Designer Education for New Millennium Teens (Part 1)

Coalition for Jewish Learning’s

Teen Days of Discovery,

Social Action, and the Arts

and Mini-Schools Programming

Presented by JoAnne GaudynskiTeen Enrichment CoordinatorCoalition for Jewish Learning7161 N. Port Washington Road / 6255 N. Port Washington RoadMilwaukee, WI  53217Phone: (414) 247-1991 / 963-2728   Fax: (414) 247-5638 / 963-2711E-mail: joanneg@milwaukeejewish.orgWebsite: www.cjlmilwaukee.org/Teens/cjlteens_news.htm

Coalition for Jewish Learning is the education program of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. CJL promotes and advances Jewish education in the greater Milwaukee community, provides a support system for the community's institutions of Jewish learning, and forges coalitions to ensure excellence in Jewish education.

Prior CJL Teen Programming--Some History Tichon-various incarnations Machon/Merkaz—1999-2003 Teen Education Committee-2004 Jewish Teen Day of Discovery-2005, 2006, and

2007 Teen Day of Social Action-2006, 2007 Teen Day of the Arts—2007 Mini-School of the Arts—2007

Growth of CJL’s Teen Days

Jewish Teen Day of Discovery

January 2005, 2006 and 2007

Teen Day of Social Action

April 2006and March 2007

Jewish TeenDay of the ArtsOctober 2006

Mini-School of the Arts--Young Jewish Filmmaker’s Project

January 2007

Why did prior programming fail?

Post B’nai Mitzvah attrition rate

Religious “latency period” Competing activities Lack of relevant choices Lack of opportunities to be

“real” and take responsibility

“Territoriality”—need to “Connect the Silos”

Supplementary SchoolCensus

Grade 2005 2006

7th 112 70

8th 85 74

9th 74 83 10th 58 55 11th 3 7 12th 0 0

What do teens want?

High interest topics Low time commitment/drop in-drop out Exciting, non-school settings Interactive activities/hands-on experiences Buy-in to the planning process Novelty Ability to make a real difference

How do we know what teens want?

Teen committees, focus groups, interns On-line surveys, exit surveys Studies Blogs Phone interviews Individual conversations with teens, parents,

youth group leaders, and other educators Help from college marketing students

Some Hallmarks of CJL’s Teen Programming Consensus and buy-in Flexible time frames Niche programming and marketing Diversity and inclusion Leadership development Full scale publicity—local, regional,

national, and on-line

Consensus and Partnerships

Synagogue schools/Principals’ Council Day schools Local agencies, JCC Regional agencies Youth groups—BBYO, NCSY, NIFTY, USY,

Young Judaea, Chabad and others Other youth servers JVibe Magazine

Publicity

Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle Journal-Sentinel Religious Events Column TV News, radio Website with links to partners Postcards, rave cards and letters Posters and signs—Chinese restaurants, JOBs, coffee houses and

orthodontists! E-mail chains—teens, synagogues, agencies Out of town contacts Synagogue bulletins High school personnel

Jewish Teen Day of Discovery

Format included registration, nosh, 20 learning sessions, lunch, entertainment

Presenters drawn from all segments of the community

Attended by 164 teens in 2005; 184 in 2006 including groups from Madison and Green Bay synagogues; over 150 in 2007

Jewish Teen Day of Discovery Learning Sessions

Physical and Interactive—Krav Maga, Israeli Dance, Jewish/Israeli Cooking, Metalworking

Controversial and Thought Provoking—Jews and Booze, Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality, Evolution vs. Intelligent Design, Diversity in the Jewish Community

Jewish Teen Day of Discovery Learning Sessions

Trendy, but text-based—Kabbalah, Jews and Tattoos, Medical Ethics, Women and Equality

Traditional—A Taste of Yiddish, Midrash, Anti-Semitism

Pop Culture—Jewish Contributions to the Music Scene, Jews and the Media