Metro Detroit Teens Have a New Way to Connect to Jewish Life Detroit Jewish News – The Jewish News
Posted By admin on August 20, 2021
When the Detroit Jewish community leaders discovered an alarming number through research that 70% of Jewish teens in Metro Detroit arent engaging in Jewish life the Jewish Community Center and youth professionals took notice and began to promote positive change.
Despite having more than 35 local Jewish youth-serving organizations offering a variety of excellent programs, teen engagement is still low.
We began to ask ourselves, what should we be doing, knowing that we have all these wonderful opportunities and were still missing the mark? says Katie Vieder, JCCs director of tween, teen and family engagement for Jfamily.
According to Rabbi Jen Lader of Temple Israel, In this hyperconnected world, teens are busier than ever before. Theyre packed with sports and drama, tutoring and dance, not to mention escalating academic expectations. We are fighting for their time in a way weve never had to fight before.
A slowdown from the COVID-19 pandemic gave the JCC an opportunity to consider this ongoing problem and what steps it could take to refuel Metro Detroit teen engagement in Jewish life.
There is a big challenge of rebuilding from the pandemic as a lot of our teen networks in town overlap and are supported by each others success and networking, says Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, teen director at Friendship Circle.
To set the change in motion, the folks at Jfamily talked to different communities across the country and to its local youth-serving partners, We did a lot of focus groups with teens and parents both engaged and unengaged, Vieder says.
Since September 2020, the JCC has worked with the communitys youth-serving organizations including youth groups, congregations, camps and day schools to identify best practices to boost teen engagement in Jewish life that can be implemented right here in Metro Detroit.
The efforts paid off. We came to the realization that theres a lot we can do, Vieder says. We just need to shift our perspective on what matters.
Though the JCC had a teen engagement plan, it was one that had been in place for many years.
COVID-19 showed the importance of being able to adapt to a changing world, so the JCC knew the time had come to revamp its model.
The goal: to reduce the staggering 70% number of Jewish teens unengaged in Jewish life.
The first step was to significantly increase awareness for existing programs.
The Metro Detroit community has a wide-array of fantastic teen opportunities with something for everyone. However, many families are not aware of all the program available, and organizations struggle to find the unengaged, says Rachel Ellis, senior regional director of BBYO Michigan Region.
Even though 35-plus local Jewish youth-serving organizations in the area offer more than 90 programs, the JCC discovered that most families only knew of one or two opportunities their teens could engage with. Often, they would try one of the programs and if it wasnt a fit, they stopped looking for alternatives. Families also might not have realized that the programs they were hoping for were already available in different places.
To strengthen community awareness, the JCC is creating a comprehensive website and program guide for teens and families that can serve as a directory of all Jewish teen programs and experiences. The website will go hand-in-hand with JLive, an event platform. Teens and families will be able to visit both with one click, Vieder explains.
One key mission of the awareness strategy is to make finding teen engagement opportunities online seamless and user-friendly. By working collectively with the community, we will have the resources to reach more teens and connect them to meaningful and impactful Jewish experiences, Ellis adds.
To build and launch the website, the JCC is partnering with the marketing team at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit with plans for it to go live in October of this year.
Our youth programs provide an escape a safe place where teens are nurtured and loved, where they can build lasting and meaningful relationships with friends and mentors, and where they can figure out who they are and whats important to them, Rabbi Lader says. Our goal is to reach as many teens as possible in order to allow them this safe space filled with the support and guidance of their community.
The next step for improving teen engagement is to begin the process of gathering data. The JCC, in partnership with Federation, is working on creating a community database complete with facts and figures that show the importance of engagement in Jewish life and where the local community currently stands.
The database will house information that will allow us to see not just if and where teens are engaging, but how deeply theyre engaging, Vieder explains.
The database will be built with the goal of tracking what happens to a Jewish teen who is involved in Jewish life throughout their high school career and what that means for their future.
JCC will share identified trends with youth-serving organizations to help them strengthen their work.
The JCC will also launch the Teen Impact Fellowship this month to train and empower teens to be communal connectors and provide more touchpoints for connection.
Through their friendships and relationships, teens can find their place in the local Jewish community, Vieder says.
The selected fellows, along with Federations shinshinim (Israeli emissaries), will receive extensive training from Michigan State Hillel during the yearlong fellowship.
Though teens are the focus of JCCs new teen engagement model, a special focus is being given to their parents as well. Weve heard from a lot of parents of tweens and teens that they dont have the support or educational resources they had when their children were younger, Vieder explains.
To build the foundation for parental support, particularly for parents of teens, the JCC will launch PhD in Parenting, a course being run in communities across the country. Using proven parent education methodologies, this program will enhance parent-teen relationships, improve parenting skills, teach techniques on how to reduce stress on teenagers, and enable parents to create a healthy, peaceful and respectful home environment.
Two cohorts of PhD in Parenting will be offered starting in October with additional cohorts in the spring. Registration will open on JLive this month.
