Teen Summer Programs Guide!

Project Based Learning for our MITs and JLeGITs

Tonight our MITs and JLeGITs got a taste of what project based learning really feels like. At our last meeting we were tasked with coming up with a creative way to introduce all of the teens working in our learning spaces to our Mayim families. We had received an email from a parent saying that her daughter LOVED the teens in her Chavurah so much and the parent wanted to know where to go to find out who they were!

Together we brainstormed and came up with the idea of creating a deck of playing cards, with pictures and information about each of the MITs and JLeGITs on each card--it's a win-win! Tonight the teens broke into 4 groups: Photo, Bio/Information, Budget and Layout/Design. In their groups they worked on their piece of the project--researching companies that make personalized playing cards, planning fundraisers to help pay for the cards, creating google surveys to collect information about each MIT or JLeGIT.

They were hard at work for almost an hour and we have a plan for the cards well underway. Be sure to keep your eyes out for information about our upcoming bake sale to support this project.

Come to Canobie Lake Park

Up Up and Away!

Earlier this month BESTY went Up Up and Away for a BESTY SkyZone Sleep-under! We loaded up buses and bounced at Skyzone for an hour and got delicious Pizza. Afterwards we headed back to temple for an "Up" filled Havdalah lead by BESTY board member Sam Moller and changed into PJs' for popcorn and the movie UP! It was a great event and really got 2012 started up an "Up" note :)

Hope to see you skiing Feb 12th for BESTY/Wilderness Ski trip!!

Boston to Austin Connection, Day 3

Shalom, Y'all!

We've had a wonderful last full day of working, playing, and learning in Austin. The day started at Emmanuel Methodist Church, a partner of Casa Marianella, where we were welcomed with open arms by the Pastor and his very kind congregation. Everyone was very appreciative of our coming to work in Austin, specifically at Casa Marianella, and it was really nice for the teens to spend some time with a community that would be profoundly impacted by the work they were doing.

After a quick bite we headed over to Casa Marianella where we spent the remainder of our afternoon. Casa Marianella is a shelter for immigrants just settling into life in the US and provides a variety of sources for its residents. Casa provides medical support, legal services, job placement services as well as English lessons and a warm bed at night. Having the opportunity to see the consequences of some of the policies and procedures surrounding immigration law in the US was a really impactful experience; the teens were able to see what we discussed prior to arriving in Austin along with what we learned at the UT Immigration Law Clinic in practice. The teens heard from a full-time staff member and Americorps volunteer about the program and then got to work on a variety of odd jobs around Casa. The staff and residents were incredibly grateful for the work our kids did. Once we finished up the work around the houses we all walked over to a local school to play soccer with some residents. It was the perfect way to end the day.

Between the soccer and manual labor, we worked up quite an appetite so we went over to South Congress (a favorite stretch of street among Austinites and tourists) for some good food and relaxation. Being that we're Jewish, and there's no such thing as too much food, following dinner we took the teens over to the original Whole Foods for an awesome and totally overwhelming grocery store experience. It was everything we all dreamed it would be and more.

We've had an amazing time in Austin and are incredibly proud of how hard the teens have worked and and how well they've represented themselves and our community. They've done some wonderful things here and we couldn't be more impressed with all of them.

Hannah and Lauren

Boston to Austin Connection Day 2

Greetings from Tejas!

After a much needed full night's rest, we hit the road for Bastrop Texas, Hannah's hometown and the site of devastating wildfires this summer. We worked with several other youth teams, including a group from Opus Dei of San Antonio and Houston and a high school community service club from nearby Cedar Park, to clear the slab of a home destroyed by the wildfire. We worked all day sifting through rubble, hauling debris, and made new friends while working to ensure a family's return to normalcy.


You can see a story about the wildfires and the damage done to Bastrop County and the rest of the state here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/06/earlyshow/main20101919.shtml

Once we were all showered and rested from an intense day of labor we headed over to the Broken Spoke for dinner and dancing! The Spoke is a legendary Austin haunt and classic Texas honky tonk. We took some dance lessons and before you knew it, our little Bostonians were two-stepping like champs. It was a really fun way to end a really great day.

Attached you'll find pictures from today's project in Bastrop as well as our teens cuttin' a rug.

We're excited to see what tomorrow holds and will update y'all soon!

Hannah & Lauren

Boston to Austin Connection Day 1 (11th and 12th Grade service trip to Austin, TX)

Howdy Y'all!

We've arrived safely in Austin and despite some very sleepy eyes, hit the ground running immediately.

After a delicious fast food extravaganza at Sonic we headed to the University of Texas Law School to meet with Professor Denise Gilman, a co-director of the school's Immigration Law Clinic (and, Hannah would like to note, another distinguished Bastropian). Prof. Gilman gave us an overview of current immigration policy, the challenges facing both the documented and undocumented immigrant populations, and answered our teens questions. Attached you'll find a picture of the teens with Lady Justice inside the UT Law School.

We also welcomed Shabbat by worshiping at Congregation Beth Israel and ended our long but exciting and super fun day with a Tex Mex supper spectacular at Baby Acapulco's- a grand time was had by all.

Be sure and check out the attached pictures for some very happy and somewhat sleepy teens in transit to and around Austin today.

Shabbat Shalom, y'all!
Hannah and Lauren

Preparing Children for the Challenges of Life After High School

How does camp help prepare children for the challenges of life after high school?

"...we live in a society that sometimes suggests to children that they are only safe within eyeshot of their parents. Yet, we parents want our children to grow in confidence and independence so that they can live productive, fulfilling and joyous lives. Camp enables children to experience successful independence. Like college, they are away-from-home. Unlike college, they are in a community committed to their physical and emotional safety."

Read the full article, "Creating Advantages in College," from Psychology Today here!

Summer Program Spotlight!

Welcome to TBS' Summer Program Spotlight! We love summer camps and the fantastic options they provide for teens to be campers, counselors in training, and eventually full-fledged counselors. But there are lots of programs out there for older campers who have never been to camp or who are ready for something new. We'll periodically highlight some of the great Jewish overnight programs designed specifically for teens, right here on the blog, to help you and your families learn more about the fantastic summer options available to you.

Programs you can expect to read more about include:
URJ Kutz Camp
NFTY Mitzvah Corps
NFTY in Israel
BIMA & Genesis at Brandeis
Passport NYC
and more!

For information about summer camps for all ages, see our Elementary Learning blog's Camp Spotlights! If you'd like to participate in a summer program spotlight to show everyone how awesome YOUR program is, feel free to send stories or photos, or just contact me at lking@tbsneedham.org. And I'm always available to answer your questions or just chat about camp at any time!

It's A Girl Thing!

One of our early Rosh Hodesh: It's A Girl Thing reunited this past weekend. They are now Seniors in High School, but have remained connected to each other, to TBS and to Allie Klien.

We are so excited about how popular this program has become. We currently run groups for 6th, 7th and 8th grade girls. The program is designed to empower Jewish girls to have confedence in who they are as people, as Jews and as girls and to make life decisions which reflect that. It is a safe space to explore the questions, voice the concerns, and celebrate the joys that come with being an adolescent girl.

May all of our Rosh Hodesh groups continue to get together and rely on one another throughout their lives!

Welcome

Welcome Families!