USY Embarks on Transformational Change
Source: eJewish Philanthropy
Youth service organizations are embarking on a new decade of innovation and engagement for Jewish teens across the country. Part of this pivot stems from the monumental Jewish Education Project’s recent study, which is the largest study of American Jewish teens ever conducted – almost 18,000 teens. GenZ Now: Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens Today demonstrates in their research “an unprecedented understanding into who these teens are, what they care about and want, and to some extent, what the Jewish community can do to enhance their lives as people, and as Jews”.
USY, USCJ’s Youth Movement, was privileged to participate in this study with 13 other national youth-serving organizations. Through this process we examined the full scope of our programming – who attends USY, our strengths and areas for growth. What was unanimously clear is that USY provides tremendous benefit for those teens who participate. Across the board, according to GenZ Now, teens who participate in a youth-serving organization score higher on almost every measured outcome, including teens connecting to being Jewish, teens feeling good about themselves, their relationships and their ability to make change in the world.
With these outcomes in mind, USY is embarking on a transformational change to evolve our model and program to meet the needs of our teens across the country. For almost 70 years, USY has been the foundation for the Conservative Jewish teen experience. As the Conservative and broader Jewish world evolves, so, too, do the needs of our teens and our program. This week USCJ unveils its strategic plan, the Roadmap to Strategic Success and Operational Sustainability, which calls for the organization to achieve a balanced budget. This will be accomplished through several major cost savings measures, including the relocation of USCJ’s New York office, redefining staff positions to align job descriptions and key performance indicators, and regrettably, reducing our employee headcount.
Read the entire article at eJewish Philanthropy.