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Goal 1
GOAL 1: REACH MORE TEENS
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.
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With a dual focus on both breadth and depth, we will double our impact on Jewish youth across North America while continuing to enrich our program content. By the 2025 programmatic year, we will reach over 10,000 Jewish teens and preteens each year through greatly expanded partnerships with traditional and non-traditional Jewish communal institutions. We will implement and experiment with new staffing models that allow for rapid expansion and effective stewardship at a much lower cost per partner. As a result, more teens across North America will benefit from powerful Jewish learning experiences through our B-Mitzvah Family Education, Teen Education Programs (including Kulam, Rosh Hodesh, Shevet, and Tzelem), and our training and responsive curricular materials. These programs will provide sophisticated and relevant Jewish educational content that supports psychological wellbeing and grounds teens in their Jewish identity and understanding and pursuit of justice. We will also expand our leadership programs to build a larger cadre of teen leaders trained in Jewishly rooted activism, countering antisemitism and leading feminist and anti-racist change within the Jewish community and beyond.
While we double our impact by reaching twice as many youth, we are also committed to maintaining the transformative nature of our programs as measured through comprehensive program evaluations, which will continue to indicate that teens feel a greater sense of confidence, connection, and purpose as a result of participating in our programs.
PROGRAM GROWTH SCENARIOS
5,600 6,600 7,530 8,650 10,000
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
B-Mitzvah Teen Education Fellowships
SHLEIMUT
90% of teen participants found a place where they could be themselves and be ACCEPTED FOR WHO THEY ARE.
HESED
87% of teen participants developed a CONNECTION TO A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY.
TZEDEK
77% of teen participants felt inspired to speak up or TAKE ACTION FOR POSITIVE CHANGE.
“It’s a place where I can be supported and help others, make new friends or strengthen the bond with friends I already have. I can learn more about Judaism from the perspective of being a woman, and it is something I look forward to every month.” — Rosh Hodesh Participant
GOAL 1 METHODS:
B-MITZVAH FAMILY EDUCATION PROGRAM
Our B-Mitzvah Family Education Program supports 5th-7th graders and their parents to explore what it means to come of age as a teen and as a Jew, and to discuss the questions and pressures that come with becoming/parenting a teen.
OBJECTIVES
Launch new partnerships in existing and new regions and train double the number of clergy/educators to run B-Mitzvah by the 2025 programmatic year through the CAROL LOWENSTEIN MOVING TRADITIONS B-MITZVAH TRAINING INSTITUTE while maintaining quality of program. Modify curricula to ensure that our materials reflect and speak to the experiences and diversity of Jewish families and of partners’ needs, including non-synagogue partnerships and Shabbat school programs. Augment Jewish content of all sessions, continuing to meet the needs of partners and families. KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS
Though annual growth of 12-16%, we will expand the number of preteens participating in our B-Mitzvah Family education program to 6,000 teens and preteens per year. We will double the number of B-Mitzvah parents engaged with Moving Traditions by the 2025 programmatic year. At least 80% of preteens will indicate that participation in B-Mitzvah sessions helps them feel part of a Jewish community that supports who they are. At least 80% of parents will experience feeling supported as parents by the Jewish community through participation in the B-Mitzvah Program.
TEEN GROUPS
Transformative communities—including ROSH HODESH for girls*, SHEVET for boys*, and TZELEM for LGBTQ+ teens—where youth explore who they are through Jewish and gender lenses, together with a trained mentor using a dynamic curriculum. Our Teen Groups create circles of support that embolden youth to thrive. Group discussions and activities are infused with Jewish values and wisdom made relevant today, guided by social-emotional learning and positive psychology – proven methods of learning that foster wellbeing. *All of our teen groups are safe and inclusive spaces for youth to join as they self-identify. Nonbinary teens are welcome in whatever space they feel most comfortable.
OBJECTIVES
We will adapt Teen Group curricular materials for use in multiple settings with middle school and high school students, making Teen Groups available for use with a wider age range of youth. We will specifically adapt the curriculum for summer camps and day schools.. We will continue to reflect and meet the changing needs of teens, adapting all Teen Group curricula to be more inclusive of expansive gender identities and Jewish racial and ethnic diversity. We will continue to grow our Tzelem program in partnership with Keshet. 24 In 2023, we will create an advisory board of teens of a range of identities and ages to ensure that diverse teen interests and perspectives are informing our materials. KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS
Experiment with expanding and adapting Teen Group partnerships with day schools, summer camps and synagogue partners to reach 1,300–1,500 teens per year by the 2025 programmatic year. Increase the number of Tzelem groups by 40-50%. At least 90% of teen group participants will feel supported in their needs around mental, emotional, social and/spiritual health by their group leader. At least 90% will report that their teen group was a place where they could be themselves and feel accepted for who they are.
KULAM: IN IT TOGETHER
Kulam is a Hebrew High School Curriculum promoting teen wellbeing, healthy relationships, caring Jewish connections, and the inspiration to make a difference in our world. Kulam (meaning “Everyone,”) is a curriculum designed for Jewish educators to use in Hebrew High School settings that reflects the core components of Moving Traditions’ pedagogy in a flexible format for use with teens of all genders.
OBJECTIVES
Exponentially expand the number of Hebrew High Schools using the Kulam curriculum and the number of educators trained to teach it.
Continue to create additional sessions to enable multi-year use in Hebrew High schools and meet the shifting needs of educators, teens, and their parents. Support the development of a robust community of practice among educators working with Kulam and continually learn from and adapt the curriculum based on their feedback. KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS
Expand the number of teens engaged through Kulam by 30-35% per year, increasing impact from 680 teens in 2021-2022 to over 2,500 teens annually by the 2025 programmatic year. Increase the number of educators trained to deliver Kulam from 42 in 2021-2022 to at least 100 in the 2025 programmatic year. Expand the number of available Kulam sessions from 15 to at least 25. Annual survey results that demonstrate that at least 80% of teens agree that Kulam helps them feel a sense of connection to the Jewish community, develop healty relationships skills and gain insight into current social issues.
The Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship is a year-long fellowship for 10th-12th grade teens of all genders to gain confidence, build intergenerational Jewish feminist community, develop agency as Jewish feminist changemakers and ultimately change perception in the greater Jewish community about young people’s power and capacity as changemakers.
OBJECTIVES
Deepen fellows’ understanding of methods of social change, sense of accomplishment, opportunity for reflection and growth, and depth of connection with other fellows and with adult mentors. Build more connections between Kol Koleinu fellows and ongoing social change work in their local communities Create an alumni network for the Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist fellowship. KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS
Add four regional retreats at the beginning of the program year beginning in 2022, increasing the number of in-person hours that fellows spend together per year by 33%. Adapt Kol Koleinu project design in 2022-2023 to better match developmental needs of fellows and provide fellows with more opportunities to engage in a range of activist projects throughout each year. Maintain at least 95% agreement among fellows that the fellowship helps teens grow as feminists and activists and helps teens understand how Judaism and Jewish community can support them in these identities.
By 2025, forge relationships between regional cohorts and at least one ongoing social change organization.
The new Racial Justice and Jewish Identity Training Academy is a pilot training program that will support teen leaders in developing the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary for engaging as Jews in activities, groups, and movements that advance racial equity and justice. The initiative aims to make more room in progressive spaces for Jewish and pro-Israel teens, and more responsiveness in Jewish spaces to anti-racist practices and perspectives.
OBJECTIVES KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS
