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Jul 01 2020
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JumpSpark is Passing the Mic

By JumpSpark

While JumpSpark was virtually road tripping around the country exploring colleges and universities, the world changed. Important conversations have started about the need for cis-gender, straight, white Americans to educate themselves about the systemic racism and discrimination our country was built on. Jewish Americans are not exempt from this work.

As an organization committed to helping each Jewish teen find an authentic expression of their Judaism, that also has thousands of social media followers, JumpSpark recognizes the privilege of our platform. So, for the month of July, and forever after, JumpSpark is committed to using its social media and programming as a platform to amplify the voices in our community that have been silenced or excluded from communal conversations. We are committing to passing the mic.

Drawing from Encounter’s Communication Agreement, we invite everyone to join us in the radical act of ‘resilient listening’. “Listening does not mean that we endorse a viewpoint or an interpretation of facts, nor validate the facts a person chooses to present or omit. ‘Resilient listening’ allows a person and/or a community to live with tension, to hold multiple perspectives at the same time, and to continue to be open to learning new rather than guarding against and shutting down. Only when we can learn from those with whom we disagree can we be more effective and solution-oriented advocates and change-agents.”

When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand… Listening, not talking is the gifted and great role… So try listening. Listen to your wife, your husband, your father, your mother, your children, your friends, to those who love you and those who don’t, to those who bore you, to your enemies. It will work a small miracle. And perhaps a great one. — Brenda Ueland, from The Art of Listening

During July, you can expect: 

  • Curated articles from teen voices published across the country from sources including Jewish Women’s Archive Rising Voices, JGirls Magazine, and Project HereNow 
  • Local Atlanta teen voices from our partner VOX ATL, Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing and self-expression 
  • Instagram takeovers from Atlanta Jewish teens and young adults on their personal relationships with Judaism 
  • Features from SOJOURN’s Sex Ed Queeries video series and special segments for JumpSpark followers from the creators themselves 
Apr 19 2020
Love0

Spark Note: Bridging The Gap Between Atlanta and Israel

By JumpSpark

Shinshinim Atlanta creates bridges between Atlanta and Israel by bringing tastes of Israel to Jewish Atlanta. The Shinshinim are Israeli high school graduates who defer their military service for a shnat sherut (year of service) abroad. The program is a partnership between the Jewish Agency For Israel, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and local partners including synagogues, Jewish camps, Jewish after school programs, youth groups, the MJCCA, Jewish day schools, and summer camps. 

Especially as the world seems to have lost the meaning of the world “normal,” staying deeply connected becomes more important than ever. As the situation became more serious and schools started closing all of the Shinshinim had to pack up everything and move back to Israel. Though the Shinshinim look forward to returning once the situation has been resolved, for now, the focus has been on how we can continue to provide that personal connection that means so much to people – especially as the isolation continues.

“During those confusing times, many teens are trying to find their way between their new online school routine, whatever it might look like if at all, and the confusion of spending the ‘best years of their lives’ quarantined at home. Being teens ourselves, we understand their difficulties and what they need to deal with. That’s one of the main reasons we try and make it so we’ll be there for the teens of our community, in whatever way it may be. Whether it’s through continuing to join classes at Weber at AJA, through youth movements like NFTY, USY and BBYO which we are continuing to stay connected even from half a world apart.  The other very special thing that we do – which happened naturally – is simply keeping in contact with each other.” – Dor Almog, Shinshin

Particularly due to their closeness in age, the Shinshinim have shared very meaningful connections with many Atlanta teens they met through our partner organizations and host families. On the flip side, because the Shinshinim are in Israel and a year further along, they are able to provide a different, perspective. For example, for high school seniors, this was supposed to be the highlight of their high school lives, the fact that they have someone a bit older to talk to that isn’t part of their daily routine makes a very nice and meaningful addition to their connection with Israel.

“It was really hard for us to have to go back to Israel; but I can safely say for all the Shinshinim, we are truly proud and grateful that they have had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing Atlanta community. I sure that some of the connections we made with teens will last for a long time.” – Dor Almog, Shinshin

Apr 08 2020
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Spark Note: The Importance of Self Care

By JumpSpark

Passover 2020 – it looks different this year. We may all be thinking about how weird this is or feel a bit depressed that the large family gathering isn’t taking place. These feelings are all normal and are expected to be felt this year.

The Blue Dove Foundation, an Atlanta based nonprofit focusing on mental health education in the Jewish Community, created the Mental Health Seder Plate resource to help ground us all and restore some calmness into our Passover holiday.

Just as the symbols on the Seder plate keep us engaged with the story of Passover, each of us has self-care tools that keep us engaged with our mental health. Self-care refers to ways we attend to our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. The more of these tools we have, the better prepared we are for days when we are at our most vulnerable.

