On the heels of new findings about the well being of Jewish teens, nearly 70 Jewish youth professionals and educators gathered this month for The Jewish Education Project’s conference in partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on the mental health of Jewish teens and soon-to-be teens, “Resilience in Action: Cultivating a Thriving Jewish Youth Community.”
“Young people face unprecedented challenges today,” said Rabbi Dena Klein, chief Jewish education officer at The Jewish Education Project. “Jewish youth experience the same challenges as non-Jewish peers, while also carrying additional sources of stress. We want to help them not just navigate these challenges, but to thrive. Resilience in Action helps Jewish youth educators and other professionals support mental well-being and make Jewish life and living a source of thriving for youth and their families.”
Professionals working in Jewish camp, campus life, congregations, day schools, community centers, education, mental health, schools, synagogues, and other settings came together at the conference. Keynote speaker Yoni Schwab, Ph.D., of the Shefa Center discussed “Engaging Youth in the Age of Screens: Facing the Challenge Together.” Based on the national conversation sparked by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, Schwab shared how we can find balance in our relationship with technology for the benefit of our teens and ourselves.
The professionals had the opportunity to explore big questions such as how to talk to youth about mental health today, the difference between “unsafe” and “uncomfortable,” what can be learned from challenging or disruptive behaviors, and what Jewish tradition teaches us about mental health and thriving.
“The Resilience in Action conference was thought provoking and provided a forum for a wide-range of Jewish educators to discuss topical topics for teen development, Jewish learning, and mental health” said Darren Rabinowitz, the Diller Teen Fellows coordinator. “I came away considering pedagogical and curricular shifts to address the ever-present need for youth to have authentic and serendipitous in person experiences.”
Event partners at the conference included Bamidbar, BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness, BeWell, Foundation for Jewish Camp, JQY, Moving Traditions, Shalom Task Force and The Shefa Center
The event included numerous facilitators and experts:
- Pamela Barkley, MSW: vice president of program, in charge of overseeing the development and implementation of Moving Traditions programmatic offerings.
- Frieda B. is a high school senior in suburban New York, where she serves as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, president of the Amnesty International Club, and Secretary of the Model U.N. team.
- Sara Diament serves as Shalom Task Force’s managing director of education and has over two decades experience in education, program development and community engagement.
- Drew Fidler, LCSW-C, is director of the BBYO Center for Adolescent Wellness.
- Jill Goldstein Smith is the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Director of Programs.
- Paige GoldMarche is Moving Traditions’ director of the Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu teen feminist fellowship.
- Gabriela Lupatkin, LCSW is BaMidbar’s clinical director and has worked for nearly a decade in hospital systems.
- Ari M. is a high school senior, serves as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and president of the Transgender/Non-binary Alliance club.
- Dr. Jeremy Novich is JQY’s clinic director with years of experience in different clinical settings with different populations and has worked in the queer space as an author and advocate.
- Ben Romano is musician in residence at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan.
- Allessandra R. is a junior at a New York private school where she runs varsity cross country and track and is a Kol Koleinu Teen Leader.
- Dr. Betsy Stone is a psychologist and adjunct lecturer at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion.
- Jeffrey Younger is director of communications and program operations at Shalom Task Force.
Held in partnership with UJA-Federation New York, select sessions also offered New York State Continuing Education credits for social workers. Conference participants also could enroll in an optional conference add-on, “In Person YMHFA Certification with NARCAN Training.”