20 | AUGUST 19 • 2021
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 18
Youth will provide funding for
youth-serving organizations,
including BBYO, Friendship
Circle and Repair the World,
to hire youth directors to work
specifically with underserved
demographics including
male-identifying teens, middle
schooler and diverse teens,
such as those from interfaith
families, Jews of color and
LGBTQ+ identifying youth.
“With more individuals
waking up each morning
with the dedicated task of
engaging our youth, we know
it will become more of an
expectation for kids to be
involved in Jewish
life,” said Rabbi
Daniel Schwartz
of Temple Shir
Shalom. “The
question will
change from ‘do
you go?’ to ‘where
do you go?’”
Professionals
supported through both grants
will receive training oppor-
tunities and will gather to
develop a supportive cohort,
collaborate and discuss best
practices.
“We want to make sure that
staff feel like there is cama-
raderie among youth-serving
organizations and that they
have peer colleagues they can
connect with,” Vieder says.
A FUTURE COMMUNITY
“Our community has proven
time and time again that they
understand how incredibly
important our young people
are, not only for the future
of our Jewish community in
Metro Detroit, but also for the
future of the Jewish people,”
Rabbi Lader says.
“We’re all working together
to raise a generation of teens
who are proud of their iden-
tities, who are firm in their
values, and who are committed
to their community in a sacred
and profound way.”
While JCC’s new teen
engagement model is being
rolled out over the next few
months, the leadership hopes
to continue growing and
evolving the strategy in the
long-term future.
“There has always been a lot
of excitement in the planning
process that would help us lift
up youth engagement in the
Detroit Jewish community,”
Rabbi Schwartz said.
“Katie Vieder and the JCC
have done a wonderful job of
gathering a top-notch group of
people who are focused on real
change in teen engagement,
which has allowed us to dream
in ways that we never imag-
ined would come to fruition.
“From additional staff to pro-
gramming for parents, I think
Detroit will continue to serve as
a model for other communities
who are looking to reignite
their teen programming.”
By focusing on awareness,
engagement, and data and
information, the JCC aims to
solve the challenges today’s
Jewish teens and parents face
with a one-stop shop for find-
ing and creating local connec-
tions.
“We don’t look at this as a
one- or two-year initiative,”
Vieder says. “We hope to be
able to continuously evaluate
progress and success over the
course of time. There will
always be Jewish teens, but if
we don’t make them a priority,
they may not always engage.
Our primary focus is to be the
resource for teens and their
families and to ensure that we
provide every opportunity to
connect them to the Jewish
community.”
Rabbi
Daniel
Schwartz
Marty A.
Burnstein
has again been selected by
his peers for recognition and
inclusion in the 2022 Edition
of Best Lawyers of America
in the areas of Construction Law and Litigation.
His peers have additionally recognized
Mr. Burnstein as one of the 2022
“Lawyer of the Year” award
recipients for his work in Construction
Law in Troy. Only a single lawyer in
each practice area and community
is honored with a “Lawyer of the
Year” award. It is Best Lawyers most
outstanding recognition.
GABRIELLA BURMAN & ADAM KAPLAN
AMY & JEFFREY SCHLUSSEL
AIMEE & RICHARD SIMTOB
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AT 6:00PM
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