<p>Both of my Ds have been very involved in NFTY, and in our area BBYO is know to be more social than anything else. D1 describes the difference this way: BBYO is a youth group for Jews; NFTY is a Jewish youth group. Interesting comment, gatormet31, re: BBYO being run by teens instead of youth advisors - that too must vary by area, because here the BBYO youth advisors do most if not all of the planning, while NFTY programs are totally planned and run by teens, with advisor support.</p>
<p>p3t = my favorite poster on all things Jewish! Mazel tov on the upcoming wedding and good luck with the chuppah - sounds like a wonderful labor of love!</p>
<p>For those who have been following some of my son’s adventures on my “Colleges for the Jewish B student” thread - you already know how big a role BBYO has played in my son’s life. OP - BBYO has completely changed my son’s life. He was a very shy, quiet kid with a very small circle of friends - and I was really worried about how he would handle the transition to high school. One of his friends was already involved in BBYO and encouraged my son to come to a meeting. Since that time - 2 years ago - BBYO has become pretty much the center of my son’s life. he now has a wonderful circle of 25-30 friends from his AZA chapter. He has helped to plan programs, and has run for elected office within the chapter. He does community service projects, social events with BBG chapters, attends regional conventions and attends religious programs as well. Some weeks - he has a BBYO-related function 4 nights a week. They also have inter-chapter sports leagues in football, basketball, etc. I love the way the kids plan and run all of the events - they grow in their leadership skills and self-confidence. BBYO has been an amazing part of my son’s life - I am glad he gets to enjoy it for 2 more years.</p>
<p>If the impression is that USY is run by youth advisors, not the teens, that is at least not universally true. At DD’s chapter the YA was not that active, and the chapter was declining, till my DD and some of her friends basically jumped in to turn the chapter around. And yes, this was a big change for DD, who has in the past been the shy quirky sort. She is still quirky, but definitely is more confident in her entrepreneurial, organizational skills now.</p>
<p>I suppose at regional level the adults are very important, though the (teen) regional board seems to be pretty active.</p>