AUGUST 19 • 2021 | 15

OUR COMMUNITY

W

hen the Detroit Jewish com-
munity leaders discovered an
alarming number through
research — that 70% of Jewish teens in
Metro Detroit aren’t engaging in Jewish
life — the Jewish Community Center and
youth professionals took notice and began
to promote positive change.
Despite having more than 35 local
Jewish youth-serving organizations offer-
ing a variety of excellent programs, teen
engagement is still low.
“We began to ask ourselves, what should
we be doing, knowing that
we have all these wonder-
ful opportunities and we’re
still missing the mark?” says
Katie Vieder, JCC’s director
of tween, teen and family
engagement for Jfamily.
According to Rabbi Jen
Lader of Temple Israel, “In this
hyperconnected world, teens
are busier than ever before.
They’re packed with sports and
drama, tutoring and dance, not
to mention escalating academ-
ic expectations. We are fighting
for their time in a way we’ve
never had to fight before.”
A slowdown from the COVID-19 pan-
demic gave the JCC an opportunity to
consider this ongoing problem and what
steps it could take to refuel Metro Detroit
teen engagement in Jewish life.
“There is a big challenge of rebuilding
from the pandemic as a lot
of our teen networks in town
overlap and are supported by
each other’s success and net-
working,” says Rabbi Yarden
Blumstein, teen director at
Friendship Circle.
To set the change in
motion, the folks at Jfamily
talked to different communities across
the country and to its local youth-serving
partners, “We did a lot of focus groups
with teens and parents both engaged and

unengaged,” Vieder says.
Since September 2020, the JCC has
worked with the community’s youth-serv-
ing organizations including youth groups,
congregations, camps and day schools
to identify best practices to boost teen
engagement in Jewish life that can be
implemented right here in Metro Detroit.
The efforts paid off. “We came to the
realization that there’s a lot we can do,”
Vieder says. “We just need to shift our
perspective on what matters.”

BUILDING AWARENESS
Though the JCC had a teen engagement
plan, it was one that had been in place for
many years.
COVID-19 showed the importance of
being able to adapt to a changing world,
so the JCC knew the time had come to
revamp its model.
The goal: to reduce the staggering 70%
number of Jewish teens unengaged in
Jewish life.
The first step was to significantly
increase awareness for existing programs.
“The Metro Detroit community has a

wide-array of fantastic teen
opportunities with something
for everyone. However, many
families are not aware of all
the program available, and
organizations struggle to find
the unengaged,” says Rachel
Ellis, senior regional director
of BBYO Michigan Region.

There’s a new way to connect to Jewish life …

continued on page 16

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“IN THIS HYPER-
CONNECTED WORLD,
TEENS ARE BUSIER
THAN EVER BEFORE …
WE’RE FIGHTING FOR
THEIR TIME IN A WAY
WE’VE NEVER HAD TO

FIGHT BEFORE.”

— RABBI JEN LADER

Teens from Adat Shalom on a volunteer outing.
Katie
Vieder

Rabbi Jen
Lader

Rabbi
Yarden
Blumstein

Rachel Ellis