Connection, Community & Conversation: Teens Take the Mic

2019-12-23T19:34:00+00:00December 23rd, 2019|

JTI Peer Leadership Fellows talk about what it’s like being a Jewish teen today. Three JTI Peer Leadership Fellows sound off on what it’s like being a Jewish teen in Greater Boston, how they’re helping to connect our community and how they navigate their personal Jewish journeys. From finding opportunities to meet more Jewish teens, exploring what Jewish [...]

New Website Connects Teens to Jewish Life

2019-12-23T19:30:36+00:00December 23rd, 2019|

Are you a teen? A parent of a teen? JewishBostonTeens.com is the site you’ve been waiting for. I usually write about kid-friendly topics here at JewishBoston, and often that news skews younger, toward the tween-and-under set. Good news: Now JewishBoston has its very own teen-centered website, JewishBostonTeens.com, which showcases opportunities for leadership, travel, camp, volunteering and more, [...]

Greater Boston Makes Youth Mental Health a Priority

2019-12-23T19:23:30+00:00December 23rd, 2019|

Boston, along with several other communities, is making adolescent wellness a priority. Today, teens and young people are struggling. More than 3 million adolescents, representing over 13% of the population, have experienced a major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The numbers are equally high for adolescents experiencing eating disorders, substance abuse and [...]

What does a Positive Relationship with Israel Mean?

2019-12-23T19:19:15+00:00December 23rd, 2019|

By Jeff Blumental and Rabbi Karen Thomashow “As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together.” (Parker Palmer). As educators, we are driven by questions – some of which we cannot easily answer. Whether a teacher in a classroom, a youth engagement professional, a parent or [...]

The Best-Kept Secret: A Strategic ‘Pivot’

2019-12-23T19:14:00+00:00December 23rd, 2019|

There are countless examples of strategic "pivots" to point to in the for-profit world, many of them from the not-too-distant past. Remember when Amazon just sold books, when Netflix mailed DVDs, or when the Gap was a record store that sold Levi's? It's rare, on the other hand, to hear about nonprofits making the same kind [...]

Cincinnati Jewish Teen Collective Makes Youth Mental Health a Priority

2019-12-05T03:50:11+00:00December 5th, 2019|

Today, teens and young people are struggling. More than 3 million adolescents, representing over 13% of the population, have experienced a major depressive episode, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The numbers are equally high for adolescents experiencing eating disorders, substance abuse and a variety of other mental health challenges. Attempted and completed suicide [...]

Making Youth Mental Health A Priority for Jewish Atlanta

2019-10-30T00:23:13+00:00October 29th, 2019|

Armed with the knowledge that 1 in 5 youth experience a mental health challenge at some point in their life, and a grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation, JumpSpark (a Federation Innovation Initiative) is launching Youth Mental Health First Aid.  The program trains adults to better assist youth experiencing mental health challenges or crises. Participants learn how to [...]

It’s Not Magic

2019-09-10T04:36:10+00:00September 10th, 2019|

Pulling back the curtain on professional growth and development for teen education and engagement professionals in Boston. People frequently talk about the magic of camp, youth group, tikkun olam/social action experiences and so many other engagement opportunities for teens. However, as many of us have learned, even magic isn’t exactly magic. Magic is the illusion of performing [...]

JewishBoston Teens Website Launch

2019-09-10T04:28:36+00:00September 10th, 2019|

JewishBoston Teens is Greater Boston’s online resource for teens, their families and the Jewish professionals who work with them. This website connects teens to the community’s vast menu of nationally-recognized programming and events and provides professionals with resources and tools to support teens. JewishBostonTeens.com is an initiative of Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), in partnership with JewishBoston.com and the Jewish Teen Initiative of [...]

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