Shaare Emeth Temple Youth Group

 

 

 

 

                        SETYG (Shaare Emeth Temple Youth Group)                              Executive Board and Youth Advisors 2007-2008

 

 

President:                                            Communications/Visual VP:                 JYG (7/8^th gr.) Advisor:       

Lauren Millner                                     Emily Menendez                                 Nick Cranyon    ncranyon@yahoo.com

retrodiva89@aol.com                          etmenendez@yahoo.com                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                   Network 56 (5/6^th gr.)

                                                                                                                        Advisor:                                                                                                                    

Programming Vice President:         Special Projects Coordinator:            Marissa Geer

Ethan Bennett                                     Elliot Ruvelson                                     marisageer@gmail.com                             

eman44@charter.net                          ruuvy@hotmail.com

 

Social Action Vice President:           Freshman Representatives:

Stephanie Feit                                     Josh Bohm

                                               Mara Lesser

firefeiter@hotmail.com                  Carly Rudolph

                                                        Stephanie Shyken

 

 

Religious & Cultural Vice Pres.:     SETYG Advisor:

Thea Emmons                                    Laura Kaufman

                                                         lck9476@gmail.com                          

 TNEsparkle91@sbcglobal.net 

 

                                                                          Youth and Camp Director:

                                                            Jodi Miller

Membership Vice President:             jmiller@shaare-emeth.org

Kyle Tons                                           

                                                 Rabbinic Advisor:

tonsofun9590@yahoo.com                      Rabbi Annie Belford

                                                             abelford@shaare-emeth.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 6, 2007

 

 

 

Shalom Youth Groupers and Parents,

 

I want to welcome you to a start of what is sure to be another great year for Shaare Emeth Youth Programs.  This will be my third year as Youth and Camp Director and as I close another season of camp I am looking forward to getting our youth programming started once again.

 

Our youth department offers a wide variety of cultural, social, educational, religious and recreational programming for youth from 5^th grade through high school.  We try to incorporate these various aspects of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) in our program offerings.  Our goal is to set the stage for the youth of Shaare Emeth to develop a feeling of identity with Judaism, the community, the synagogue and Israel.  We know from past experience that participation with youth groups provide integral and memorable Judaic growth in our youth. 

 

Our Executive Board (listed on the previous page), is composed of  seven board members and four freshman representatives.  They will be working all year to plan and implement amazing programs for our senior youth group (SETYG) which is for all high school aged teens.  A goal for this year is to reach out to new members by offering a variety of programs which will offer something for everyone. 

 

This booklet and the accompanying information have been designed to give you important information that should be useful throughout the year.  In addition, it provides information to anyone who is new to our programs and wants to find out more about what we offer.

 

Please take a few minutes to read through the booklet, and then keep it on hand for reference throughout the year.  If you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or anything else, please feel free to contact me.  I am looking forward to an exciting year with you and your children.

 

B’Shalom,

 

 

Jodi Miller

Youth and Camp Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaare Emeth Youth Programs

 

And how about Network 56?

 

Network 56 is our introductory youth group experience for kids in 5^th and 6^th grade.  We will hold one event about every six weeks specifically for this age group.  This is a great way to introduce them to our youth group program and get them excited about the “informal” way to be a part of their Shaare Emeth community.

 

We have events usually on Sunday afternoons immediately after religious school.  Our programs range from Pizza at the Pavilion to our ever popular Chanukah Shul-In and year end visit to Six Flags with JYG.  Watch your mail for flyers with details regarding upcoming events.

 

 

What is this JYG thing?

 

So you have a child beginning 7^th or 8^th grade and all of a sudden you start getting mailings inviting them to join JYG for this or that.  What is JYG?  The time has come to learn everything you need to know but were afraid to ask! 

 

JYG stands for…Junior Youth Group which is for kids in 7^th and 8^th grade.  Each year we (the kids and the advisor) plan four to six amazing programs from Tuesday Night at the Movies to Skyzone.  Being part of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) the highlight of JYG is the JYG Chavurah. This weekend event takes place each year in late February or early March.  This is a great opportunity to hang out with and make friends with other Jewish 7^th and 8^th graders.  This year Shaare Emeth is very excited to be the host of the JYG Chavurah, January 18-20^th, 2008.