Helping with Staff
Throughout the multi-faceted approach, the JCC aims to support congregations and youth-serving organizations so that they can strengthen relationships with tweens, teens and their families, and provide meaningful opportunities. The most critical need is staff, and funding is a challenge.
Our organizations need staff who can focus directly on tweens and teens, and who have the capacity for relationship-building, Vieder explains. Many congregations, she says, have limited support when it comes to teen engagement. A three-year grant from the Hermelin-Davidson Center for Congregation Excellence, though, will provide the funding to increase that support and ideally, teen engagement.
A second grant from the Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund for Jewish Youth will provide funding for youth-serving organizations, including BBYO, Friendship Circle and Repair the World, to hire youth directors to work specifically with underserved demographics including male-identifying teens, middle schooler and diverse teens, such as those from interfaith families, Jews of color and LGBTQ+ identifying youth.
With more individuals waking up each morning with the dedicated task of engaging our youth, we know it will become more of an expectation for kids to be involved in Jewish life, said Rabbi Daniel Schwartz of Temple Shir Shalom. The question will change from do you go? to where do you go?
Professionals supported through both grants will receive training opportunities and will gather to develop a supportive cohort, collaborate and discuss best practices.
We want to make sure that staff feel like there is camaraderie among youth-serving organizations and that they have peer colleagues they can connect with, Vieder says.
Our community has proven time and time again that they understand how incredibly important our young people are, not only for the future of our Jewish community in Metro Detroit, but also for the future of the Jewish people, Rabbi Lader says.
Were all working together to raise a generation of teens who are proud of their identities, who are firm in their values, and who are committed to their community in a sacred and profound way.
While JCCs new teen engagement model is being rolled out over the next few months, the leadership hopes to continue growing and evolving the strategy in the long-term future.
There has always been a lot of excitement in the planning process that would help us lift up youth engagement in the Detroit Jewish community, Rabbi Schwartz said.
Katie Vieder and the JCC have done a wonderful job of gathering a top-notch group of people who are focused on real change in teen engagement, which has allowed us to dream in ways that we never imagined would come to fruition.
From additional staff to programming for parents, I think Detroit will continue to serve as a model for other communities who are looking to reignite their teen programming.
By focusing on awareness, engagement, and data and information, the JCC aims to solve the challenges todays Jewish teens and parents face with a one-stop shop for finding and creating local connections.
We dont look at this as a one- or two-year initiative, Vieder says. We hope to be able to continuously evaluate progress and success over the course of time. There will always be Jewish teens, but if we dont make them a priority, they may not always engage. Our primary focus is to be the resource for teens and their families and to ensure that we provide every opportunity to connect them to the Jewish community.
Read the rest here:
Metro Detroit Teens Have a New Way to Connect to Jewish Life Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News
- Jews assaulted during a pro-Israel protest in Toronto - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- 'A very different tone this time': Canadian Jewish leaders warn of spike in anti-Semitic violence - National Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Ohio supporter of ISIS pleads guilty in attempted attack on Jewish synagogue - cleveland.com [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Operation Solomon: Thirty years since the rescue of the Jews of Ethiopia - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Can Arab-Jewish peace survive the ongoing violence in Israel? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women are bucking the patriarchal, authoritarian stereotype of their community - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The making of the Jewish extremist Meir Kahane - TRT World [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The total collapse of Jewish and Israeli PR - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Most US kids of intermarriage raised Jewish; parents want institutions to notice - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Are the Jews being attacked in Israels mixed cities victims of pogroms - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Rise in antisemitic incidents in Florida prompts Jewish groups to spend thousands on security - WTXL ABC 27 [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- There are more American Jews and they're staying Jewish - thejewishchronicle.net [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Members of Jewish synagogue come together after act of vandalism - KVOA Tucson News [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Fact Check-Video of people tearing clothes in Jerusalem shows a Jewish custom and is not linked to the 2021 Hamas-Israel conflict - Reuters [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Charles Grodin and the Jewish question - Religion News Service [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Rise in antisemitic incidents in South Florida prompts Jewish groups to spend thousands on security - WPTV.com [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- No, 'Minions' weren't inspired by Jewish children who endured the Holocaust - PolitiFact [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Lod counts its losses: Torched synagogues and coexistence in this Jewish-Arab city - Haaretz [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The Wawa Foundation Selects Jewish Family Service to Receive $15000 Grant - InsiderNJ [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Non-Jewish man assaulted in Munich and called a 'Jewish pig' - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- The moral imperative behind the Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest - Yale Climate Connections [Last Updated On: May 20th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 20th, 2021]
