Timely information and resources for Jewish professionals and lay leaders who work with youth in URJ-affiliated congregations.
From the URJ Youth Specialists
Youth Group Elections – Building Future Leaders As the school year winds down and the summer season heats up, it’s time to think about new group leaders. How can you develop and encourage youth group leaders to step forward and run for a board position? Who should be asked to serve?
Here are two important leader selection points:
1) State your intentions and goals clearly! A shared vision of your group’s future is vital, as are the congregation’s vision and plans for its support.
2) This is a serious process: Write a letter to every youth group member in grades 8-12 about the youth board’s roles and responsibilities. Make it an invitation to take advantage of this leadership opportunity. Be sure to include a job description and application, and remember to make sure that parents understand and agree to the time commitment.
Clarity is key to making this all work. After you select your leaders, make sure you a development and training program in place.
For more information or assistance contact one of our Youth Specialists:
Listserv for Congregational Youth Committee Members Congregational Youth Committee questions and concerns are being discussed in our online forum. Share challenges, get feedback, and connect with others in youth leadership. Subscribe now.
Networking Group for Congregational Youth Volunteer Leaders Share your successes, concerns, ideas and questions for creating, sustaining, and supervising the quality, scope and curriculum of your synagogue’s total youth program on line. Take it a step further when the group meets face to face at an upcoming district gathering in 2010.
Upcoming Webinar
Come and join one of these free, live web presentations and learn from our youth experts. Questions welcome.
Strengthening Your Youth Committee Wednesday, June 8, 2010, 4 PM EST This Webinar will focus on variety of issues including: Youth committee structure, its roles and responsibilities, budgeting, policy development, promoting youth in your congregation, advisor training and support. Led by URJ Youth Specialist Margie Bogdanow, LICSW.
URJ Webinar Archives Missed the webinar? Want to see some or all of it again? Visit the URJ webinar archives. The archive includes: Youth Worker 101 – what you need to know for a successful year and Sacred Choices Training for facilitators of the Middle School and High School curriculum.
URJ - Youth Department
NFTY NEWS NFTY is now engaged in developing a strategic plan based on information we have collected from current members, alumni, youth workers, parents, clergy and others. Get the latest news about strategy and goals at nfty.org/strategicplan.
NFTY CONVENTION 2011 – SAVE THE DATE! Our 2011 convention is headed for Dallas, Texas from February 18-22! Tell your congregations that this mega event for Reform Jewish teens is now in its planning stages. More information to come!
URJ - Israel Programs
NFTY-EIE High School in Israel The NFTY-EIEHigh School in Israel is one of our best and most popular programs. This fully-accredited, one semester (four months) high school session focuses on Jewish history, Israel, and Reform Judaism and is open to 10th – 12th graders. Located on Kibbutz Tzuba, this extraordinary program features a core curriculum that includes a daily Hebrew Ulpan and a Jewish History class which uses the country, history and culture of Israel as its textbooks. And of course students take all of their regular, general studies classes too. EIE offers honors, AP and SAT prep courses, and students can take all their standardized exams (PSAT, SAT I, SAT II, ACT and AP) in Israel. Registration is now open for Summer and Fall 2010, and Spring 2011 semesters. Contact Stacy Chassen, Director of Admissions: 212-650-4073 or schassen@urj.org.
New Summer Program - NFTY Olé NFTY Olé combines a week-long trip to Spain to study the Jewish Golden Age in Iberia followed by a month touring Israel with NFTY Adventure.
URJ - Camps
Summer 2010 promises to be an exciting camp season. Here’s what we've got coming up.
Our New Home on the Web: URJ Camps URJ Camps has a new website, filled with content about all of our summer programs. Watch our innovative promotional videos that are designed to keep campers and families connected throughout the year, and don't miss the Clipboard, the central location for camp updates, news, and research. Sign up for our monthly email!
Camp Newman Shines The Kibbutz Yarok program at CampNewman continues, now with grant support from Hazon. The Kibbutz functions as a sustainable village and teaches children about the connections between Judaism and Jewish values and the natural environment. Kibbutz Yarok has an organic garden, compost, animal farm, and energy-efficient mud huts, which are engineered and constructed by campers and made entirely of recycled or natural materials.
New for Summer 2010: Camp Nefesh CampNefesh is a program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other special needs. Run in conjunction with the Bureau of Jewish Education of San Francisco, CampNefesh offers a wonderful chance for children to go to camp in a safe and nurturing place geared to their special needs.
The Greene Family Camp Sport Center The brand new $2.5 million dollar sports center is now under construction, and we are very excited. Follow the process via live video feed and blog posts.
Information for this newsletter is gathered by Craig Rosen, URJ Youth Specialist and edited by the URJ Communications Department
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