METNY USCJ is Moving!
We will be moving to the
USCJ headquarters on Dec. 22nd.
Our new address will be:
820 2nd Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Please change your records. More information to follow.
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USY Chapter Grant Conference Call
By Dave Siegel, METNY Interim Director of Youth Activities
On November 18, 2009, the METNY Department of Youth Activities hosted a conference call for Youth Directors whose chapters were recipients of METNY USY's Chapter Grants, an initiative launched last year. This call was a wonderful opportunity for the grantees to "meet" and discuss their experiences thus far.
The conference call had three main agenda areas. The first goal was to provide the participants with a "program share". Each chapter gave a description of their program funded by the Chapter Grant followed by a brief reflection on the actual event and the planning process. Since several of the grantees have not yet held their events, this was a great opportunity for them to make notes of successes and avoid foreseeable difficulties.
The second part of the conference call enabled the youth directors to share how their chapters and their youth benefited from the grant. The most common response was that the grant money gave the chapters a boost of enthusiasm to start the year. Other mentioned were that the grants represented a chance to teach program planning to the USYers and to create a memorable opening program. The group agreed that these grants provide essential funding during this particularly difficult fiscal year.
The final component of this conference call focused on evaluative techniques. Since one of our major initiatives this year is to increase leadership training and development within METNY USY for staff and USYers, this call was a productive forum to help our directors develop the essential skill of evaluation. Some of the items discussed were establishing clear goals, how we measure success, effective evaluation methods and common misconceptions of the evaluation process. The call ended with our identifying the "best practices" of evaluation.
While a major component of the conference call was to maintain communication with the grantees, this forum afforded the METNY Department of Youth Activities with the opportunity to further one of central goals for this year, namely leadership training. First and foremost, this was the first of many leadership development calls and workshops that we intend to provide for our youth directors this year. Second, the "program share" opened the lines of communication between the different chapters. This networking strengthens our region. Lastly, this discussion provided the region and everyone involved with vital programmatic material that can benefit all of our chapters. In the next few months we will distribute a list of best practices for our chapters, as well as unveil a new and improved program bank.
I am available to review and discuss the content of this conference call with every chapter and synagogue leader. Please contact me with any questions.
Due to the immediate success of this program, METNY USCJ intends to offer Chapter Grants next year. For those chapters who have received grants this year, they must fulfill all of the requirements of the current grant to be considered for next year's grant. Please note that only synagogues in good standing will be considered.
As the year progresses we look forward to providing additional services for our youth staff, youth commissions and USYers. If you have any questions of suggestions, please call me at the METNY Department of Youth Activities at (212) 533-0800 or via email at siegel@uscj.org. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
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Yasher Koach Corner
 Mazel Tov to Midway Jewish Center for running a fantastic program for their USYers. Their "Scavenger Hunt at the Bronx Zoo" was made possible by the METNY USY Chapter Enhancement Grant, awarded to Midway Jewish Center in the spring.
For more information about USY or to enhance your USY and Kadima Chapter, please contact Dave Siegel, METNY Interim Director of Youth Activities, at 212-533-0800 or siegel@uscj.org. |
Apply for UJA Grants 2010-2011
The UJA Federation of NY has a wide variety of grants available for your shul, school, youth group or JCC. Please click here to find out more information. The due date is December 28, 2009. |
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METNY USCJ's
UN MISSION IS SOLD OUT!
Please contact Kimberly Bastin at 212-533-0800 or bastin@uscj.org if you would like to be place on the waiting list. |
