Keeping kids involved

JEANIE KEOGH

When kids graduate from United Synagogue Youth, they don’t want to leave. So Andréa Milman, the new Vancouver-based director for the Pacific Northwest region, created a way that would allow them to come back as leaders and, in so doing, strengthen the alumni database and help increase membership.

Currently 20,000 members strong in North America, USY was formed in 1951 as a junior branch of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The organization provides social, educational, religious and recreational programs for teenagers and pre-teens from diverse backgrounds. Among its objectives are fostering Jewish values of gemilut chasadim – performing acts of kindness – and tikkun olam – repairing the world through community service – going beyond the boundaries of faith, age and cultural background to help people in need.

USY cultivates emerging Jewish leaders through its youth-run board. One of their responsibilities is to choose a charity to support with their annual budget of $250,000. One of the organizations it has supported is Birthday Angels, a group that throws birthday parties for children of all faiths in Israel. And recently, at its convention in Chicago, which drew 1000 youth from across North America, they set up a carnival for inner-city children.

The Pacific Northwest chapter is smaller than others, which has its advantages and challenges.

“Our region is very unique because it is the most spread out, one of the most geographically spread out and, yes, it’s a smaller population because we have mostly outlying communities like Calgary and Edmonton and Spokane ... Victoria, Oregon,” Milman said. However, despite its size, Milman said she is often approached by former members when she tours different synagogues in the region, evidence of strong ties to the organization.

So far, her plan to grow the alumni database is working. “When I went through the database, I put the word out to synagogues, periodicals, and sent out a request that anyone in the region should send us their information because we want to set up an alumni group. Within two or three days of sending things out over Facebook, I must have had 40 people contact me from all across North America, and many of them had been in USY back in the 1960s.”

As well as building an alumni network, Milman wants to invest energy into a junior leadership program made up of recent alumni, which she believes will create a strong staff team because of their past involvement as members.

“I’ve had a number of recent alumni who were so dedicated to the organization they didn’t want to leave and they want to come back and be advisors, so I want to keep them in while they’re excited about it,” she said.

In Milman’s view, what makes them passionate about USY is that it creates a feeling of inclusiveness and identity. “They can be themselves. That’s one thing that I noticed. It doesn’t matter what they look like, their sexual orientation ... none of that matters.”

For those who don’t attend Jewish day school or have other Jewish community connections, said Milman, USY is a way to be “immersed in Judaism in a place where they feel they can belong, [where] there is nothing wrong with them walking around with a kippa on their head ... [or] wanting to pray and have fun praying and to keep kosher and all of those things that they might feel uncomfortable doing in the outside world.... I think that having an opportunity to do that is very powerful for them.”

Milman said USY relies on word of mouth to encourage new members to join. Those that came back from the Chicago convention eager to be more involved play an integral role in engaging other youth.

Jeanie Keogh is a Vancouver freelance writer.

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