The Collab: Connecting Teens, Cultivating Leaders

Last year, the second Collab NFTY gathering brought together more than 200 Jewish teens from across North America, hitting our maximum capacity and filling every bed at URJ Camp OSRUI! These teens came from unique backgrounds with different experiences and ideas about what being Jewish means. At The Collab, these teens met new people, learned about social justice issues, and shared their traditions with one another. The Collab energized these teens, who left the gathering ready to work together and shape the future of Reform Judaism. 

The Collab started as an event to bring teen leaders together after the pandemic and has become the flagship annual gathering for the whole of the Reform Jewish Youth Movement. This year, The Collab will be hosted at URJ Camp Coleman in Georgia. We’re expecting this event to be even bigger than last year, impacting even more teens. 

I (Ross) am from Sacramento, a high school junior, member of The Collab core team, and the co-president of my NFTY region. For me, The Collab places a strong emphasis on connection: connecting teens to each other and to Judaism. When I first attended The Collab in 2023, I was unsure of what to expect. However, I was eager to meet new people and make new memories. For the first time, I was connected and truly immersed in social justice, leadership, and my own Judaism all at once, leading me to make many new friends in a short weekend. The Collab showed me that Judaism is more than a religion; it can be the spark that creates a special community where friends become family.

I (Benji) am the current NFTY North American Board president from Phoenix, Arizona. While I love developing my own leadership skills, I find it even more invigorating to help others develop theirs. This focus on helping other teens sharpen their leadership skills was reflected in the leadership programming I helped plan for The Collab in 2023. To many of my peers, “leader” is a title that can only be bestowed upon you by your community when you do something “big.” However, we all act as leaders in one way or another every single day. At The Collab last year, I saw many people redefine their understanding of leadership. I watched as my peers learned how they could be leaders by treating others well, contributing to their communities, and creating connections. 

Now it is more important than ever to have spaces where teens can congregate and embrace their Jewish identities together. The Collab is the perfect space for that. Whether through Torah study, services, nature, art, or music, The Collab shows teens the ways being religiously Jewish and culturally Jewish intersect. All teens who want to creatively connect with their Judaism, build community, and expand their networks are welcome (and encouraged!) to attend.

Join teens from across North America for this one-of-a-kind weekend, powered by the Reform Jewish Youth Movement! The Collab will be held at URJ Camp Coleman in Georgia from October 18-21, 2024. Registration is open through September 23 with an early bird special until August 20. Register today for The Collab 2024!