Ghana To yak!
Teens
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'Community Center during our...
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August 29 September 5
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The first BBG chapter in Detroit was ormed in the 1930s as an auxiliary of AZA
Chapter 63. Charter members were, fm left, Ann Kosozlad, Rose Lash, Minnie
Goldstein, Sally Kosins, Shirley Mackey, Bea Koblin, Bernice Simons, Eleanore joseff
and Pauline Freedman.
been part of a BBYO chapter in the
past 10 years. While the number of
chapters remains essentially the same,
the number of members has grown by
200 per year.
Arnie Weiner, senior executive
director of Michigan BBYO, said the
emphasis on peer-led activities sets
BBYO apart. Teen members plan
meetings, coordinate trips, prepare for
conclaves and regional conventions
and hold elections while adult advisors
facilitate. As members see other mem-
bers taking on responsibilities, they
decide they want to challenge them-
selves to do the same.
Rachel Williams, of Farmington
Hills enjoyed planning and attending
events with her BBG sisters.
"We would work together, go away
together to conclaves, work as a team
for regional convention. That sort of
stuff. I had all kinds of different expe-
riences with the girls in my chapter,"
she said.
The organization provides a wel-
coming environment for members.
For one, there is no requirement on
religious involvement, making it a
comfortable situation for those with
less experience or from secular homes.
Drugs and alcohol are not tolerated.
While some members may try to cir-
cumvent this rule, events and meet-
ings tend to eliminate the pressure
teens may feel in other settings.
"This has to be a safe place and it
has to be a Jewish place," Weiner said.
"That doesn't mean that we don't have
problems. If we didn't have problems,
we wouldn't be dealing with kids."
While the benefits are clear, a
recent survey found the No. 1 reason
,
among teens for joining BBYO was
finding friendship, followed by having
fun and meeting other Jewish teens.
Adam McDonald, a recent Berkley
High School graduate who will attend
Indiana University in the fall, recruited
friends to join his AZA chapter as a
"survival mechanism" because he didn't
know many members. That quickly
changed, he said.
"You go to an event and meet five
new people. Then you go to another
event and meet five more people,"
McDonald said. "I definitely would
not have been making nearly as many
trips to West Bloomfield without
BBYO."
Another draw is the interaction of
the AZA and BBG chapters. Members
of the opposite sex are thrown togeth-
er in non-threatening activities like
regional convention and co-sponsored
events.
But leadership is the biggest BBYO
benefit, members say. The chance to
hold leadership positions and motivate
others to work as a group is often the
first time many members are given
such an opportunity.
The effect of this on Rachel
Williams was transforming. She said
she was a totally different person
when she joined BBG in her freshman
year at North Farmington High
School.
"I am still shy but I was much,
much more shy and way less outgoing
than I am now. I had no idea that I
was going to hold high positions
because I didn't really see myself as a
leader," Williams said.
"I realized I had become one with-
out planning to." I I
One-week complimentary guest pass available
For membership information, call:
the Kahn Building, (248) 661-1000
or the JPM Building (248) 967-4030
Ws
a Honey
of a Dea
*Application fee waived. Some restrictions apply. Must not have been a member in the past 12 months.
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DETROIT
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Source: 1998 Simmons Jewish News Study
8/20
1999
Detroit Jewish News
105