 

So check us out, watch for mailings and sign up for the JYG elective during Gesher.  We promise you will not be disappointed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SETYG, Say What?

 

SETYG (Shaare Emeth Temple Youth Group) is our 9^th -12^th grade youth led organization (see Executive Board pg. 1) with adult leadership, (Youth Group Advisor, Youth Director and Rabbinic Liaison). 

 

Each year SETYG plans social, civic and religious programs and raises money for Camp Rainbow.   Camp Rainbow is a one-week summer camp for children with blood related disorders.  Each month we will hold one or two lounge nights, where we will offer time to hang out and do homework, celebrate a holiday or chill with fellow SETYGer’s.  In addition to the lounge nights, we will offer a monthly weekend night program (see calendar of events on pg. 4) which will offer programs in creative and unique settings throughout the St. Louis area!

 

In addition, SETYGer’s can participate in one or all of three chavurot, one in the fall, one in winter and one in spring. 

 

In addition, SETYG leads High Holiday services on both Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur as well as a SETYG Shabbat Service in January. 

By joining SETYG you will also become a member in NFTY and NFTY’s Missouri Valley Region.  In addition to lifelong friendships formed at Shaare Emeth, by attending Chavurot or National events, you will meet other Jewish teens across the country!

 

Check us out online at www.freewebs.com/setyg or

www.shaare-emeth.org…and scroll down to SETYG on the home page.

 

The website includes upcoming event information and forms.  There will also be pictures from recent events, a guestbook and blog!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SETYG Program dates

(Details will follow with flyer closer to program date)

 

Saturday, September 15                                   Evening program

Wednesday, September 26                              Sukkot Lounge Night

Tuesday, October 9                                           Lounge Night

Saturday, October 13                              Evening program

Tuesday, October 23                                        Lounge Night

Tuesday, November 13                                              Lounge Night

Saturday, November 17                                    Evening program

Tuesday, November 27                                              Dine Out for Life

Friday, November 30                               Shabbat with Dan Nichols

Or December 1?

Tuesday, December 11                                              Lounge Night

Tuesday, January 8                                          Lounge Night

Saturday, January 12                              Evening program

Friday, January 18                                   SETYG Shabbat

Tuesday, January 22                                        Tu B’Shevat Lounge Night

Tuesday, February 5                                         Lounge Night

Saturday, February 9                               Parents Night Out

Saturday, February 17                                      Evening program/8^th grade Rush

Tuesday, February 26                                                Lounge Night

Saturday, March 1                                    Evening program

Tuesday, March 11                                           Lounge Night

Saturday, April 12                                     Evening program

Tuesday, April 15                                                         Lounge Night

Tuesday, April 29                                                         Lounge Night

Tuesday, May 6                                                 SETYG Elections

Saturday, May 17                                              Evening program

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Youth Group for Dummies”

 

Questions you may have but were afraid to ask…

North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) Programming

 

NFTY prides itself on the educational, Judaic and social programming that it provides for our youth participants.  Most of the programming that takes place during a Chavurah is created and implemented by NFTYites for their peers.

 

The focus of the NFTY weekend (Chavurah) is on providing a positive environment for the youth to interact in both an educational and social atmosphere.  The weekend often revolves around an “educational theme” (i.e. leadership, b’tzelem elohim, tikkun olam, etc.)  There are usually three or four educational programs scattered throughout the weekend that will lead the participants on an age appropriate discovery about the theme.  The programs are informal and incorporate different learning styles of teens, including games, skits, creative projects and youth led deep discussions.

 

The beginning of the weekend always includes mixers which strive to integrate new NFTYites into the community.  The mixers help break the ice and attempt to get the participants laughing, talking, and forming friendships as soon as they arrive. 

 

As discussed above, the majority of the programming is created and written by the youth leadership with the guidance of the youth advisor/director and clergy of the hosting temple.  

 

NFTY programs are an amazing way for your teen to grow and develop his/her Jewish identity.  Participants look forward to the opportunity to learn about their Judaism outside of the classroom and have in depth discussions with their peers.

 

Depending upon the location of the Chavurah, we will travel by bus or by plane.  Our region is one of the largest geographically in the whole country covering seven states; Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming. 

