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Part II: Symposium 85 Jewish Youth Philanthropy: Learning to Give Jewishly Susan Schwartzman fORTY-FOUR San Francisco Bay Area teens sat gathered in the Jewish Federation conference room. They were awaiting a video conference hookup with six Israeli-Ethiopian teens who traveled to Jerusalem just to talk with the Jewish Community Teen Foundation board members. This was intended to be an informal dialogue, connecting Israeli and foundation teens. The question was asked, “What are you most concerned with?” The American teens answered, “Whether or not I will get into college .” The Israeli teens answered, “Whether my friends and family will make it home safely today.” There was total silence in the board room. This was an “aha” moment, challenging our teens to act in the world with greater purpose. Hundreds of teens nationwide are finding such greater meaning through involvement in Jewish teen philanthropy programs. When they do that, getting into a good college seems a byproduct, not a driving force. What drives this new teen attraction to youth philanthropy programs ? Like all people, teens today most want to feel that someone is listening and that they matter. Teens seek opportunities to exercise choice in the mechanized push-button society we live in. As our world becomes more automated and less personal, teens are seeking a way to connect around issues that matter. The technological developments of the last decade do not subvert a teen’s need to feel wanted and needed and to have control and choice over important things in life. They do not want to live life tuned out, but rather turned on. Jewish youth philanthropy energizes our teens and allows the Jewish community to tell teens that their voices matter and are important to us. For seven years I have forayed into the emerging field of Jewish youth philanthropy. In the past few years, due in part to the amazing success stories in youth philanthropy, there has been a wave of energy, including the recent launching of a movement. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being raised and mobilized by teens for things that they care about. The formula for success includes establishing coveted positions of teen power, offering teens incentive matching funds, giving teens training and access to community leaders and philanthropists, and guiding teens to make the final decisions that matter in the allocating of money Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: MONEY 86 to recipients. The Bay Area has been a mecca for Jewish youth philanthropy opportunities. Beginning in day schools, then in synagogues, and now in two new teen foundations, the Bay Area is working on developing comprehensive opportunities to interest teens in philanthropy during the Bar and Bat Mitzvah years and continue that interest through high school. The Peninsula Jewish Community Teen Foundation (PJCTF), a 22member teen board of grant makers, receives three times as many applicants as there are board spots available. As teens spread the word about their experiences, that number will double. We are drawing teenagers who are doing nothing else Jewish, Jewish-Russian émigrés, children of intermarried families, blended families, Israelis, Jewish students attending Catholic Schools, and Amer-Asian teens who have one Jewish parent. We also, of course, get those Jewishly committed teens who seek out opportunities to express their Jewish convictions by making a difference in society. We have unaffiliated, Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox Jewish kids who are all working together and sharing ideas. Teen philanthropy attracts the in kids, sports kids, academic kids, techy kids, and the teens with no hobbies or affiliations. Each youngster learns that he or she has perspective and skills to offer to the group process. We have teenagers who, amid their busy schedules, do not miss a single four-hour Sunday meeting. They seek Jewish information to learn about the community and the Jewish values that will guide their giving. What motivates their relentless attendance when they could be at myriad other places? It is the opportunity to be agents for change, to take matters into their own hands, and to realize that together they can make a real contribution toward repairing the world. So what are the decisions being made by the teens, and what are the Jewish teachings that they are using to guide their decision making? The inaugural teen foundation chose to focus on hunger, the secondyear group on health concerns, and this year’s group on inequality and injustice worldwide. The board studied 26 grant proposals that arrived in response to the request for proposals...

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