New England teens join almost 2,000 on BBYO summer experiences

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This summer, 68 New England teens joined nearly 2,000 of their peers at BBYO Summer Experiences. These summer programs offer Jewish teens the opportunity to lead, learn, serve communities, travel, strengthen their Jewish and personal identities and meet peers from around the world, forming authentic and lifelong bonds.

The 68 New England teens have just returned home from CLTC, a 12-day leadership program; ILTC, a three-week advanced leadership program; ILSI, a 21-day elite leadership program in Israel; Kallah, a program for teens to find their Jewish selves; and BBYO Passport, and various travel programs from Israel to Europe to Latin America. The lessons learned there, ranging from leadership development to finding their Jewish identity to meeting teens from around the world, will stay with them throughout the rest of their lives, helping them to become strong leaders in the Jewish community and beyond.

“It took a great push to get me to register for Chapter Leadership Training Conference (CLTC), but it’s the greatest push I have ever gotten. I learned so much about how capable I am as a person, but mostly how capable I am as a Jew. This 12-day program strengthened my Jewish identity and helped me embrace my culture,” said Julia Keizler, 16, a student at Classical High School in Providence, about Chapter Leadership Training Conference. “Not to mention that I met my best friends in the entire world who I still talk to daily. If you are looking for something meaningful to do, CLTC is without a doubt the best choice.”

“A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the experience you have and the people you meet are what you learn from,” said Stephanie Margolis, 17, of Acton (Mass.) High School about International Leadership Seminar Israel (ILSI). “ILSI was one of the most impactful experiences on my Jewish identity and myself as a leader.” 

BBYO is the leading pluralistic Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve Jewish teens in more meaningful Jewish experiences. For more than 90 years, BBYO‘s programs, the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA, high school fraternity) and the B’nai B’rith Girls (BBG, high school sorority) have been providing exceptional leadership programs and identity enrichment experiences, shaping the confidence and character of more than 400,000 alumni.  Now, BBYO’s network of Jewish teens, alumni, parents, volunteers and philanthropists serves as a valuable platform for delivering to the post Bar/Bat Mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences.  With year-round activities in hundreds of local communities and worldwide travel experiences, BBYO’s broad program menu enables teens to explore areas of leadership, service, civic engagement, Israel education and Jewish values.

For more information about BBYO Summer Experiences or BBYO New England Region, contact Samantha Walsh, MSW, regional director, at 401-490-1030 or swalsh@bbyo.org.