ABOUT US

Our Mission

J-Teen Leadership is dedicated to empowering and inspiring Jewish teens from all backgrounds with leadership training, core Jewish values and community service, so they can start contributing to the Jewish community and the world- today!

J-Teen Leadership provides a platform for teens to develop a collective voice, address issues confronting society, connect to one another and be change agents in repairing the world. Recognizing that teens are critical thinkers who can mobilize and motivate their peers, J-Teen Leadership programming is teen-led, meaningful and fun.

What makes J-Teen Leadership unique is that teens plan and lead projects.

Based in Westchester, we welcome teens of all backgrounds and affiliations from the New York Tri-state Region. Today we engage teens representing over 20 different high schools, 30 communities, and 40 synagogues and faith-based programs.

Through local service projects, hands-on service trips, and the Leadership Circle that builds skills in leadership, advocacy and philanthropy, we do our part to improve the world (Tikkun Olam).

We all lead incredibly busy lives so we tailor programming to manageable time commitments that are recognized with service hours and awards. With the help of adult allies, we are able to achieve incredible results and provide programs that are empowering, collaborative and fun.  We hope to see you at an upcoming project!

Long Term Impact

According to a 2016 Rosov Consulting Impact Study, J-Teen Leadership participants are strongly affected by their experiences with the organization, even years later. Alumni leave J-Teen Leadership feeling as if they have a better understanding of social justice issues, are positively influenced to seek out colleges with a strong Jewish life, and continue to be eager to make the world a better place, motivated by the Jewish values conveyed in the J-Teen Leadership programs.

Alumni also feel that J-Teen Leadership taught them important leadership skills, such as empathy, working as a team and listening to others, as well as the opportunities for new friendships and community connections. Click here to read alumni reflections.

Our Beginning 

J-Teen Leadership grew out of a pilot project launched in 2005, by two high school sophomores.

With the support of UJA-Federation of New York, the teens organized a service trip to Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. They worked with displaced hurricane victims living in FEMA trailer villages. The teens made a promise to the people they visited that they would not be forgotten. J-Teen Leadership organized additional supply drives and made two more trips to the trailer villages in Baton Rouge before they were closed in 2008.

J-Teen Leadership has grown to involve close to 1000 teen volunteers annually in hands-on service and advocacy projects under the guidance of dedicated teen Co-Chairs and the Leadership Circle. Our growing Alumni Council reconnects regularly and helps to mentor the Leadership Circle.