 

The temples within our region will take turns hosting the event and event cost and transportation to the event are dependent upon the location. 

 

For more information please contact, Jodi Miller-Camp and Youth Director at  jmiller@shaare-emeth.org or go to the NFTY website: www.NFTY.org

 

 

 

 

MO-Valley

Regional

Calendar

2007-2008

 

 

 

LTI*                           September 7–9

                                Lake Doniphan Retreat Center

                   Kansas City, MO

 

 

SLIID*                October 26-28

                                Anshai Emeth

                                Peoria, IL

 

 

Winter                       December 27-30

Chavurah           United Hebrew

                                St. louis

 

Jyg                           January 18-20

Chavurah           Shaare Emeth

                                St. Louis

 

Saw*                 February 1-3

                                Beth Torah

                                Overland park, ks

 

Spring                       April 4 – 6

Chavurah           Temple Sinai

                                Denver, co

 

 

 

 

*See next page for descriptions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that means what?

 

LTI – Leadership Training Institute – a weekend designed to provide an in-depth training and orientation for youth group executive board members.

 

SLIID – (St. Louis, Illinois, Iowa District) – Our youth group is part of the Missouri Valley Region, one of the largest geographical in the country.  St. Louis, Peoria, IL, Springfield, MO, Columbia, MO and all Iowa youth groups are part of the SLIID sub-region.   Youth groups in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and part of Wyoming are in the Western sub-region.  The first chavurot of the year are held separately by sub-region to elicit a more intimate first time experience.  All other chavurot are regional events including youth groups from our entire seven state region.

 

SAW – (Social Action Weekend) – This chavurah is by invitation only.  Each youth group chooses the allotted amount of people to send to this weekend which focuses primarily on learning about and experiencing social action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Typical NFTY Weekend

 

Below is a sample weekend schedule of a Chavurah weekend.

 

Friday Evening

4:00  Arrive and registration

4:30  Welcome and Mixer

5:00  Introductions of Regional Board and Code of Conduct

5:30  Pickup by Host Family – go to host home, have Shabbat dinner, dress for           services

7:15  Return to temple

7:30  Services

9:00  Oneg & 1^st timers meeting

9:30  Program #1 to introduce theme

10:30         Wrap up

11:00         Pick up to go back to host home

 

Saturday Morning

9:15  Drop off at temple

9:30  Services and Torah Corp

11:00         Break

11:15         Program #2

12:15         Lunch and Song session

1:30  Out of building social action projects

3:30  Back to temple

3:45 Break

4:00  Program #3

5:30   Dinner and Song session

7:00  Social

10:30         Havdallah

11:00 Home to host family

 

Sunday Morning

 

9:00  Drop off – Breakfast

9:45  Weekend wrap up

10:00         Slide show and Friendship Circle

11:00         Until we meet again!

 

Should I put a college connection blurb here?

 

Parent Support

 

Although the Executive Board, Advisor and Youth Director Work hard to ensure this upcoming year is the best it can be, there is only so much that we can do.  Parental support is crucial to the success of our youth group.  The Shaare Emeth YACC (Youth and Camp Committee), which is made up of parents and is led by Chairperson Lois Zuckerman, serves as an advisory board for all youth programming.  The YACC meets on a monthly basis and offers feedback, guidance and support to the youth department.  Additionally, several times throughout the year, we may ask for the help of parents and families of our youth groupers. 

 

More important than this, however, is the general day to day support of parents: signing your child up for membership, encouraging your teens to attend programs, making it possible (within reason) for them to attend programs by not making family plans that conflict with the programs, and ensuring that they have transportation.  For this, we are genuinely grateful as without the parents, our youth groups would not be possible.

 

Membership

 

Membership for SETYG is $36.00 and needs to be renewed each year.  Half of the money is paid directly to NFTY for membership and we use the other half to help subsidize programming throughout the year.  Although it is possible to attend programs without being a member, we urge those eligible to become members for several reasons.  For a majority of our programs, members are offered a discounted rate.  Also, in order to attend any Regional or Sub-regional events, you must be a member.  In addition, becoming a member is a sign of support for SETYG, and we greatly appreciate the support.  There are no membership charges for JYG or Network 56.

