J Teen Connect AZ, an initiative of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale, has relaunched its efforts to strengthen and expand Jewish teen engagement across the Greater Phoenix area and hired Shayna Raphael as its community coordinator.<\/p>\n
Community stalwart Jennifer Schwarz was J Teen\u2019s founder when the organization began in 2017, and in the spring of 2020, J Teen went on a COVID-induced hiatus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are beyond thrilled to bring J Teen Connect AZ back to the community under Shayna\u2019s leadership and to start promoting all of the incredible opportunities available to Jewish teens across the Valley, nationally and internationally,\u201d said Schwarz. \u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Shayna and are very thankful to the VOSJCC for its leadership in taking on this important endeavor for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
A recent graduate from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Raphael grew up in the Valley and is a member of Beth El Phoenix. \u201cI was in all the youth groups and went to sleepaway camp, and I\u2019m very familiar with this world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Raphael explained that J Teen will serve as a bridge between youth groups and organizations, helping teens and families find appropriate programs. The service will connect teens to summer, Israel and gap-year programs and be a conduit, rather than hosting programs itself, for potentially larger collaborative events.<\/p>\n
One of these events happened in March with a viewing of the documentary \u201cOctober 8,\u201d an exploration of the surge in antisemitism following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cJen Schwarz managed to bring that to the Valley, fully funded, for teens to see it without any cost to them,\u201d said Leah Zigmond, chief officer of youth and family programs at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center. \u201cJ Teen Connect is going to be able to do the outreach to connect all the different youth groups, so that teens can have a similar experience and possibly have access to things that they wouldn\u2019t have in just their own youth group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rafael said they are focusing on teens in grades eight to 12, during the transition from middle school to high school, when many kids drift away from Jewish activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to keep that connection,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like that\u2019s where you lose a lot of kids, when they go to high school and they\u2019re like, \u2018Why do I need to be involved in this anymore?\u2019 We need to keep that sparkle going for Jewish teens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zigmond said that they are also creating a parent advisory group. \u201cThe parents are the ones who often have the questions and the interest,\u201d she said. \u201cThe kids maybe don\u2019t realize that they\u2019re going to want these connections in a few years, but the parents know they will.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also said that J Teen will have a parallel goal that is focused on Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are especially excited about a new focus that will help more teens to travel on life-changing trips to Israel,\u201d added Schwarz.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince October 7th, 2023, now more than ever, we need to offer teens a way to connect to Israel,\u201d said Zigmond. \u201cThere\u2019s so much about Israel in the news, and on social media, and so much of it is confusing that we want to make sure kids have a way to sift through all that information, feel good about their connection with Israel and know how to have a conversation about Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Raphael was attending U of A on, and after, Oct. 7, she said she witnessed firsthand a surge of Jewish kids on campus after the war began. She learned from University of Arizona Hillel that the university experienced a high rate of transfer students coming from East Coast colleges, perhaps due to the rise in antisemitism on other college campuses. According to Hillel Magazine, U of A ranked 17th in Jewish student population in the top 60 public universities\/colleges.<\/p>\n
She said it\u2019s more important than ever for teens to connect, whether it\u2019s going to Israel, attending a weekly youth group or going to Hebrew High, and she wants to make sure that teens can find these resources easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main goal is to get teens involved, so that they grow into strong Jewish people as they continue through their journey,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many programs in the Valley, and so many different opportunities for teens to become involved.\u201d JN<\/p>\n