March 30, 2022
CJPME is thrilled to announce the addition of two new staff to our team:
- Nur Watad, hired last month, is our new Director of Media, Campus and Community Engagement.
- Madeleine Moffatt, hired last May, is our new Operations Manager.
Late last year, CJPME announced four critical projects that needed the financial support of our community. Two of them included a focus on youth and campus work:
- Mobilize and educate youth
- Support Palestine solidarity work on campuses
Nur and Madeleine dramatically increase our capacity in these two program areas! Read about Nur and Madeleine below.
These two hires are made possible through the generosity of our supporters. A special thanks to everyone who supports our work financially. If you would like to contribute to the growth of CJPME, you can donate here. Monthly donations are especially helpful, as they enable us to plan and budget for growth, but we are grateful for any and all donations.
Based in London, ON, Nur Watad is completing her degree in Media Information Technology at the University of Western Ontario. Nur is a Palestinian-Canadian who lived in Jerusalem until age 14, when her family emigrated to Canada. While at university, Nur has been extremely active in Palestine solidarity work, when not tinkering with media and graphics tools at the Radio Western broadcast studio. She also somehow found time to co-author a book about Syrian refugee women in Canada.
In her role as Director of Media, Campus, and Community Engagement at CJPME, Nur will be helping to launch a number of new initiatives. Since her hire, we have launched our new "CJPME Campus Solidarity" project, to provide visibility, resources, guidance and support to Palestine solidarity groups on campus. She will also be the host of a new "All Things Palestinian-Canadian" podcast that CJPME will launch later this month. This new podcast aims to deepen understanding and connection with Palestinian-Canadian aspirations, experiences and identity, especially among young people.
As Nur settles in, she will be also involved with other initiatives to expand CJPME's outreach to community groups and the media.
Based in Montreal, Madeleine Moffatt finished a degree in Political Science and Philosophy at McGill University last May. Before joining the CJPME team, Madeleine had been a fan of CJPME for many years, as our initiatives resonated with her progressive, intersectional, anti-colonial view of the world. She has always had a keen interest in the Middle East, and addressing international conflict, as reflected in her volunteering with UNICEF and other programs at McGill.
Madeleine joined the CJPME team last May, just as Israel was trying to force Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah and bomb Gaza. It was trial by fire as she helped us engage the public and pressure politicians during this intense period. Later in 2021, Madeleine was involved in several other key CJPME projects: our 2021 Elections Guide, our Vote Palestine campaign; our Survey on anti-Arab racism in Canada, and our foray into media with the CJPME Debrief podcast.
Moving forward, Madeleine will work with Nur in initiatives with youth, campuses and media. She will also be key in supporting the expansion of CJPME's advocacy work. All the while, she will continue to support Tom in the back office, working with donors and partners to strengthen CJPME organizational foundations. In fact, if you've called the office in the past few months, you may have had the pleasure of talking to Madeleine.
Nur and Madeleine join Tom and Michael to fill out the modest CJPME team. With these new hires, CJPME hopes to begin a new chapter in the effectiveness and growth of the organization. Thanks again to the many supporters who make our work possible.