Charlie Render, Author at Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta

Oct 12 2018

JumpSpark Announces Inaugural Cohort of Strong Women Fellowship

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

Jumpspark is proud to welcome 30 female-identifying Jewish teens in grades 9-12 representing 13 high schools and 9 synagogues in metro Atlanta to the inaugural cohort of the Strong Women Fellowship. The Strong Women: Know Them, Be Them Fellowship is a glass-ceiling shattering, educational cohort providing female-identifying Jewish teens in Atlanta with unparalleled access to strong women leaders, thinkers and voices shaping the world we live in today. Each month fellows will meet speakers, tour Atlanta organizations, and engage in relevant and empowering learning that speaks to what it means to be a woman in 2018, helps young women grapple with the obstacles they face, and prepares them to be the leaders they can be today and in the future.

Monthly guests include local female Jewish professionals and rabbis, as well as national female leaders. On October 23^rd, Rachel Alterman Wallack, MSW, Founder and Mission Director of VOX ATL, will facilitate the orientation and initial meeting of the cohort. In November, in partnership with the Book Festival at the MJCCA, fellows will meet female Jewish authors Allison Yarrow and Emma Gray to learn how they authentically share their stories. In January, in partnership with SOJOURN, the cohort will explore identity, gender, and sexual diversity with Dr. Joy Ladin, professor at Stern College of Yeshiva University and nationally recognized speaker on transgender issues. For the full itinerary, visit jumpsparkatl.org/program/strong-women-fellowship.

Applicants for the fellowship were asked to answer four essay questions: “Who is a Strong Woman you consider a role model and why?”, “What do you think is one of the main issues facing women today?”, What do you hope to gain by participating in this fellowship?”, and “What will you bring to this learning cohort requiring active participation and input from all members?”. The thoughtful answers submitted by the 30 young women that were accepted demonstrate intelligence and unique perspectives of various backgrounds, regions, and affiliations, representing the diverse Atlanta Jewish community.

The 2019 cohort members include:

Mya Artzi, North Springs Charter High School, Class of 2020
Lula Barracano, Decatur High School, Class of 2022
Téa Barton, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2021
Meredith Berger, Pope High School, Class of 2019
Emma Cohen, Woodward Academy, Class of 2022
Lauren Cohn, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2021
Rachel Cohn, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2021
Samantha Fitch, Woodward Academy, Class of 2020
Aiden Fladell, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2022
Sydney Fox, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2019
Marissa Goodman, Pace Academy, Class of 2022
Tamar Guggenheim, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2022
Katie Hurwitz, Johns Creek High School, Class of 2021
Rebecca Kann, Pace Academy, Class of 2022
Maya Laufer, Dunwoody High School, Class of 2022
Stella Mackler, Grady High School, Class of 2022
Macy Mannheimer, Milton High School, Class of 2021
Emma Nowitz, North Springs Charter High School, Class of 2022
Moira Poh, North Springs Charter High School, Class of 2022
Lilah Presser, The Weber School, Class of 2021
Ariel Raggs, Chamblee Charter High School, Class of 2021
Lulu Rosenberg, North Springs Charter High School, Class of 2022
Zoe Rosenberg, North Springs Charter High School, Class of 2020
Zoe Siegel, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2022
Lexi Silberman, Dunwoody High School, Class of 2020
Lili Stadler, The Weber School, Class of 2021
Lily Stoumen, Riverwood International Charter School, Class of 2021
Abigail Ventimiglia, North Gwinnett High School, Class of 2020
Rene Walter, Dunwoody High School, Class of 2021
Anna Wynne, Pope High School, Class of 2020

The Strong Women Fellowship aims to connect female-identifying Jewish teens with a local cohort community that values justice, equality, and girl power while equipping them with valuable leadership skills and resumé-building experience. The fellowship receives local support as an innovation initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, with additional grant funding for the fellowship from the Jewish Women’s Fund of Atlanta, and national funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation.

