Today is May 19, 2012 - 27 Iyyar 5772
METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grants
Introduction
This past year one of the main goals of METNY’s Department of Youth Activities has been strengthening the chapter. We realized that to have a successful region it was essential that we have chapters that excite and engage our members. In order to help our chapters capture the attention of current and potential USYers, our District created the METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grants.
All of the synagogues in the district were invited to apply for a $500 grant to help stimulate their programming during the beginning of the year. Proposals included a description of the program, a budget, a timeline and a methodology of evaluation. Those chapters that received the METNY Chapter Enhancement Grant were also asked to write an evaluation of their program, as well as publicize their success in the synagogues’ bulletin.
Lessons Learned
From speaking with participating youth directors throughout the year, we learned that these grants were able to fill several vital needs.
First and foremost, the METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grant allowed our chapters to hold a major program for their chapter early in the year. This created excitement and publicity for the chapter beyond our normal regional, divisional and chapter events. These programs helped attract new members to the chapter, as well as provided a “boost” for their current members.
A second benefit of the grant program was that chapter officers were able to learn how to create and plan a major chapter event. One major concern brought to us by parents and professional staff was that the chapter board members are not given enough opportunities to hone their leadership skills. This grant provided them an excellent opportunity to learn how to plan a successful program step-by-step.
Finally, in a year where synagogues were forced to re-evaluate their youth budgets, the METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grants provided the necessary stimulus to help chapter provide excellent programming through the early stages of the year.
Highlights
While each recipient was awarded the same amount, it was amazing to see the different types of programs that the USYers and staff developed.
One program that received a great response was an intergenerational program between the USYers and Holocaust survivors at Shelter Rock Jewish Center. The two groups met in the synagogue Sukkah for dinner followed by Israeli dancing and singing. This was an amazing opportunity for the USYers to connect with members of their community and hear their story firsthand.
Another type of program that was success was the chapter Shabbaton held by the joint program at Hollis Hills Jewish Center, Hillcrest Jewish Center and the Israel Center for Conservative Judaism. During Shabbat the teens had the opportunity participate in icebreakers, help with services and bond as chapter. On Saturday night the group participated in a GADNA program. This included speaking with Amit Shuker, former lieutenant with the IDF special forces, and creating a basic training simulation.
Pelham Jewish Center used their grant to redo their youth lounge. Their new space helped raise the profile of the program within their community.
A final example of the programming that was created with the METY USY Chapter Enhancement Grant was Montebello Jewish Center‘s “Make Your Own Sushi Night”. This was a special treat for the USYers and a perfect example of how something the members love can be incorporated into the calendar. Chefs from a local sushi restaurant showed the group how to make sushi, as well as discussed aspects of kashrut.
All of these successful programs have aspects that can be duplicated by other chapters around the region. In order to facilitate the sharing of these programs, the chapter METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grant events that were held during the 2009-2010 year will be used to create a new program bank at www.metnyusy.org. One of our greatest strengths is the ability to draw on the experiences of our individual chapters. It is our hope that these programs can be successfully replicated in other synagogues.
Staff Training
The METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grants also created a forum for METNY District to conduct professional development for our chapter Youth Directors and Advisors. Midway through the year, the METNY Youth Department held a “check-in” conference call for the Youth Directors that participated in the grant program. During the call each Youth Director reviewed their program for the group, and then we discussed some of the successes and difficulties of planning a program.
Some of the topics addressed were outreach to new members, program promotion and accomplishing our programmatic goals. Following this discussion there was a short session on evaluation techniques. Whereas the content was geared to our current projects, this session provided valuable long-term information for everyone that participated. The conference call attendees felt that the meeting was successful and this model was an excellent way to provide professional development opportunities for our chapter staff.
Yasher Koach
The METNY District would like to congratulate the recipients of the 2009 -2010 METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grants:
- Forest Hills Jewish Center
- H2I (Hollis Hills Jewish Center, Hillcrest Jewish Center, Israel Center for Conservative Judaism)
- Kane Street Synagogue
- Town and Village Synagogue
- Congregation Or Zarua
- Dix Hills Jewish Center
- East Northport Jewish Center
- Huntington Jewish Center
- Manetto Hill Jewish Center
- Midway Jewish Center
- North Shore Jewish Center
- South Huntington Jewish Center
- Woodbury Jewish Center
- Hudson Valley USY (Croton Jewish Center, First Hebrew Congregation of Peekskill, Temple Beth Shalom of Mahopac, Yorktown Jewish Center)
- Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, NY
- Jewish Community Center of Harrison
- Montebello Jewish Center
- New City Jewish Center
- Pelham Jewish Center
- Temple Sinai (Middletown)
- Temple Sholom (Greenwich)
- Westchester Jewish Center
- Shelter Rock Jewish Center
- Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Center
- Merrick Jewish Centre
- Temple Beth Sholom (Roslyn)
- Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel (Glen Cove)
Moving Forward Together
This year the METNY Department of Youth Activities has worked hard to identify new ways to provide support for our chapters. The METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grant was an exciting new way for METNY to serve our congregations and strengthen our chapters. If you have any suggestions regarding ways we can serve our chapters, please contact Rabbi Charles Savenor at savenor@uscj.org; Steven Topal, Youth Commission Chair, at stopal@metisgroupllc.com; or our office, via phone at 212-533-0800.
