrive as I transition out of this role, and as JAYU finds my replacement. 

If ten years ago I was asked to describe my dream come true, I would tell you all about the JAYU of today. I would talk about our programming, I would mention our people-first approach, I would brag about our 4-day work week, living wages and unlimited paid time off, and I would rave about the community that exists here from our Board and staff, all the way to our artists, youth, donors, and volunteers.  Despite having been here for nearly eleven years, I frequently have to pinch myself as I reflect on how a community-driven $3,000 crowdfunder in 2012 turned into a charity with a robust $1.3 million dollar operating budget with undeniable life-changing impact. I’m both honoured and humbled to acknowledge that JAYU is a dream come true, and at the same time, that I have taken this organization as far as I can.

I’ve always believed that an important part of leadership is knowing when it’s time to transition onto new things and giving up your seat so that others – especially equity-deserving individuals – can have an opportunity to dream, inspire, and lead. Sometimes, founders and leaders leave when the going gets tough and I can assure you that this is not the case; in fact, JAYU has never been stronger: we have a rock-solid foundation including a strong vision, an incredible team, a healthy financial base, a talented pool of committed artists and volunteers, and programming that continues to impact communities across the GTA and beyond. Me transitioning out of this role will allow for fresh energy and for the organization’s impact to continue being felt in positive and life changing ways. As the founder of this organization, you can imagine that I’ll always want what’s best for JAYU and so it's natural that I’ll be here to support this transition so that it is as seamless and rewarding as possible. Our Board has mobilized quickly and will be sharing more details soon on the recruitment process for the next Executive Director, so be on the lookout!

I’ve always believed that there is no better way to share human rights stories than through the arts and it’s for this reason that I’m excited to explore a career after JAYU as a full-time artist where I will use my creativity to address inequity and injustice. Also recognizing the critical role that organizations play in supporting the mental health, equity, and vitality of their team, I’m keen to lend my skills to ensuring that the arts sector as a whole takes the critical steps necessary so that artists and arts workers in Toronto thrive both personally and professionally. To stay in touch you can always find me on socials at @mrgiladcohen or hit me up at g@mrgiladcohen.com.

I want to thank you for helping make this dream a reality; for working alongside me and supporting me and my team so that JAYU and its community can benefit as much as possible. Never could I have imagined that we’d have built something where so many of our world’s equity-deserving individuals could find a home including the youth we work with, former child soldiers, people who’ve been wrongfully incarcerated or detained in modern day concentration camps, and so many more of the inspiring people I have been blessed to meet over the last 10+ years. The people and their stories of strength and resilience, and my team at JAYU are what I will undoubtedly miss the most. With all the love and respect in the world. “

- Gilad Cohen
Founder and Executive Director, JAYU