 

Communication

 

This year we will be sending out a newsletter at the beginning of each month with our calendar and details about some of the upcoming programs.  The calendar in this newsletter will be the most accurate as it will be updated closer to the time we send it out.  We will also mail flyers and registration forms for most programs with the specifics about the program about two weeks before the date.  Each SETYG board member will be assigned to call a group of youth groupers to remind them about programs as well as answer any questions. 

 

We are working to collect email addresses for all of our members and their parents.  Once a month or so, we will send the newsletter and current email addresses are vital to the success of this communication.  In addition, the email address will allow us to update you on any changes in programs or collect RSVP’s.  Please make sure to write your email addresses on the membership form in a legible manner to avoid error.  If you would prefer not to be on our email list, please let me know, and we will take you off of our mailings.

 

If you need to get in touch with Jodi Miller, Mark Cohen or Rabbi Annie Belford, please use the contact information at the beginning of this booklet.

 

Please RSVP!

 

Many of our program flyers have an RSVP date listed on them, and we strongly urge you to pay attention to the date.  In addition to the obvious aspect of needing to know how many people will be attending a program so we can plan details (transportation, reservations, etc.).  We also must know in advance in order to properly staff the program.  In some cases, we are able to make last minute additions, but we highly encourage you to RSVP by the requested date.  Additionally, a $5 late fee will be imposed on any late RSVP’s for programs.

 

Staff

 

All events are staffed with at least a ratio of one staff member per 10 kids. 

 

Guests

 

We welcome attendance from everyone, regardless of denomination or synagogue affiliation.  If your child would feel more comfortable bringing a friend, please contact Jodi Miller to make arrangements.

 

Code of Conduct

 

We use NFTY’s Brit Kehillah as our Code of Conduct.  The Brit Kehillah along with the URJ Health and Safety Form are included in this packet.  Please complete each and return with your membership form.  We will keep these on file for the 2007-2008 year.  If you need to update any information (i.e. emergency contact or insurance) please notify us so we can make the appropriate changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SETYG Membership Form

2007-2008

 

Name:____________________________________Gender:_______

 

Grade (Fall 2007):______School:_____________________________

 

Street address_____________________________Zip Code_______

 

Email address____________________________________________

 

Home phone_____________________Cell phone_________________

 

Date of Birth____________________

Mother’s Name_____________________Work phone______________

Father’s Name______________________Work phone______________

Parent’s email address_______________________________________

Emergency contact (not parent)________________________________

Emergency contact phone (home & cell)__________________________

 

When are the best days/times for you to participate in SETYG events?

_______________________________________________________

 

Please circle activities/areas in which you might be interested:

Sports                                      Events with other St. Louis youth groups

Community service                     Traveling to Chavurot

Educational programming           SETYG led Shabbat/Holiday services

Social activities

Israel education

 

Please send this form along with your $36.00 membership fee by September 15, 2007 to:

 

Jodi Miller, Youth and Camp Director

Congregation Shaare Emeth

11645 Ladue Road

St. Louis, MO  63141

jmiller@shaare-emeth.org

 

SETYG Driving Permission Form

 

The majority of our programs for SETYG will have bus transportation as part of the event, there will be occasion where the youth groupers will be driving.  Please complete this permission form for our records.

 

 

2007-2008

 

I,__________________________________,hereby give my son/daughter____________________________________________,

Permission to ride with a staff member, SETYG board member, or other responsible SETYG youth group member, to, from and during youth group programming as necessary throughout the year.

 

While I understand and have full confidence that every precaution will be taken to ensure the safety and well being of my son/daughter, I hereby release the driver, SETYG and Congregation Shaare Emeth from any liability for the duration of the events.

 

In addition, please check any that apply:

_______Please check here if you would prefer your son/daughter only ride with Mark Cohen (SETYG advisor) or other staff member.

 

_______Please check here if your son/daughter is permitted to drive during programs in St. Louis.

 

____________________________________                ____________

Name of Participant                                                  Date

 

____________________________________                ____________

Parent Signature                                                       Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

Congregation shaare Emeth

Youth department

Presents:

 

 

 

 

 

Everything you want to know

About youth programming…

But were afraid to ask