5 Reasons Youth Professionals Should Attend the Youth Summit

Every other year, the URJ hosts the Youth Summit at NFTY Convention, an event geared towards youth professionals. The colleagues I meet at the Summit are often the people I chat with and bounce ideas from throughout the rest of the year. This year, I’ve had the privilege to be on the Youth Advisory Committee, and taking part of the planning process “behind the scenes” has given me many reasons to count down the days till I get to be a participant!

Here are five things that I am most looking forward to:

1. Tiffany Shlain, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker who was recognized by NPR on their list of “Best Commencement Speeches,” will be a keynote speaker at NFTY Convention. One of her notable films is “The Making of a Mensch,” which I watched in class last year, as a student in HUC-JIR’s Certificate Program in Jewish Education. We utilized the “Periodic Table of Being a Mensch,” a tool I now use while teaching teens at my synagogue. I’m looking forward to hearing Tiffany speak, since her ideas have greatly influenced the way my peers and I think and teach.
2. Something I love about the Youth Summit is the ability to learn from skilled professionals in the field. I have attended some stellar sessions led by prominent rabbis from our Movement, leaders of Jewish organizations, and fellow youth professionals. There is usually one session at Youth Summit that is my “wow” session of the weekend – one that really strikes a chord, inspires me, and motivates me to share what I learned with everyone. I can’t wait to see what that session is this year.
3. This year, there will be time crafted into the schedule for youth professionals to break into cohort groups. In these groups, we will debrief sessions, and chat about our jobs and other ideas we may want to discuss. Community building is an important part of the Youth Summit, and I think these cohort groups will be a great addition to help all of us feel even more connected to each other throughout the event and beyond.
4. At the end of each day, there are opportunities to mingle with youth professionals in various settings. Every evening has a theme, featuring different Jewish organizations or ideas to be highlighted. At the end of the day, it feels great to grab a drink with some friends over delicious food, and network or learn about something new. This year, I’m helping to plan Sunday evening’s reception, and I am excited to enjoy it with all of you who will be attending.
5. Youth Summit is the perfect place to meet that one Jewish professional you’ve been waiting to talk to or that one friend of a camp friend who works at a synagogue nearby. The networking opportunities at the Summit are unbelievable. In fact, I got my interview for my current job at the last Youth Summit in Atlanta, where I met my current boss! I couldn’t be happier at my job, and Youth Summit can take a lot of the credit for our shiduch!  

I hope you’ll join me and many others in Chicago for NFTY Convention and the Youth Summit on February 17^th-20^th! Be sure to register today – registration ends January 5^th.

Tara Levine is the Director of Youth Engagement at Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, New York. She is a recent graduate of HUC-JIR's Certificate in Jewish Education for Adolescents and Emerging Adults, and graduated from Temple University prior to that. Tara has been active in NFTY and URJ programming for almost a decade and is excited to be part of the Youth Summit, both as a participant and as an Advisory Committee member.

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