TEEN TOPICS
Milestone
[by Rachel Simone Bass, Eli Griffin Gould and Klaire Blakely Spielberg]
My Brother Alephs and Sister BBGs, we are so excited to announce that Louisville BBYO now has 100 members! We are so proud of reaching this goal because it means that more Jewish teens are having more Jewish Experiences.
In celebration of this historic milestone, we invite all Alephs, BBGs, Alephs in Training (AITs), Members in Training (MITs), and prospective members to a Pizza Party on May 5 at 1 p.m. in Game Central at the JCC. At this party, we will celebrate all of the great things that we have accomplished this year.
We recognize that even though we have reached this milestone, we still have much work to do. We look forward to seeing all the great things that Louisville BBYO will accomplish in the future.
Jay Levine BBG
[by Rachel Bass]
“April showers bring May flowers…” but it’s been nothing but bright and sunny for Louisville’s Jay Levine BBG!
The chapter has successfully recruited 14 eighth-grade girls as their MITs (members-in-training), who joined five other chapter members in attending AIT/MIT from April 19-21. AIT/MIT is a learning convention for new members who are joining BBYO.
Prior to the convention, the chapter elected their MIT board. MIT board is a way for eighth-grade girls to learn about the election process, get the feel of running, and experience what it’s like to be a board. Congratulations to Marnina Goldberg, Izzy Geller, Ava Greenberg, Bailey Czerkowitz, Abigail Goldberg and Laina Meyerowitz. The girls will be planning a program next month to close out the term.
At Jay Levine’s last big sleepover (which was a major success with 35 girls in attendance), the girls decided on their official Stand Up! cause: underprivileged children. In May, they will be volunteering and creating events to support this.
This month, the girls will be participating in J-Serve, the annual community service day for Jewish teenagers around the world. They will also be having an “auction” event to kick off their Bigs/Littles program. Eighth-graders will be paired up with older members in a big sis/little sis system that will teach them about BBYO, help them make the transition from MIT to member, and have someone to look up to in BBYO.
April has been extremely successful for the chapter, and they cannot wait to see where the end of the term takes them. Be on the lookout for upcoming fundraisers to help the girls raise money for themselves, scholarships, and ISF.
Israel@65
On Sunday, April 14, 44 teens in 6th-12th grades volunteered at the Jewish Community Center’s Israel@65 celebration. They ran the Passport to Israel children’s activities, assisted with stations along the route of the walk, operated the bounce house, took photographs, helped with food sales and assisted with the Krav Maga Demonstration. Even though it was hard work, all of the teens had a great time helping with the celebration.
BBYO KIO AIT/MIT
[by Kyle Gordon]
The weekend of April 19-21, Drew Corson AZA and Jay Levine BBG sent 28 eighth-graders to AIT/MIT 2013: Welcome to the Good Life, at Camp Campbell Gard in Hamilton, OH. Eli Gould was the administrator for this event and Daniela Reuter, Kyle Gordon and Katie Segal were on the Steering Committee.
The eighth-graders were taught the core values of BBYO and learned about the traditions of both AZA and BBG. The boys and girls were put into mock chapters so they could learn about the history of AZA and BBG, and all of the possible positions to be held in BBYO.
All 28 were inducted into the brotherhood of AZA and sisterhood of BBG. All of the teens had a lot of fun at the dance and met many new friends.
Teen Connection
This past month has been great for Teen Connection.
Members conquered the ice rink as they played broomball. They mastered the steep slopes of the rock walls at Rocksport, and they helped out at the Israel@65 celebration.
This month began with broomball. What is broomball, you may ask? Broomball is basically hockey with a “broom” that resembles an oar. Teens ran up and down the rink and played tons of games.
The group also went to Rocksport during spring break and learned how to belay, climb rock walls and glaciers. By the end of the day, the teens felt really accomplished as everyone made it to the top of walls!
Upcoming events:
Friday, May 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m. is the progressive dinner. Eighth-graders are invited to an Eighth Grade Only Progressive Dinner as they transition from Teen Connection to BBYO, NFTY and USY. Join Teen Connection as participants celebrate transitioning from one part of a meal to another. Boys should bring salads or desserts and girls should bring a vegetarian pasta dish. The event will be hosted by the Bass and Meyerowitz Families.
May 18-19, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. at the JCC is the Teen Connection Dive In movie overnight. The group will do Havdallah, watch a movie in the pool, enjoy ice cream sundaes and hang out! The cost is $15 and snacks and breakfast will be provided!
If you are interested in attending either event, please contact Rachel Lipkin at rlipkin@jewishlouisville.org.
