Reaping The Benefits

BBYO New York trip allows teens
to learn about business.

Seth Samuels
Teen2Teen Staff Writer

ust as Frank Sinatra put sang in
"New York, New York:' it indeed
is the city that never sleeps. And
neither did I nor the other participants of
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization's Project
NYC slumber as we absorbed every min-
ute of this truly fruitful journey in one of
the world's business capitals.
The summer of 2007 was the first year
that BBYO offered this 10-day trip in New
York City. The IN's Teen2Teen section was
where I originally heard about the experi-
ence. Out of the 19 or so participants from
around the country, several Detroit teens
reflected on their adventure in the city
and how it shaped the beginnings of their
business futures.
Eager to have this same experience, I
signed up as soon as I got the flyer. Little
did I know, the trip was so popular that
66 other teens would be joining me, three

j

times the size of last year's group! The
group was a melting pot, with participants
from Texas to Canada, and that alone was
an experience worth a lifetime.
However, with so many teens came the
challenge of staying together as a group,
whether it was to get on a subway or sim-
ply make it from block to block. Once we
all managed to arrive at our destination,
the next several hours were filled with
valuable business lessons as Jewish execu-
tives from various companies shared their
experiences in New York.
From Paramount Pictures to JP Morgan,
each of our speakers' stories was a fasci-
nating depiction of real life in the busi-
ness world. Furthermore, each lesson was
based on that person's unique upbringing
and interests, making each a valuable part
of this unprecedented business experi-
ence.
In addition to our trips to office build-
ings, trading floors and other lectures, we
also were able to witness some of New
York's other landmarks including Ground

Nir Levy of Atlanta and Seth Samuels of Franklin speak with Howard Wohl,
board chair of BBYO Inc.

Zero, Central Park, Times Square, the
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and vari-
ous other destinations.
While I'm not exactly sure what I'd like
to pursue within the business world, these
10 days allowed me to experience various
types of business, how they are conducted
and all of their small, invaluable deriva-
tives for success. But in addition to learn-
ing, being surrounded by dozens of other
teens (and potentially future co-workers)

with similar interests forged relationships
(or, in business-speak, partnerships) for a
lifetime.
So, while I may not find myself on the
cover of Time magazine or on a billboard
in Times Square right away, I, at least, have
some of the knowledge of how to get there
in the future. ❑

Seth Samuels, 17, is a senior at Birmingham

Groves High School.

Getting Started

Teen Connection kickoff goes communitywide.

el

Shaye Winer
Teen2Teen Staff Writer

A

s younger teens adjusted to the
start of school, the creation
of new friendships and learn-
ing a new routine, B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization helped them get into the
swing of things in a Jewish way.
Teen Connection, BBYO's pre-high
school program, held a kickoff event in
September. BBYO teens Danielle Fink, a
sophomore at North Farmington High
School, and Sid Kaye, a junior at West
Bloomfield High School, planned an event
that was different from years past.
Previously, the Teen Connection kickoff
has been a dance and was promoted as a
BBYO event. This year, the event was pro-
moted as a communitywide event, includ-
ing other organizations such as Young
Judaea, ATID (combined Conservative
high school progam), Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills and YFTI
(Youth Federaton Temple Israel, West
Bloomfield). The idea was that teens from

B8

October 9 • 2008

Danielle Borovsky, 12, Bloomfield Hills; Josh Davis, 12,
Franklin; Justin Rosen, 12, West Bloomfield

the whole community should be able to
kick off the new school year together.
Instead of sticking to what this night
has always been, Danielle, Sid and the
other sponsors decided to kick it up a few
notches. Instead of a typical dance party,
the theme was a carnival. An aroma of
popcorn filled the air as teens were able to
dance the night away as well as go around
to different booths to play carnival games.
At each booth, you could win tickets. At

Sophia Gevoy, 13, Austin Tucker, 14, Sean King, 13, Noah
Krasman, 13, and Molly Weiss, 13, all of Farmington Hills

the end of the night, tickets were drawn
and prizes were claimed. There were plen-
ty of prizes to distribute to the youth who
glowed with their neon-colored necklaces.
Youth volunteers from the AZA and BBG
regional executive boards helped each teen
have an amazing time this night. They ran
booths, helped create a crowd on the dance

floor and made all feel welcome.
Many of the more than 170 teens
attending left with the energy to come
back for more fun through the various
organizations. ❑

Shaye Winer, 17, is a senior at West
Boomfield High School.

Watch for teen 2teen in next week's Jewish News