JumpSpark

JumpSpark, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s teen initiative, is conducting a survey to better understand the needs and experiences of Jewish teens in our area. Findings from this survey will be used to further develop meaningful Jewish experiences for teenagers, addressing their interests, passions, and needs, to better serve them and their families.  

Teens who complete the survey will have the opportunity to win a $100 Amazon gift card every week the survey is open! The survey closes soon, so click here to complete it now!  

To protect respondent privacy, survey responses will be collected, aggregated, and anonymized by a third-party research firm, Informing Change, which has many years of experience evaluating Jewish youth programming. 

Please contact Rebekah Blume at Informing Change (rblume@informingchange.com) if you have any questions about the survey, or Director of JumpSpark, Nathan Brodsky (nbrodsky@jewishatlanta.org) for any questions about the larger evaluation effort. 

Remember, the survey will close soon, so please share the link with the Atlanta teens in your life today! 

During the pandemic, JumpSpark, Atlanta’s Jewish teen initiative, started a program to help parents of teens prepare for the transition from high school to college. On February 1^st at 7 pm at Temple Sinai, they’re hosting an event for the parents of 7^th-9^th graders called Navigating Parenthood: Transitioning to High School.

The leap from middle to high school is a major one. Parents often wonder, “What will my child’s journey in high school be like? How will their Jewish identity fit into the puzzle? How can I support them?” This event is a chance for parents to learn from experts and connect with other families who are in the same stage of life.

Jenn Caplovitz is on the host committee for this event. She has two sets of twins: one pair is in 8^th grade, and the younger duo is in 6^th. As the first of her kids prepare for high school, she is eager to learn more about this major life transition.

“High school is scary these days—it’s competitive, it’s much more intense than it was when I was a kid.” She says that through her network and through social media, she notices these differences. “Teenagers are drinking earlier, partying earlier; their workload and expectations are very different, there’s more pressure on kids to do well.”

Social media is a major life complication for teens, and it’s one most parents did not grow-up with. Jenn says, “It affects them both positively and negatively. Girls and boys experience pressure from what they see online—it’s not just magazine covers anymore. It comes from Tik Tok and Instagram. It’s a different experience than we had.”

Navigating Parenthood: Transitioning to High School will feature experts who will give parents tools to support their teens on the topics of emotional well-being, academic success, learning differences, and Jewish engagement. Parents will have the option to attend breakout sessions led by Judy Wolman, Ph.D., of Sandy Springs Psychological Center, P.C; Carrie Poline, D.O., FAPA, CEDS, double-board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist; and Jed Applerouth, Ph.D., certified counselor and Founder & President of Applerouth Tutoring, and Marisa Kaiser, Charles S. Ackerman Senior Director of Learning & Engagement at Temple Sinai Atlanta.

Jenn was already looking forward to the event, and then she found out who the speakers were. She is excited to learn from these experts and draw on their experience. “You can go into high school blind, or you can go in with knowledge. The more resources you have for your kid, the better.”

Click here to register for this engaging and informative night!

Debra Siegel is a mother of two: her son, Zack, is a sophomore in high school, and her daughter, Zoe, is a freshman at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Both of her children attended elementary and middle school at The Epstein School, and then Riverwood International Charter School. Zoe became involved with JumpSpark’s Strong Women Fellowship  while she was in high school, and Zack  also participates in JumpSpark programs. Before long, Debra learned that JumpSpark isn’t just for teens—it’s for parents, too.

JumpSpark is the Atlanta Jewish teen initiative at Federation and serves as a hub for teen engagement. But JumpSpark also offers programming for parents, families, and guardians of teenagers. Next week, JumpSpark is hosting two events for parents in Atlanta’s Jewish community: an in-person event called “Let’s Talk About Being a Parent of a Jewish College/Gap Year Student,” and an online workshop for parents of pre-teen and teen boys called “Helping Boys Thrive.”

Last spring, Debra participated in a JumpSpark program called “Project Launch” which helped parents of high school seniors with the transition from high school to college or a gap year.

Debra found it hugely helpful to connect with other parents who were approaching the same milestone. Participants were given support and helpful tips as they navigated this emotional time. “There are so many pieces that go into it—budgeting, parent/student communication, social and emotional wellness, learning about antisemitism, and how our children can be involved in Jewish campus life, even if not necessarily in a religious way.”

Now, Debra is on the Host Committee for an in-person event for parents called “Let’s Talk About Being a Parent of a Jewish College/Gap Year Student” on December 1, 2022, at 6:30 pm at Temple Sinai. This event is for parents and guardians of current college and gap year students. Debra says she’s excited to come together with her peers to “share what we’ve learned through this experience of sending our kids to college—the ups and downs, and how we can best support our children.”

In a year or so, Debra will be starting the post-high school planning process with Zack. JumpSpark’s goal is to help families through the transitions they go through during their teen years, and Debra is excited to access those programs for her son.

For many families with boys, the teenage years can be difficult. Boys often have a hard time communicating their feelings or opening up to parents about their struggles. JumpSpark is offering the program “Helping Boys Thrive” on Wednesday, November 30, at 12 pm.

This free, online workshop will be presented in collaboration with the Jewish Education Collaborative and will feature speakers from Moving Traditions. Parents and guardians of middle and early high school boys will have the opportunity to build community with other parents and get access to valuable resources from experts. Participants will leave the program with practical tools they can use with their families.

Parenting a teenager can sometimes feel isolating, and JumpSpark wants parents to know they are not alone as they navigate challenging waters. These two events are opportunities for families to build community and access valuable resources. As Debra says, such programs are important because, “We are reminded that we are all going through this together.”