It’s not always the easiest work, and it sometimes feels overlooked, but for those who choose to work with kids, the rewards speak for themselves. The Youth/Afterschool track will tackle some of the big issues you face on a daily basis. You will be able to build a cohort with your peers, like-minded people who you can lean on and turn to in years to come while you learn from some of the finest experts in our field.
Youth & After School Job Track Leader: Jon Shapiro, Senior Vice President of Membership & Youth Services at the Indianapolis JCC
Jon has held the SVP position a position since June 2012. Prior to joining the JCC, Jon was the camp director of Capital Camps, a JCC affiliated residential summer camp serving the mid-Atlantic region. Jon has worked exclusively in non-profit and Jewish settings since graduating from Empire State College with a degree in Human Service Management. Jon’s experience in the Youth and After School arena have helped propel his programs to capacity.
Youth & After School Job Track Sessions
Connecting and Beginning Our Learning
Jon Shapiro, Senior VP of Membership & Youth Services, JCC of Indianapolis,
Sunday, 1:45 – 3:45 pm
Using the unique opportunity of this conference track we will share our best programs and face some of our departmental challenges. Come to this first session ready to roll up your sleeves and dive right in.
Parents and Kids: How to Build Strong Intimate Connections
Monday, 2:15 – 3:45 pm
Betsy Stone, PhD., Professor, Hebrew Union College
So many of our conversations with kids are practical but often not meaningful “Did you do your homework? How was school? Did you eat your lunch?” Parents and early adolescents actually want to have important discussions, but simply don’t know how to begin. Research shows us that early adolescents CAN have deep thoughts and can articulate these thoughts. In this session we will learn how can we create intimate and meaningful conversations about important issues and help parents learn to do the same.
Gender, Gender, Everywhere
Monday, 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Daniel Bahner, National Director of Education and Training, Keshet
During this session, we will explore concepts around gender, the messages we send around gender stereotypes and expectations, and close with a conversation around gender identity development. Participants will eave with a better understanding, as well as some tools, to create more trans-inclusive programs.
Embedding Intentional Jewish Experiential Education in our Programs
Tuesday, 3:15 – 5:00 pm
Mark S. Young, Managing Director, The Leadership Commons, The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, The Jewish Theological Seminary
Experiential Jewish Education has gone from an aspiration and buzz word to a mainstream idea and strategy. In all setting staff can think and act intentionally for all our programs not only to be interactive and active as JCC experiences—but intentionally experiential—with opportunities for us to facilitate learning that will inspire, empower and further engage our participants. Let’s discuss and hone this craft together.
Maximize your Impact through Collaboration
Wednesday, 10:15 – 12:00 pm
Caron Blanke, Independent Organizational Consultant
In today’s competitive marketplace, innovative collaboration can serve as an important tool to strengthening our programs. Explore ways of becoming a lead collaborator in and out of your JCC and become a model for success in your community