JumpSpark, Atlanta’s initiative for Jewish teen engagement, connects teens through immersive, interest-based experiences inspired by a Jewish lens. JumpSpark invests in teens and their ecosystem through resumé-building programs and social events, the “Navigating Parenthood” workshop series for parents of teens, JumpSpark Professional development and networking for youth educators, and community partnerships to boost collaboration and innovation. JumpSpark, one of ten communities in the Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative, receives local support as an innovation initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and national funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation.

To learn more about JumpSpark visit jumpsparkatl.org.

Aug 03 2018

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Spark Notes: A Word from our New Director

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

At JumpSpark our mission is “to connect Jewish teens through interest-based experiences inspired by a Jewish lens”, and we are doing this and so much more in Fall 2018.

Kelly Cohen
JumpSpark Director

As the new Director of this organization, I am proud of the wide range of new opportunities we are creating for Jewish teens, their families, and the educators in our community who serve teens. Whether you want to attend a one-time workshop, dig deeper with a series, or apply for our brand-new Strong Women Fellowship, we are striving to create experiences that meet you where you are regardless of passion, schedule, and geographic region.

I look forward to getting to know all of your in the year to come and to working together to create a rich Jewish teen landscape here in Atlanta.

Sincerely,

Kelly Cohen
JumpSpark Director

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Kelly Cohen has spent her career building meaningful, dynamic Jewish experiences for children, teens and adults. For the past six years, Kelly has served as the Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator at The Alfred and Adele Davis Academy here in Atlanta. Prior to that Kelly lived in Jerusalem for four years, as a member of the 10th cohort of Pardes Educators Program. She holds a BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, and a Masters degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College.

Aug 03 2018

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Film Sheds Light On Teen Anxiety

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Bob Bahr
First published in the Atlanta Jewish Times ›

Last year Nanci Rosing’s son, Alex, was finishing up his bar mitzvah study and preparing for a celebratory trip to Alaska when his mother noticed a significant change in his personality. Although Alex was a good student and well-liked by his teachers and classmates at The Davis Academy, when he came home from school each day he was a different person.

He spent most of his time alone, in front of an iPad or computer screen, rarely speaking or interacting with his parents or an older brother, uninterested in sports or other after school activities.

For Nanci Rosing and her husband, Mark, the change in behavior was a red flag.

“His teacher and counselors were seeing a different kid than we saw at home,” she says, “but he wouldn’t admit to being anxious or upset. He would just say he was OK, but he wasn’t. We didn’t know how to help him.”

What she didn’t immediately realize was that her son was one of the millions of American children and adolescents who suffer from chronic anxiety disorders. While a certain amount of anxiety is normal in children and adults and is an important component of our survival instinct, anxiety disorders are the nation’s most common mental illness, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. It estimates that one in eight American children suffers from serious anxiety.

It may take the form of sudden panic attacks or separation anxiety, an obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorder, or in the case of Alex Rosing, severe anxiety associated with fear of social situations during which he was expected to interact with others in an unfamiliar situation.

An estimated 80 percent of young people with a diagnosable anxiety disorder were not getting treatment, according to a 2016 study of mental health in children by the Child Mind Institute. The reasons varied, but in many cases, parents just don’t recognize their child is in trouble.

Jenny Howe, a psychotherapist who helps teens overcome anxiety, narrates the film, Angst. She will lead a discussion at the MJCCA Aug. 19 with parents and professionals.

Jenny Howe is a psychotherapist with nearly 20 years of experience working with troubled youth. She said early treatment can sometimes head off much more serious problems later.

“Often anxiety is an indication that there are other mental health issues happening that may not have been diagnosed yet. So if treated early, it can often be preventable for a lot of other mental health issues.”

Later this month a new program at the Marcus JCC sponsored by JumpSpark, a teen initiative, and a number of community organizations, aims to raise awareness about the danger of chronic anxiety in teenagers here, and how parents can get more involved in dealing with the problem.

The schedule features a pair of film screenings and discussions of a recent documentary, “Angst,” which examines the causes and effects of anxiety in teens and young adults and how parents can work with their children to get help.

The discussion will launch a yearlong series of programs for Jewish teens and their parents presented by JumpSpark, which is beginning the second year of a five-year program in Atlanta.