We can use Passover as a time to stop and reflect not only on the Exodus story but on our own mental health. On those difficult days when we feel stuck in a metaphorical Egypt, this mental health Seder plate can offer us inner peace.

The Mental Health Seder Plate resource consists of several pieces to include in your Passover Seder.

Personal reflection activity – This activity helps individuals to take a few moments to think about their own mental health and what they need, who can support them and how to feel comfortable. Print a copy out for each individual to complete on their own time.

Mental health interpretation of the Passover Seder plate – Offer these as additional explanations or alternative interpretations of items represented on the Passover Seder plate.

Four mental health Passover questions – Share these four questions after the traditional four questions are recited to open up a conversation around mental health.

Download this resource and view additional mental health Passover resources at https://thebluedovefoundation.org/mentalhealthpassoverseder.

The Blue Dove Foundation was created to help address the issues of mental illness and substance abuse in the Jewish community and beyond. Based in Atlanta, they work with people and organizations across the United States and around the world. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected to the Jewish mental health conversation.

Apr 07 2020
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Spark Note: Repairing the World Around Us

By JumpSpark

Repair the World Atlanta mobilizes Jews and their communities to take action to pursue a just world, igniting a lifelong commitment to service. Our young adult Fellows serve full-time for 11 months supporting community-based organizations working toward housing, food, and education justice. Fellows engage volunteers in meaningful service: a cycle of learning, action, and reflection. We believe that volunteering to meet the urgent needs of our communities is a universal value and we celebrate everyone at the intersection of identities they hold.

Serving our communities, especially during this trying time, continues to be Repair the World’s priority. While Repair the World has decided to put our in-person service and learning opportunities on hold, we are shifting our focus to consider how we can mobilize Jews and our neighbors to take action to repair the world as an essential avenue of support for people impacted by the unfolding circumstances. We have been grappling with the question, “what can we do to support those around us?” We know that inequity makes vulnerable members of our community even more affected in times of distress.

During this time of social distancing, Repair is supporting its partner organizations through social distance-safe volunteer opportunities and encourages you to get involved in any way that you feel comfortable: 

Become a Grocery Helper! Concrete Jungle, a non-profit dedicated to harvesting and donating fresh produce to those in need, is mobilizing volunteers to purchase and deliver essential food items for vulnerable families experiencing isolation due to COVID-19.  Sign-up to shop for and deliver groceries to your neighbors here.

Provide a meal to women experiencing homelessness! Rebecca’s Tent, an emergency weather shelter for women experiencing homelessness in DeKalb County, relies on volunteers to provide meals for the residents.

  • Sign up to cook and deliver a meal!  There are more than 20 openings in April. Women are now being housed separately to comply with social distancing. Food is needed for 6 women and should be divided into 6 separate portions.
  • Order essential items off of their Amazon wishlist

Donate for emergency groceries! PAWKids is continuing to support Grove Park families by acting as a distribution hub, providing meals that people can pick up and bring home on foot. 40% of neighborhood residents do not have access to a car. Donations will allow PAWKids to purchase food for families who lack access to transportation to designated school pick-up sites. 

  • Donate directly to PAWKids earmarking your gift for COVID-19 via PayPal
  • Or purchase gift cards for a local grocery store: Publix, Kroger, Walmart. Gift cards can be dropped off at PAW or mailed to: P.O. Box 20468, Atlanta GA 30325
  • Also accepting donations of laptops, phones and tablets for remote learning
Apr 07 2020
Love0

Spark Note: CCC Activates Teens to Give Back

By JumpSpark

Over the last few weeks, the teens and adults at Creating Connected Communities have been busy helping the community. Even while stuck at home people have been cleaning out closets and reaching out with donations. Through all of these efforts, CCC has been able to donate GoGo squeeZ applesauce, books, snacks, bottled water, games, hand sanitizer, activities, toys, personal care products, puzzles, Play-Doh, and school supplies to people in need!

Overall more than $8,000 of supplies were donated to community partners, including the Atlanta Police Athletic League (PAL), Community Assistance Center, JF&CS Atlanta, and the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. It’s amazing that the toys and supplies our community had on-hand are now in the hands of children stuck at home without resources.

“We are honored and thankful that we were able to do a small part of the relief effort by bringing food and supplies to some of our partner agencies during this time. We are so amazed and energized by our incredible community and our teens who collected items for us to distribute, shared our efforts with their networks, and continue to hold items for us to pick up as soon as we are able.” – Tara Kornblum, CCC Program Director

Want to help out? Everyone can continue to sort books, Lego, new toys, and home goods and set them aside for Creating Connected Communities to get after the shelter in place is lifted. Unfortunately, due to stay-at-home orders throughout the state, CCC is no longer accepting donations at this time.

