STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Preteens and teens today need our help. Even as they are constantly plugged in, they are often highly disconnected: from healthy ways to care for themselves, meaningful connections with their peers, feeling that they are supported by the Jewish community, and from hope for the future. Jewish teens are seeking a sense of belonging and purpose, places to speak honestly about the pressures they feel and concerns they have about the world, to find solace and joy, where they can both honor their connection to the Jewish past and use that Jewish foundation to move themselves and our communities forward. Moving Traditions exists for times like these. We are uniquely equipped to support teens, their parents, teachers, mentors, and clergy to engage with the challenges of our era and to help teens find the inner resources and the external supports in the Jewish community that will help them thrive. Our programs, based in a commitment to Jewish principles and an evidencebased approach to teen wellbeing, support teens to develop an authentic and balanced sense of self; connect with others through ongoing and robust relationships; and develop a larger sense of purpose and a commitment to equity and justice. Through our programs, teens experience a Jewish community that prioritizes their questions and concerns and they find meaning in Jewish wisdom, ritual, ethics, and tradition. In a world where teens are too often ranked, judged and disempowered, Moving Traditions fosters unique Jewish spaces, designed with a keen sensitivity to the changing yet ongoing importance of gender in teen development, mentor and peer support, and youth agency. Given the moment of need, with this strategic plan we lay out an ambitious goal to DOUBLE THE IMPACT of Moving Traditions’ work to help more teens access the sense of personal wellbeing, connection, and purpose MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS. That includes the following core strategies:
GOAL 1: REACH MORE JEWISH YOUTH Embolden over 10,000 Jewish teens and preteens each year across North America to thrive by strengthening their Jewish identities, wellbeing, relationships, and commitment to justice.
GOAL 2: BUILD AN ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT Strengthen the ecosystem of support for Jewish youth elevating the critical connections between individual wellbeing, healthy relationships and communities, and systemic justice and equity.
GOAL 3: SECURE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES Ensure we have the resources to achieve our programmatic goals by investing in resource generation, organizational development and infrastructure, board growth, and staff and board diversity and equity.
LEARN MORE AT MovingTraditions.org/Strategic-Plan