It is supported by a $2.1 million grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation to develop a Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative. The grant is to enable Atlanta teens to explore, through a Jewish lens, their experiences in the community.

The executive director of JumpSpark is Kelly Cohen, who formerly worked at The Davis Academy. She believes that this year’s kickoff program is particularly important.

“We felt that dealing with teen anxiety was an important conversation to have right at the beginning of school year so that everyone has an awareness of the resources and tools to help teens navigate the anxieties of what it means to be a teen today.”

The “Angst” documentary highlights, in part, the experiences of Michael Phelps. During his legendary career as an Olympic swimmer he won a record-breaking 28 medals, more than any other single athlete in the history of the games.

What many people don’t know was how Phelps struggled several times along his Olympic career with serious issues of chronic anxiety and depression.

He was quoted recently as saying, “I remember sitting in my room for four or five days not wanting to be alive, not talking with anyone. That was the struggle for me … I reached that point where I finally realized I couldn’t do it alone.”

Athletes may be more prone to mental pressures than the general population, according to a 2012 study of German athletes by the Technical University in Munich. The same may also be true for teens in the Jewish community.

“There’s an expectation of success that goes along with the ethnicity,” said Howe, who narrates the documentary and will help lead a discussion after the screening.

“Kids — and I’ve worked with a lot of Jewish kids – believe that in order to be loved, whether this is rational or not, they need to be successful, they need to perform.”

But those considerations are in addition to other influences, such as the internet and social media, which make growing up so stressful in modern society.

“Anxiety,” she notes, “has been on the rise over the last 10 years. Because of the influence of social media, teens have the ability to compare themselves constantly to others that in previous years, they didn’t know before. So, with all these comparisons there is the possibility that, instantly, they feel inferior.”

Nanci and Mark Rosing’s concerns about the seriousness of their son’s anxiety disorder led them last summer to an 11-week program in Utah specially designed for young people with treatable anxiety.

During the past school year, Alex has been a student at WayPoint Academy in Huntsville, Utah, a residential program that works with young people under professional supervision to tackle the challenges of anxiety.

It was a major commitment, in many ways, but Nanci feels it paid off.

“He engages, he looks in someone’s eyes and talks to them. You can see a sense of confidence. He can now do a lot of things that would even make me uncomfortable. He’s learned a skill that hopefully he can bring home.”

He’s coming home this month to resume his studies at The Weber School, to face what his parents feel will be a much brighter future and finish up work on that bar mitzvah he never had.

“Angst – Raising Awareness Around Anxiety” will be presented by JumpSpark at the Marcus JCC theater, Sunday Aug. 19 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. for parents and professionals and on Wednesday, Aug. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for teens. For tickets and more information, https://jumpsparkatl.org.

Jul 31 2018

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JumpSpark Values Teen Voices

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Nina Rubin
First published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta ›

It’s a dynamic time for JumpSpark, Atlanta’s initiative for Jewish teen engagement. We are excited to announce that Kelly Cohen, a Jewish education rock star and the former JumpSpark Director of Education, is now Director of JumpSpark. Kelly will be working closely with Jori Mendel, Federation’s VP of Innovation, to build creatively on our strategic investment in teens. Teen input is an essential part of JumpSpark’s evolution.

For example, at JumpSpark’s week-long marketing internship with 3 Owl Media, a digital ad agency, teen interns developed prototypes and strategies for boosting teen engagement. After a week at 3 Owl, immersed in branding, prototyping and strategy, their final presentations were impressive. They shared prototypes for events they believe will attract their peers — they envisioned a Night Out for teens, a multi-stage live music event to be held at a camp, and a program of weekly and monthly events that create “safe space” for Jewish teens. “Just like these prototypes, JumpSpark is a startup,” said Kelly Cohen. “We launched with ideas about connecting with teens and we’re refining our strategy as we build our brand. It’s about valuing teen voices, telling kids that they are experts on their needs, and exposing them to experiences through a Jewish lens, to widen their world.” Join JumpSpark’s mailing list to learn about upcoming fall programs.