Want to learn more about CCC? Check out their website https://www.cccprojects.org/ or follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CCCprojects

Founded in 2010, Creating Connected Communities (CCC), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring life-enhancing programs to children in need by empowering teens to become engaged community leaders and volunteers.

In partnership with more than 60 Atlanta agencies, the 135+ Jewish teens in our Leadership Development Program plan and implement ten community programs for thousands of children and families in need. They learn valuable leadership skills such as fundraising, public speaking, program planning and more.

Through our programs, children receive thousands of gifts, meals, books and personal care items. They participate in outdoor festivals, carnivals, craft projects, DJ dance parties, and more with the help of hundreds of teen volunteers!

Apr 01 2020
Love0

Spark Note: The Wisdom of Doing Nothing

By JumpSpark

Sleep has always been my number one enemy. I viewed it as a personal crime against the way I was able to use my given time in this life. Why should I have to put everything on hold for 8 hours every single day? Didn’t seem efficient and I had places to go, big dreams to achieve. I lived for a decade with a “sleep when you’re dead” mantra running between my ears –  pounding coffee and demanding that I didn’t need to rest like other people. I worked multiple day and night jobs simultaneously from Sunday to Sunday with no Holy or unholy Sabbath to speak of. I thought I was in control, making the best of things. I thought I had cheated the system, but it turns out that the system exists so we cannot cheat ourselves. 

The past two weeks in quarantine have changed my busy bee mentality and forced me to make a change by taking me out of my “normal” and into this alternative reality, where I have all the time in the world. I am not constantly worried about just getting through the next big thing. Now, time spent sleeping, which used to make me feel guilty and unproductive, is actually making me a better version of myself. I have noticed greater mental and physical stamina, my appetite is back, and I have more control over my emotions. I am able to find inspiration to continue my songwriting more easily and I can see the bigger picture of my journey without anxiety. 

Using time wisely doesn’t mean you always have to be doing or making something. Sometimes the wisest thing to do is nothing at all.  

— Hannah Zale is Jewish professional by day and a rock star by night!

Hannah grew up in Warner Robins, a small town in middle Georgia, where she and her brother were the only Jewish children around. She is a recent graduate of The University of Georgia, where she earned degrees in both Social Media Theory and Music Business and is now putting her education to the ultimate test — zealously managing her career as an independent artist! She’s currently in four bands that tour around the country (ZALE, The Pussywillows, Millenniyum, and Chelsea Shag) and is also the Youth Director at Beth Shalom.

Hannah has served as In the City Camps (ITC) Summer Camp Music Specialist since 2015. In the fall of 2019, Hannah joined the ITC team full-time as the Community Outreach Coordinator, cultivating meaningful partnerships with other organizations, managing staff recruitment, and finding resources to support ITC’s mission and culture throughout the community.

Mar 20 2020
Love0

Spark Note: JumpSpark Resources and Updates in This New Reality

By JumpSpark

We at JumpSpark are here to support our community in this time of uncertainty. Below you will find an update about our Spark Grants, Teen and Parent surveys, and Some Valuable Resources for this new reality.

JumpSpark is delaying Spark Grant decisions, reopening applications will reassess on May 15th

Due to the uncertainty of the future, JumpSpark is delaying Spark Grant decisions and will reassess on May 15th. This will allow us time to assess needs and make sure we are uses our funds in a way that speaks to our new reality. If you have an idea that speaks to this moment, can be operationalized at this time, and needs funds to get off the ground please reach out. As we all pivot JumpSpark has decided to reopen the grant application and are accepting new ideas for Spark Grants. We appreciate your flexibility and patience at this difficult time. Apply here: https://jumpsparkatl.org/spark-grants/

Amazing new resource from the Jewish Teen Funder Collaborative: https://www.newrealityresources.com/

This website aggregates the amazing content, resources and webinars into one place with a focus on youth professionals / those serving teens with clear categories. I hope this saves you all time so that you can spend your energy connecting deeply with the community you serve, and meeting local needs.

On the site you will find:

  1. A spreadsheet of social media content and sources you can lift / share out in a Google spreadsheet that will be frequently updated (also found HERE).
  2. Virtual program ideas and links to 4Front’s new curated content site
  3. A Haggadah for a virtual Seder compiled by Cincinnati
  4. Guides for educators
  5. Public webinars (and links to their recordings if you miss the times)
  6. Wellbeing tools, such as Jewish meditation how-to’s and spirituality resources
  7. General coronavirus updates

**Please note, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has also built a site with both national and local resources: https://jewishatlanta.org/covid19-resources/  In addition, in an effort to best serve our community, Federation is leading the needs assessment and fundraising efforts for our community, you can learn more about the Jewish Emergency Response Fund here

JumpSpark is going virtual

We miss seeing all of you and would love to have you join us for our upcoming virtual learning activities. We will be offering more opportunities in the coming weeks.