- Can America Be America When Jews Are Beaten in the Streets? - The Dispatch [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Essay: The Four Absurd Criticisms of Israel's War Conduct Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Joseph Borgen, Brutally Beaten By Group Of Suspects In Manhattans Diamond District, Speaks Out: My Whole Face Felt Like It Was On Fire For Hours - CBS... [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- The American Jewry demographic is only growing and becoming more diverse - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- As trust between Israeli Jews and Arabs reaches new lows, Netanyahu rises again - The Conversation US [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- The Tensions Inside a Mixed Jewish-Arab City in Israel - The New Yorker [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Organs of Arab teen allegedly shot by police save Arab and Jewish lives - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Heartwarming WWII Film 'Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog' Screens at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on May 26th - KCET [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Young American Jews Have Reached a Tipping Point With Israel - Rolling Stone [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jews and Muslims find common ground in German city - DW (English) [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jews Who Leave the Faith Are Still Treated as Jewish - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Police investigating attacks on Jewish business, synagogue in N. Ireland - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Marjorie Taylor Greene Insists Any Rational Jewish Person Thinks Mask Mandates Are as Bad as the Holocaust - Vanity Fair [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- A second person was arrested in the gang assault of a Jewish man in New York during protests - CNN [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Officials Say Hate Crimes Against Jews Are Growing In The Aftermath Of Gaza Violence - NPR [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Police Investigate Possible Jewish Hate Crime Attack At Beverly Grove Restaurant - CBS Los Angeles [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Jew | History, Beliefs, & Facts | Britannica [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Judaism: Founder, Beliefs & Facts - HISTORY [Last Updated On: May 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: May 25th, 2021]
- Bubbys Jewish Soul Food will bring traditional family recipes to North Central San Antonio this fall - San Antonio Current [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Elazar Stern is the most likely Herzog successor at the Jewish Agency - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Opinion | The Jewish History of Israel Is Over 3,000 Years Old. Thats Why Its Complicated. - The New York Times [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- When the Mob Came for the Jews of Baghdad - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish, Arab actors work together to rebuild theatre burnt in Acre riots - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Portland Bagel Shop and Jewish Deli Coming to the College Area - Eater San Diego [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish-Asian college student grieves lost senior year, and so much more J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Belgium to return Nazi-looted painting to German Jewish family - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh holds rally to bring awareness to increase in 'antisemitic attacks' - WPXI Pittsburgh [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- These Nice Jewish Boys answered John Oliver. YouTube called it hate speech - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Cops release new images of men sought in alleged attack on Jewish man; Islander previously arrested - SILive.com [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish heiress abandons claims over priceless painting stolen by Nazis - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Biden science adviser takes oath on 500-year-old Jewish text - The Times of Israel [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Is it safe to become Jewish? What I tell conversion students - opinion - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- For Jewish immigrants, Boyle Heights was a place for community building and a slice of the American dream - KCRW [Last Updated On: June 3rd, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 3rd, 2021]
- Jewish writers with Soviet roots have deep stories to tell J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Stanford therapists allege 'hostile climate' for Jews in the workplace J. - The Jewish News of Northern California [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Omar seeks to clarify comments after Jewish House Democrats accuse her of comparing US and Israel with Hamas and Taliban - CNN [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish student group 'SLO Hillel' opens new Pavilion The new gathering space is located at the - KSBY San Luis Obispo News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Original source of pound cake recipe in new Athens Jewish cook book remains a mystery - Online Athens [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Readers Write: Far-right extremists not representative of L.I's Jewish community - Readers Write - The Island Now [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Our Jewish Israeli writer in Ramallah is ready to reveal who she is - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish groups in the US and South Africa among recipients of MacKenzie Scott's latest $2.74B in grants - Cleveland Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- 'George Soros was an easy target: hes Jewish, wealthy and secretive' - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- John Rathbun of East Longmeadow convicted of attempting to burn Jewish elder care campus after 2nd trial - MassLive.com [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Here are the top candidates to one of the most prestigious jobs in the Jewish world - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- Jewish Federation Expands Outreach and Education to Counter Increased Antisemitism Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 16th, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 16th, 2021]
- JCF awards more than $140000 in scholarships for Jewish campers - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- What is an egg cream and why is it so Jewish? - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- YC4KF Thanks Jewish Community Foundation for $8,000 Grant - Signals AZ [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Google criticized by Jewish organization for 'allowing' antisemitism - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Mission: Volunteer 52 Times in 52 Weeks - Jewish Exponent [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- First German Army rabbi in 100 years takes office - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Synagogues and camps are getting help to better support LGBTQ youth - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- 'Schitt's Creek': Where 'Jews of no religion,' facing exile, find redemption - The Conversation CA [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Man arrested after attacking 12-year-old Jewish boy in Los Angeles - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Jewish congregations gather at Davenport location - New Haven Register [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Jews are the only minority that tolerates the intolerable - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- The Jewish mensch who helped fight racial injustice in the Deep South - Haaretz [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Holocaust Center presents Jews' escape to India and Iran after 1933 - The Oakland Press [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
- Diplomat Turned Educator will Head Local University Detroit Jewish News - The Jewish News [Last Updated On: June 21st, 2021] [Originally Added On: June 21st, 2021]
Comments