Apr 23 2018

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Learning with Our Feet

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Aaron Levi
First published at AaronLeviCurricula › and eJewish Philanthropy ›

I find myself at the intersection of Auburn Avenue and Jackson Street in Southeast Atlanta. Known as “Sweet Auburn,” this neighborhood was once the beating heart of Atlanta’s thriving African-American community and where Dr. King grew up. Nearly two dozen Jewish educators, professionals, and lay leaders huddle against the unseasonably frigid April weather in the MLK Jr. National Historical Park for Learning with Your Feet, an event organized by the Experiential Jewish Education Network and JumpSpark Professional.

In front stands Billy Planer, founder and director of Etgar 36, which offers social justice tours across the South that explore history, politics, and activism. Planer is a passionate Jewish educator who begins by challenging the standard narrative that “Jews were heavily involved in the Civil Rights movement” before adding, “Black-Jewish relations were not exactly as tight as we like to think.”

While many Northern Jews volunteered to register voters, participated in demonstrations, and marched in protests, “Jews,” he says, “stood on both sides of the [Edmund Pettus] bridge in Selma” in 1965. Southern Jews often stayed silent about Civil Rights for a variety of reasons, the most notable of which was, of course, the Leo Frank Case in 1913 and the Temple bombing in 1958. Frank’s hanging traumatized Jews in the New South, engendering a strong desire to blend in. The Temple bombing was specifically designed to discourage Atlanta’s Jews from engaging in the emerging Civil Rights movement.

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA

We walk across the street to the beautifully restored Ebenezer Baptist Church. The chapel strikes a perfect balance of intimacy and awe. Listening to Dr. King’s voice on a recorded sermon, I feel a deep connection to his legacy and mourn the absence of such a visionary leader whom we so desperately need today.

From there, our group travels via street car to downtown Atlanta to meet Julie Rhoad, The Names Project Foundation president and CEO. Rhoads cut her teeth as a stage manager in New York City during the early 1980s when the AIDS epidemic was considered a risk only for the “4 H’s”: Haitians, hemophiliacs, homosexuals, and heroin addicts.

“My friends were not considered human beings,” Rhoads recalls with watery eyes. “Their lives were disposable.”

For most of his presidency, President Ronald Reagan refused to act on, let alone acknowledge, this epidemic, so AIDS activists devised a way to “humanize the other and show that the AIDS epidemic was [and is] a human not a statistical tragedy,” says Rhoads. Enter the AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. Memorializing those lost in a quilt enshrines their legacies using the best traditions of American folk art.

The first quilt block I noticed prominently displays Hebrew letters commemorating the passing of Tamar Zinger, Amos Gutman, and Ittai. One of the 3-feet by 6-feet panels – roughly the size of a coffin – says in Hebrew: “To every person there is a name.” Written by the Hebrew poet Zelda, the poem whispers, “To every person there is a name/Derived from his celebrations/And his occupation. /To every person there is a name/Presented by the seasons/And his blindness.”

I strike up a conversation with Jennifer Rich, executive director of the historic Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, GA. As we discuss how today’s experiences apply to our work, Rich says, “Our community can help bridge the generations. We can bring Judaism to life by having difficult conversations about important issues. Judaism’s not only about what’s Kosher or non-Kosher or who reads the Torah. Jewish sources and our heritage of social justice are gifts we can use to help others. Synagogues can be a part of that, or [I fear] they’ll disappear.”

African Americans created a self-sustaining bubble in Sweet Auburn that uplifted and supported their community. And, yet, Atlanta’s progress thwarted what overt racism could not: In the 1950’s, Atlanta paved Interstates 75 and 85. By intentionally cleaving the business and cultural district from the neighborhood, the city’s officials created an economic vacuum that devastated the community. This painful history is integrally linked to Atlanta’s present as well as the entire nation’s future. As the city revitalizes, how we balance growth with inclusivity, accessibility, and equity will affect the city’s fabric and the Jewish community for decades to come.