  1. A Taste of Moving Traditions Webinar, March 30, 1-2, will be held over Zoom (Register here: http://movingtraditions.formstack.com/forms/tasteofmt)
  2. JumpSpark professional teen mental health first aid, April 28, 9-5, will be held over Zoom (more information coming)
  3. Intown Post-graduation Engagement for Parents Webinar, April 28 7-8:30pm (Navigating Parenthood event – more information coming)

BBYO On-Demand

JumpSpark has joined BBYO as a partner on their amazing new platform BBYO On-Demand: https://azabbg.bbyo.org/on-demand/home If you, or your community are interested in hosting programming on the platform you can submit details here: https://azabbg.bbyo.org/on-demand/home. Please reach out if you have any questions.

JumpSpark is still running our teen and parent surveys

We have 200 teen responses and 150 parent responses so far! Thank you everyone for your efforts in making this happen. It is truly a community project that will yield data helpful to all of us.  The survey is scheduled to end on March 27th so please continue to share it out to your communities, especially since everyone is at home in front of a screen.

Teen survey: http://bit.ly/teensurveyatl

Parent survey: http://bit.ly/parentsurveyatl

Mar 06 2020
Love0

Spark Note: Educating Generation Z about Israel

By JumpSpark
Annie Fortnow, Engagement Manager

As JumpSpark considers its role in expanding teen Israel education in Atlanta, we find ourselves at the forefront of a changing approach to this topic for teens today. 

In December 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel with The Jewish Education Project (TJEP) and other Jewish Israel educators from cross-denominational and political perspectives to rethink how we educate Generation Z about Israel. Since today’s youth are increasingly progressive and questioning the conflicts within Israeli society, we need to adapt the traditional Israel trip to better meet teens’ understanding and connection with Israel through a multi-narrative approach that gives a voice to the different ethnic groups that make up the tapestry of Israel. 

What the Data Says

In TJEP’s comprehensive Gen Z report, data shows a clear generational shift in how kids see the Jew in today’s society – teens care about all people, but they are not tribalist. They are asking if being Jewish is good for global humanity, not just their people. The idea of Jewish peoplehood is much less prevalent among teens today than older adults. 

Other major concerns of teens include:

  • Tikkun Olam: teens responded that tikkun olam feels like “white privelege” to them and reinforces Jews as an oppressive white minority. They are looking for a more nuanced approach to volunteering that includes community building and working with communities to fight for social justice and equality in our society.
  • Israel Connection: teens have a positive relationship towards Israel and see it as important in some way. However, the less connected the teen is to the organized Jewish community, the less they felt Israel was important. The organized Jewish community feels Israel is central to Jewish identity in the US, but is Israel the best way to be reaching people on the margins?
Download the full report

Exploring the Multi-Narrative Approach

Our first encounter with a multi-narrative approach to Israel education was with the community of Israelis from Ethiopian descent. We had the opportunity to hear from three prominent Israelis from Ethiopian descent who all work with the community’s absorption into Israeli society in various ways. 

To frame the session, we discussed the importance of talking about race in Israel for teens today. As a generation growing up in the wake of police brutality towards black and brown folks and mass incarceration in the US, issues of race relations are on their minds. Through speaking with the community, we learned that in Israel, there are similar acts of police brutality and discrimination towards Israelis of Ethiopian descent. Although we cannot fully compare the issues in these two countries, sharing this narrative in Israel with teens could allow them to consider their role as Jews in Israel and the US in improving race relations and creating justice and equity for all. 

The next day, we embarked on a dual narrative tour of Bethlehem from both an Israeli and Palestinian perspective. We observed the Israeli West Bank barrier that, from the Israeli narrative, serves as a security barrier against terrorism, and, from the Palestinian side, services as a racial segregation wall. To hear both sides allowed us to better understand the nuance behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and, ultimately, make a more informed opinion about our own beliefs. As teens today are increasingly progressive and see Israel as an oppressor in this conflict more and more, we need to not only talk about the conflict with the teens but show both sides to allow them to create their own stance and a better understanding of the complexity behind the situation.  

Questioning and critiquing is a Jewish practice that can be seen throughout our literature and in our traditions today. While Israel travel and education can no doubt light the spark for further Jewish identity exploration, it also allows teens to engage in this Jewish practice of questioning and exploring the complexities behind a situation. To truly meet teens where they’re at, we need to address issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and racism from a multi-narrative approach to add nuance and complexity to a teen’s views of the land, people, and State of Israel. Only then can we help teens discover their own stance on Israel and support their plight for justice and equity in our world. ~ A.F.

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