Leadership Training
Da lifnei mi atah omed – דע לפני מי אתה עומד
Know before whom you stand.
(Talmud B’rachot 28b)
We believe a community organizing model is the best way to grow our youth movement. Instead of one person starting with an idea and writing a program, a community organizing model brings people together first, and asks curious questions – What do you do outside of school? What’s bugging you about our community? When do you feel spiritual, and why? And after we all get to answer from our own points of view, we see what we have in common, and all five, or ten, or twenty of us can create something together. It’s not just planning great programs and hoping people show up or buy the merch we make – it’s designing it all together; everyone having a stake in what we create. It’s allowing our creative, collective vision to drive us in directions we have never gone before, and working to fill the room because we’re all so excited about what we built when we started with questions instead of answers.
Fellowship Opportunities
RAC Teen Justice Fellowship
The RAC Teen Justice Fellowship is a wonderful experience for teens in 9-12th grade to connect with other social justice leaders, explore their passions, gain advocacy experience, and have a great leadership experience for their college application. This fellowship meets for six one-hour sessions and culminates in fellows designing and implementing an organizing project in their community. There are two Justice Fellowship cohorts per year, one in the fall and one in the spring.
Israel Fellowship
The Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship is a five-month program offers an incredible opportunity for teens (grades 9-12) to join a community of teens who are curious about Israel, eager to gain tools to speak about it with clarity and complexity, and ready to engage deeply with the issues they care about most. If you’re passionate about social change, leadership, and Israel, this is the place for you!
Here you will connect with others who share your passions, help shape conversations and actions around Israel in your community and launch your own organizing project—supported by a mentor and grounded in everything you’ve learned along the way.
Please note that all Fellowship participants are required to participate in our Hineni seminar which takes place at The Collab, November 7-10, at Greene Family Camp in Texas. Generous subsidies are available to all TIOF participants.
Teen Jews of Color Fellowship
The Teen Jews of Color Fellowship is a transformative experience for 11th and 12th graders that offers an inclusive and vibrant space for participants to explore and engage with all their intersecting identities, form community, cultivate leadership skills, and create meaningful projects based on their learnings. We welcome all who have racial or ethnic identities and heritages that are generally on the margins of Reform community. These include (but are not limited to) mixed race Jews, transracial adoptees, Asian, Black, Latine, Sephardic, Mizrachi, Persian Jews, and many others.
NEW!
MADRICHIM FELLOWSHIP
A learning lab for synagogue madrichim creating spaces where everyone belongs.
Are you a madrich(a/chol) or teen assistant in your synagogue? Want to be more effective in supporting the needs of the students in your class? Want to learn how to better assist children who need extra learning support or accommodations? The Madrichim Fellowship will train a select group of 8-9th graders from across North America to become leaders in their communities and make a real difference in the of learners who might not feel like they belong or have the tools to be successful.
The Madrichim Fellowship is facilitated and planned in partnership with the Association of Reform Jewish Educators (ARJE).
Weekend Events
The Collab
The Collab is a teen-powered, community-driven retreat for all 9-12 graders in the Reform Jewish Youth Movement. Whether this is your first event or your fiftieth event, all are welcome! Here, teens will build a community that supports their visions, encourages them to share their talents and experiences, and creates space for them to teach each other skills they can use now and over the course of their lives.
LIZ LEADERSHIP TRAINING INSTITUTE (LLTI)
Camp Coleman, Georgia
NFTY SAR, STR, SO, MAR and Camp Coleman are so excited to be hosting the Liz Leadership Teen Initiative, in partnership with many other incredible camps and organizations, like 6 Points Sports Academy, 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, 6 Points Creative Arts Academy, The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Yallah! Israel, Sing Unto God, and the Religious Action Center of the URJ. This event allows you the opportunity to learn about leadership in Judaism with experts in the fields of music, arts, sports, social justice, science, group facilitation, teaching, and more. When you register, you will have the choice of which track you would like to participate in.
WEST COAST PARTY
Camp Newman, California
NFTY CWR, SOCAL SW, NW and Camp Newman are hosting an in-person NFTY event at URJ Camp Newman. This event is a teen-powered weekend open to participants in grades 9 through 12. Join us for a retreat full of exciting programs, meaningful tefillah experiences, and lots of NFTY/camp fun with new and old friends.
NEAR WINTER KALLAH
Eisner Camp, Massachusetts
NFTY Northeast and New York are co-hosting an event for teens in grades 9-12. Enjoy the Winter Kallah, an awesome weekend of Jewish learning and fun at Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, MA. The weekend will include programming, Shabbat services, meeting new friends, and much more!
MESIBAT AVIV
OSRUI, Wisconsin
Join NFTY CAR, NO, MV, and OV for a phenomenal weekend at URJ’s OSRUI in Oconomowoc, WI full of learning, community, and Jewish exploration!