A half-century has passed since the assassination of Dr. King, yet many of the social and economic issues for which he struggled still remain unresolved. Feel-good versions of history, the Civil Rights movement, and even what’s considered “progress” tend to blind us to the structural inequalities rending our society. Without seeing America as it is, we will never shape it into what it could be. Just as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once prayed with his feet to activate the nation’s conscience, today I learn with my feet as a reminder that Jewish education can contribute to a New New South by integrating and practicing the radical ideas expressed in the Torah, the Declaration of Independence, and the inspiring legacy of social justice activists.

–

Aaron Levi is a freelance curriculum developer and independent officiant of Jewish ceremonies. Aaron lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and daughter and loves to read, write, play music, paint and cook.

The Experiential Jewish Education Network increases the impact and unlocks the potential of Jewish educators. It provides opportunities for learning, connection and collaboration that strengthen the skills and networks of its members and connects them to the best practices and ideas in the field. Find out more atwww.ejenetwork.org

The EJE Network is generously supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation and is a proud partner of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, The Leadership Commons of the William Davidson School at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University.

JumpSpark Professional, a JumpSpark program, offers networking and professional development opportunities to Jewish education professionals in Atlanta. JumpSpark, part of the Jim Joseph Foundation’s Teen Funder Collaborative, is an initiative to raise Jewish teen engagement in Atlanta through experiential education and immersive, interest-based experiences.

Jan 08 2018

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JumpSpark Teen Initiative Knocks It Out Of The Park

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Nina Rubin
First published at Federation Voices ›

The Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative, known as JumpSpark, just concluded its first four-day “intensive” with a focus on sports. For sports-loving teens, it was heaven — a behind the scenes look at the sports industry, with tours of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, SunTrust Park, and TopGolf, plus speakers on sports technology and the business side of the industry. Each day, a uniquely Jewish message came shining through as teens discussed Jewish texts and met with rabbis and community leaders to talk about values like sportsmanship, social and environmental responsibility, and the role of the hero. Though the content of each “intensive” will change, JumpSpark’s goal is to help Jewish teens find their Jewish niche in the community through engaging activities and social opportunities.

Tatum Gordon, who attends Mill Springs Academy, said, “Touring MBS was my favorite part, and learning the mechanics of how the roof works. We had a scavenger hunt at the College Football Hall of Fame, searching for characteristics of a hero. You don’t need to have superpowers to show compassion or be a hero.” Josh Silverman, who attends St. Francis High School said, “It was good to learn about entrepreneurs that were very successful and that dealt with hardships and still became successful. The entrepreneurs gave back to their community by setting up businesses in Israel.”

Dec 15 2017

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Innovation Key to Seminar for Youth Professionals

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Rich Walter and Hope Chernak
First published on December 15, 2017 in the Atlanta Jewish Times ›

Rifling through a pile of random objects in a Tel Aviv youth hostel, 13 Atlanta youth professionals and one Israeli Reform rabbi listened to the words of their teacher, artist Hanoch Piven..

“We all have the ability to look at the world in a different way, a playful way,” Piven said.

Participants in the JumpSpark Professional seminar in Israel show the self-portraits they made with found materials.

As he spoke, those 14 participants selected from among the crushed soda cans, oddly shaped buttons, children’s toys, dried pasta and unraveled cassette tapes. We were using our creativity and objects others had discarded to create self-portraits representing who we were as educators and individuals.

Looking at our work in new and innovative ways was the overall theme of the eight-day seminar in Israel. Sponsored by the new Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative through its professional network, JumpSpark Professional, the experience brought together local youth educators representing congregations, youth movements, summer camps and arts organizations.

AJTI is the result of Atlanta’s selection as one of 10 cities to participate in the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative, which brings national and local funders together to develop, nurture and scale new approaches to teen engagement.

The seminar was conceived and led by AJTI Executive Director Hope Chernak. Seeking a bold way to engage teen educators, she knew that Israel is the best place for inspiring these professionals to grow and innovate.

Rabbis Gabby Dagan and Na’ama Dafni-Kellen of the Leo Baeck Education Center and Congregation Ohel Avraham in Haifa served as her Israeli counterparts in planning and leading the program.

