<p>boysx3 - D2 was at the NRE Convention this weekend! She had a great time. I could see her staying involved as an advisor. For now I will be happy to get rid of the boxes and boxes of clothes and candles that she has to give away this spring!!</p>
<p>I think BBYO does give them a chance to develop great skills. To be able to command the attention and respect of your peers is not easy. If you take on leadership roles you really seem to gain self-confidence and poise. D2 has really gained a lot from the experiences she has had.</p>
<p>Incredible–I don’t think we’ve really discussed the youth group leadership angle here on this thread in all these years! ;)</p>
<p>It’s not just BBYO, it’s NFTY and USY and NCSY as well. I remember when some of D1’s friends in USY stopped participating in 11th grade because their parents thought of the activity as something that was just social that wouldn’t show well on college applications. Which is true if you just show up to activities…but there are so many opportunities to be involved in leadership and planning in these organizations. </p>
<p>For those of you with younger students who are both interested in leadership activities and live in an area with a cohort (see the link), the Diller program is incredible. It’s a 15 month program starting in 10th or 11th grade which pairs a cohort of 20 teens from a city in the US or Canada with a sister cohort in Israel. Unlike most of the youth groups, Diller participants range all over the observance spectrum. As part of the programming the Israelis come to North America for a week in the spring; the North Americans go to Israel for three weeks in the summer. The program is heavily subsidized–about $3500 total, and there is some need-based aid. D2’s taken part. Can’t say enough good things about it! <a href=“http://www.jewishfed.org/diller/fellows[/url]”>http://www.jewishfed.org/diller/fellows</a></p>
<p>My daughter was at the NRE convention where she had a great time. Today we are grateful that the inclement weather and snow closings will give her a chance to catch up on a little of her sleep !</p>
<p>I don’t have the article handy, but one of the many I have posted on reasons why many colleges are actively recruiting Jewish students cited their leadership skills from all of those years of working at Jewish camps and participating/holding offices in BBYO and similar organizations. A great way to have fun and be social in a Jewish environment while also honing those valuable skills!</p>
<p>mozika: congratulations! what is the “list” you refer to in an earlier post? I would love to see it…</p>
<p>BBYO: my S just became active (he & some other kids started a chapter this year) & so far the experience has been great. He is going to his first regional convention - glad to hear all the wonderful experiences & opportunities. have any of your kids gone on BBYO summer programs? S is trying to get a job (he has a part time job now & is hoping to get some more steady work over the summer) but we are looking at all our options at this point.</p>
<p>What a great link; thank you! I was surprised to see that I knew some of the people in that article from the dark ages. Like “then-Hillel-President Shai Held” who was a friend of my sister’s (!) at the big H. My husband and I ate at the Caltech kosher kitchen during its brief existence when we were visiting in LA…</p>
<p>I love hearing about all the great BBYO experiences. My H and I met in BBYO so it holds a special place in my heart. I couldn’t get my D’s interested, but I went to a few NRE conventions myself.</p>
<p>Regarding BBYO summer programs: I highly recommend CLTC. My daughter learned so much with that program. She also attended ILTC but it is for people already involved in board positions ( she is a regional N’siah). CLTC teaches the “7 habits of the highly effective teenager” based on the book by Covey and they receive a folder that becomes a “how to organize anything” that they keep for many years . They also learn a lot about Jewish life and about each other.</p>
<p>Hi Linymom,
When I read the article Momjr linked it seemed that this expanded criteria wouldn’t count for kids who went to Israel as part of the NFTY program. If I am remembering correctly your daughter also went on the NFTY trip, (its been a while so I could have this all wrong and in that case nevermind :)) But if I am not mistaken, are you thinking that this new criteria would make kids who participated in the URJ NFTY program eligible for birthright? I know many kids who would be overjoyed by that news.</p>
<p>spectrum: From what I read, the NFTY kids are eligible now - </p>
<p>“While those who have taken educational trips to Israel after turning 18 are still not eligible for Birthright, youths who took such trips before 18 can now go on Birthright from ages 18-26, Bauer told JNS.org.”</p>
<p>My DD’s friends are all excited about this. Why do you think they won’t qualify?</p>
<p>While the trip definitely was educational I wasn’t sure if it would qualify as such. I thought of educational more in terms of like attending school in Israel for a summer or semester. It would be great if it did qualify. My S was fantasizing about trying to go again on the NFTY trip as a counselor.</p>
<p>Well Linymom it is confirmed my son just got an email (to my email address) from NFTY telling him he is eligible and encouraging him to apply with URJ Kesher. saying that NFTY alum will get preference on time. I just forwarded that email to him so we’ll see.</p>
<p>Incredible to me that Taglit has the money to cover the expansion. Maybe it’s because we’ve passed the peak birth cohort? I hope that they’ll prioritize students who’ve never been to Israel if it comes to that, and I also hope that they run separate trips for the students who’ve already visited.</p>
<p>This summer will mark the third summer in a row that D2’s been to Israel on a peer trip. And she’ll still be eligible for Birthright–crazy! Quite frankly, I don’t think she’d really enjoy Birthright after the experiences she’s already had/will have this summer.</p>
<p>It may not be as fun as the summer high school programs, but if they went through their college Hillel’s they would be with a new group of friends. One advantage to having the more experienced kids on the trip would be that they might serve as connections for less involved students in on campus activities back on campus.</p>
<p>ST, I’m guessing that the thinking is that kids who visited when they were mid teens or younger might see the trip as a more distant memory and providing this trip may serve as a refresher to young adults who are now out of their home communities, reassessing the values of their childhood and exposed to increased anti-Israeli sentiment. Just to clarify, the email that I mentioned was specifically directed to kids who were alums of the NFTY organization and not just kids who took the NFTY trip. It did mention that the NFTY alums would get priority on their trips but it didn’t say anything about if there was any consideration about whether a kid had already been to Israel on their trip or not. I am pasting the text of the email below.</p>
<p>"The same people who brought you NFTY invite you to experience Birthright-Israel with URJ Kesher. It is your turn to explore Jerusalem’s Old City, float in the Dead Sea, climb Masada at sunrise, and celebrate modern Tel Aviv. Don’t miss out while you have the time and the opportunity.</p>
<p>As a NFTY alum, you will get priority status when you register for Taglit-Birthright Israel with URJ Kesher. That means you’ll have a better chance to get on the trip dates you want.
Breaking News! Birthright Israel eligibility rules have changed, and your friends who traveled on a NFTY in Israel trip can return to Israel for free with URJ Kesher. Please share this exciting news with your friends! "</p>
<p>I agree with Pennylane, that your kid with all of that experience in Israel would be a valued member of the group!</p>
<p>spectrum, pennylane, I’m sure she would be an asset. I’m just not convinced that it’s the best use of Birthright resources to be paying to send her back, as opposed to, say, sending a kid who’s never gone to Israel on a longer trip. Or sending them earlier. I wish we knew more about what kind of Israel trip experience gives bigger bang for the buck, in terms of keeping young people engaged in the Jewish community after college graduation. </p>
<p>This might be good news for the high school summer trip organizations. I’ve known a lot of folks who’ve not sent their kids on NCSY/USY/etc Israel programs because it would make them ineligible for Birthright. Now you can get both!</p>
;)</p>
Like “then-Hillel-President Shai Held” who was a friend of my sister’s (!) at the big H. My husband and I ate at the Caltech kosher kitchen during its brief existence when we were visiting in LA…</p>