|
Youth Groups
Youth Programs
Temple Israel informal youth education programs provide an opportunity for Temple Israel’s 1st -12th grade students to make new friends and strengthen existing bonds within the temple community. A central goal of the Youth Program is to offer a broad range of opportunities for Jewish learning in an inviting, fun, and engaging environment.
Your child’s health and safety are of utmost importance us. We ask that you submit all necessary forms and adhere to published deadlines for events. This will allow us to hire an adequate number of staff for events. Youth programs at Temple Israel maintain a ratio of one staff member for every 6-10 children depending on the age group. There will always be at least two staff members per event.
All youth events are accessible to those with special needs/disabilities. With advance notice, the youth department will provide 1-1 aides to accompany students on events when appropriate.
Scholarships are available for all of our programs. Youth funds exist in order to make our programs available to the entire Temple Israel youth community. Don’t be shy, and please don’t let financial concerns keep you away. Please contact Laura Abrasley for assistance.
Who are the Temple Israel Youth Groups?
Qatanty – Grades 3 & 4
FASTY – Grades 5 & 6
Gadolty – Grades 7 & 8
RYFTI – Grades 9-12
Who are the Youth Education Staff?
Teens from RYFTI serve as Assistant Advisors for Qatanty, FASTY, and Gadolty. They are important role models for the younger youth groups and assist in programming, staffing and promoting events.
Any of the advisors can be reached at (617) 566-3960, ext. 126, or at sschwebel@tisrael.org.
Qatanty (Grades 3 & 4) is Temple Israel’s youngest youth group and provides a positive first experience with informal programming. The goals of Qatanty are:
- To provide a fun, welcoming atmosphere for a child’s first exposure to Jewish youth grouping
- To build a community among 3rd and 4th graders
- To provide a Jewish learning environment that consists of social, cultural and religious learning that is presented in a creative and enjoyable manner.
FASTY (Grades 5 & 6) provides similar programming as Qatanty, and adds varied, in-depth events including social action opportunities and increased Judaic learning. The goals of FASTY are:
- To create an accepting, open environment to explore Jewish identity.
- To reinforce existing relationships with friends while creating new ones too.
- To provide opportunities for varied types of events in aspects of Jewish life, culture and religion.
Gadolty (Grades 7 &8) represents a
big change from Qatanty and FASTY. As the students get older, programming and social opportunities increase for them as well. Gadolty members are invited to help shape their own events, encourage others to attend, and become leaders! The goals of Gadolty are:
-
To foster a sense of community among 7th and 8th graders.
-
To give 7th and 8th grade students an introduction to what youth group will be like in high school.
-
To keep 7th and 8th grade students connected to life at Temple Israel while providing an outlet from Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation.
-
To provide an experiential Jewish learning environment that consists of social, cultural and religious programming accomplished through the students’ own creation.
RYFTI (Grades 9-12) (Reform Youth Federation of Temple Israel) is the high school youth group and is part of NFTY-Northeast (North American Federation of Temple Youth). RYFTI is run by a leadership Board of high school students who create, promote and run all of its events, programs and services. The goals of RYFTI are:
- To create an accepting, open community for teens to feel a sense of comfort with their own identity.
- To provide opportunities for growth and leadership.
- To challenge high school students to clarify their relationship with Judaism through social, cultural, religious and social justice opportunities.
- To share our strengths with the greater Northeast Region of NFTY and learn from the strengths of others.
When are events held?
Qatanty and FASTY events are generally held once a month, after Sunday School. Gadolty events are generally held once a month on Saturday nights. RYFTI events are generally held once a month, on Saturday nights; NFTY events occur approximately once per month. This year we will be experimenting with new program ideas - frameworks that we hope will enable more students to join in the fun. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements in the bulletin and on the website.
Special Events:
Shul-Ins These special times with Qatanty, FASTY and Gadolty close Shabbat with Havdallah, engage in fun activities, get to know each other through interactive programming, and sleep over at Temple Israel! See the calendar at the back of this handbook for dates.
For more information about Youth Programs, contact Sara Schwebel, Youth Educator,
at (617) 566-3960, ext. 126 sschwebel@tisrael.org.
|