Chernak was also deeply invested in creating local partnerships to serve the group, both during its time in Israel and upon its return. She turned to the Center for Israel Education, which provided Rich Walter as a scholar in residence. Walter offered historical context and strategies for engaging learners with Israel in diverse ways.

For Molly Okun, the director of teen learning and engagement at Temple Sinai, a key takeaway is that “there are many ways to be a Jewish educator, and I found innovative ways to infuse Israel education into my programs. I am more comfortable with using a variety of modalities to teach about Israel after this trip.”

AJTI plans to build on the success of the trip to expand JumpSpark Professional to offer opportunities for personal and professional growth, networking and collaboration. CIE will continue to work with AJTI to offer Israel enrichment for Atlanta Jewish professionals.

Rich Walter is the associate director for Israel education at the Center for Israel Education. Hope Chernak is the former executive director of JumpSpark, formerly called the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative.

Dec 15 2017

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Teen Initiative Aims to Drive Engagement

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Sarah Moosazadek
First published in the Atlanta Jewish Times ›

The Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative is launching programs more than a year after the Jim Joseph Foundation announced it was giving an Atlanta partnership $2.1 million over five years to engage more teenagers with the Jewish community.

The initiative is a collaboration of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the Marcus JCC and the Atlanta Rabbinical Association under the leadership of Hope Chernak, who arrived in mid-April as the executive director of the $4.2 million effort (half from the Jim Joseph Foundation, half from local matching funds).

The initiative focuses on high-schoolers in the hope of boosting Jewish teen engagement and education throughout the community with new programs of interest to teens. Examples include an arts program, a seminar with lawyers and activists on how Jewish values inform social justice, and a possible seminar on civil rights in partnership with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Each program will be taught through a Jewish lens to foster teens’ connection to Judaism and will operate during spring, summer, fall and winter breaks from school.

Hope Chernak is the executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative.

A national collaboration began in 2013 after the release of the Jim Joseph Foundation report “Effective Strategies for Educating and Engaging Jewish Teens,” whose goal is to connect tens of thousands of teens to meaningful Jewish learning experiences.

The San Francisco-based foundation picked 10 cities — based on their specific characteristics and history of communal partnerships — to participate and committed more than $29 million to support the resulting Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative.

Amanda Abrams, the chief program and innovation officer at the Marcus JCC, said Atlanta was selected because religion is more of a normal practice in the South than in the other nine locations: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver/Boulder, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and San Francisco.

Abrams said Atlanta’s initiative has been well received so far and was acknowledged by a Jewish Federation in New Jersey, which requested further information after hearing a presentation by Abrams during the General Assembly of Federations in Los Angeles in November.

“They thought what we shared was very informative, and my hope is that what we’ve done in Atlanta will transfer to other communities, at least in the planning process,” she said.

Input from the community and collaborations with existing organizations are important, Abrams said, as the initiative looks for sustainability early instead of waiting until the grant runs out after five years to seek new funding. The initiative therefore is flexible and open to change along the way.

The AJTI has canvassed in various communities, including Alpharetta and intown, to reach as many teens as possible. Although areas inside and outside the Perimeter present a challenge for the initiative, Chernak said AJTI is prepared to cross any boundary.

The Marcus JCC is working behind the scenes to implement the initiative by providing human resources, technical and financial support, supervision, and management. Federation is leveraging the funding with aid from the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Marcus JCC.

The ARA is serving as a resource to the initiative’s staff and volunteers by providing Jewish educational components and having members, including The Temple’s Rabbi Peter Berg, serve on the AJTI board. He said: “I am very proud because the AJTI is our community at its finest. We are working to not only offer great programing for teens that are not involved in Jewish life, but also toward a positive goal in the community.”

Chernak said the initiative remains in the pilot stage but is reaching out to agencies, synagogues and student clubs to schedule one-on-one meetings and explain the initiative.

“We are not trying to become another youth program but in fact support and provide any resources and … fill in a gap where students are currently not involved,” Chernak said.

AJTI’s first intensive session for teens, JumpSpark Sports, is scheduled for January and will provide a behind-the-scenes look at Atlanta’s sports industry.

AJTI also launched JumpSpark Professional for the development of communal professionals working with teens. A professional seminar in January will feature a discussion about teen behaviors and challenges.

The initiative hopes to create a pocket of communities with 15 to 25 kids each who will get to know one another and learn together. The initiative also wants to establish a leadership track in a year to help students learn what it means to be mentors.

Teens can learn more about the initiative at www.jumpsparkatl.org.

“Teens are at a critical stage of their life when they are building up their Jewish identity, and although we have great programs in the community, such as BBYO, there are still plenty of teens who have no Jewish connection, and having more options that are different and unique is important,” Federation CEO Eric Robbins said.

Abrams added, “It’s sometimes hard for people to understand what the AJTI is because there’s truly nothing like this that exists in Atlanta. It’s such an innovative way of serving Jewish teens.”

Dec 14 2017

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JumpSpark: A New Model of Teen Engagement

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Hope Chernak and Kelly Cohen
First published in the Atlanta Jewish Times ›

No matter your organization, mission or audience, there are hurdles to teen engagement, and success in today’s world requires new models of engagement to confront obstacles facing teens, including overextended schedules, academic pressure, the feeling of not fitting into existing programs, and a lack of relevance of the Jewish community and its teachings.

We know that effective Jewish programming needs to engage teens through their interests and speak to their passions. Teen program providers should recognize the obstacles to participation while offering a range of ways for teens to connect and stay connected within the Jewish community.

The Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative kicked off its first engagement by gathering teens across Atlanta for an Atlanta United game. The first JumpSpark intensive session, set for January, will focus on sports.

With this in mind, a new platform has been conceived by the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative, the ninth city in the Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative. This bold experiment targets Jewish teens not fully engaged in Jewish life through a new program, JumpSpark, which offers interest-based intensives for Jewish teens during school breaks.

Teens have diverse interests and talents, so there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. The goal and methodology of JumpSpark addresses the gap between the pursuit of areas of interest and Jewish involvement.

The innovation in our platform is adaptable and can be replicated in any community across the country with four guiding principles:

Don’t make teens choose.

We know students’ lives are complex and busy. Successful teen models will find topics that students are already interested in and meet them there. Jewish values are part of our everyday lives, and, as educators, it’s our role to help build those bridges for our teens.

As an example, our pilot intensive, JumpSpark Sports, will run from Jan. 2 to 5, the final week of the holiday break for many Atlanta school districts, and will engage students through a behind-the-scenes look at the sports industry.

This intensive program offers stadium tours, speakers, hands-on skill-building clinics and exposure to the business of sports. The intensive will couch those experiences in the language of Jewish wisdom and learning.

A trip to the College Football Hall of Fame will culminate in a discussion of Jewish models of heroes and how those values translate to modern sports heroes in a partnership with Beit Hatfutsot. A clinic with associate director of referee development for the NBA, Scott Bolnick, will be a lesson in tochecha, the Jewish laws of giving rebuke, with a larger focus on giving and receiving feedback.

Help teens build their résumé of life.

Teens prioritize activities that they feel are valuable, engaging and exceptional and are more likely to participate in activities that they think will help them get into college or assist their career path.

Every JumpSpark intensive will bring together a small cohort of teens who will use the unique features and people of Atlanta to learn, work and give back to the community together. Our participants will increase their knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, build Jewish identity and develop the capacity to contribute to the Jewish community and the world at large.

Partnership, partnership, partnership.

From its inception, the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative is rooted in collaboration. We cultivate partnerships with community professionals, educational institutions and other organizations, enabling us to use Atlanta as our classroom. However, AJTI is also the first programmatic partnership among the Marcus JCC, the Federation of Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Rabbinical Association.

Meet teens where they are and show them how their interests are meaningful using a Jewish lens.

Programs need to be offered during a time that works for students today. The Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative’s educational vision is to engage Jewish teens in growth opportunities through exceptional educational, community-building programs.

Motivated by the words of Isaac Luria, the 16th century master of Kabbalah, who said, “There is no sphere of existence that is not full of holy sparks,” the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative will guide teens to uncover meaning in their areas of interest and empower them to lift those “sparks” through engagement with Jewish wisdom, texts and values in accessible and relevant ways.

JumpSpark was inspired by a Brandeis University study, “Engaging Jewish Teens: A Study of New York Teens, Parents and Practitioners,” which said: “Virtually every teen is engaged in at least one extracurricular activity and over half hold at least one leadership position. Sports appear at the top of the list and Jewish activities at the bottom. The main reasons teens choose these activities are that they are fun and give them opportunities to learn new things and develop skills.”

Students should not have to choose between extracurriculars and Jewish involvement. Our goal, thus, is to ignite a spark in teens and to lower at least one hurdle to engagement. In the months ahead, JumpSpark will offer intensives on culinary arts, music, esports, dramatic arts, fashion, and writing and publishing, just to name a few. We are planning a weeklong program discussing civil rights in collaboration with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Etgar 36.

When electricity jumps across a gap, a spark, called a jump-spark, is produced. This is the inspiration behind our program name and reflects our mission to help ignite sparks within individual teens and within the Jewish teen community.

To learn more about our teen program and to join our mailing list, visit JumpSparkATL.org. Registration for JumpSpark programs is open. Contact info@atlantajewishteens.org for more information.

Hope Chernak is the former executive director of JumpSpark, formerly called the Atlanta Jewish Teen Initiative. Kelly Cohen is the education director of JumpSpark.

May 17 2017

Love0

Navigating Concepts Presented In The Show “13 Reasons Why”

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

By Dr. Betsy Stone and Hope Chernak

Our teens are looking for on-ramps for conversations with adults in a safe
space. “13 Reasons Why” can be used as a tool to discuss difficult
situations and behaviors that often come up in conversations with teens
today as well as played out in the hallways of their schools. Teens that
haven’t seen the show are also impacted by the experiences and
information they are hearing about the show with their friends and with
social media.

Here are some basic ideas that should guide you when speaking to teens:
If you initiate the conversation, remember to then let your teen carry the conversation (LISTEN).

Listening is a long-term proposition. To really listen, you have a listen over an extended period of time. That means sitting with someone without other ideas racing around in your head.
Listening to feelings DOES NOT involve trying to talk someone out of their feelings. Just because you wouldn’t be hurt or scared doesn’t mean that a student isn’t hurt or scared. Respect the feelings people share with you. It’s one of the kindest and most powerful reactions you can have to someone sharing with
you.
You don’t know how anyone else feels. You know how you feel. When you tell someone you know how they feel, you’re actually telling them that you’re not listening.
Problem solving isn’t listening. When someone wants help with a problem, offer help. But most people don’t want help until they have shared their feelings about complicated problems. And they get to decide what’s a complicated problem.
Sometimes the things you hear upset you. That’s reasonable. Who can you go to for your sounding board and support? Will they listen?
Don’t promise that you will keep secrets. Sometimes you can’t.
Sometimes the things you hear seem dangerous. If you’re worried about danger, you can’t leave the teen alone and you need to get help ASAP. Who is your go-to person? How would you contact them?
Take your time. You don’t have to have answers to every question. “let me think” or “let me get back to you” are perfectly reasonable ways to let yourself calm down enough to think.

Other tips:

Remember to ask open ended questions.
It is important to allow our teens to have the space for dialogue and let them fill in the gaps instead of us speaking the entire time.
Use language that is appropriate for the teen that you are speaking to (e.g. age, maturity, intellect).
Possible questions to ask teens about “13 Reasons Why”:
- What parts of the book /or show they found interesting?
- What parts of the book/or show they found difficult or bothered you?
- What parts of the book do you think adults will find difficult?
- What do you think was missing from the show?
- What are your friends discussing about the show?
- Let your teen carry the conversation.
- Be supportive and follow up with appropriate questions.
- What if you don’t understand something that is portrayed in the show?
- Be honest.
- Ask your teen what they think about the questions they posed to you (e.g., “I don’t get that/What’s that all about?”).