JTF Retreat
This year I decided to join the Jewish Teen Foundation (JTF), a program which takes Jewish teens from around San Diego and unites them over a single cause: philanthropy. We meet once a month to discuss a plethora of decisions that surround philanthropy, such as, “How do we decide which organizations to support?” and “How can we create a mission statement that incorporates all of our groups’ interests?” in addition to, “Does this charity truly match what we are looking for?” and even, “Wow! It only took us an hour to reach consensus!”
This year JTF has 25 program officers which includes six leadership members. This cohort represents six synagogues and a dozen schools, we reach the community far and wide. The program officers first met each other for two hours of orientation, where we were already told to quiet down because we were having too much fun. We met the second time for a retreat at the Leichtag Ranch in Encinitas. During this encounter, we spent six hours learning how to form a mission statement, thoroughly understand the goals of this program, practice methods for reaching consensus, and most importantly, finally remember everybody’s names.
We did some incredible things that retreat! After some icebreakers, we embarked on a “Foundation Simulation.” We were given mission statements and had to find organizations that completely fulfilled our needs. We talked to representatives these organizations and were asked to filter out the ones that didn’t fit with our mission statements, a task that proves hard especially when your mission statement has a specific focus. We spent time discussing three initiatives, unfolding exactly what endorsing each topic would tangibly include. Believe it or not, on our first day we gave away $5,000 to the Federation’s Shalom San Diego initiative, aimed towards inclusivity in the community.
At the end of the day we finally held a “grand consensus discussion” to select our mission statement for the year. We started with over an hour to discuss, an amount of time that seems excessive, but was necessary in ensuring we all voiced our opinions. Prior to starting the conversation, we thought we would finish in time to squeeze in a couple of extra rock-paper-scissors tournaments and head home in time for the football game. Ultimately, the program officers used the rest of our time at the retreat coming to consensus on the mission statement. Our four topics of emphasis were mental health, basic needs, environment and literacy. As the time escaped us in our passionate discussion, we decided that mental health, literacy, and basic needs fit together well with our chosen demographic of at-risk youth. Our mission statement’s rough draft was brilliantly made with two minutes to spare: “The Jewish Teen Foundation aims to invest in organizations that secure the basic needs of at-risk youth.” The consensus was a success, taking around an hour with everyone satisfied at the completion of the process and we ended on a high note.
The retreat was filled with valuable insight. First off, we learned that disagreement is simply not an option. We can’t make a decision if even one person isn’t on board with the plan. Second, we discovered that the mission statement is truly the cornerstone of the whole process; an organization might cure cancer, but if our mission statement was about saving dogs from the pound, it won’t fit the bill. Last but definitely not least, we learned about each other. I realized that I’m about to spend the year with 25 brilliant teenagers who love advocating for what they believe in. Who couldn’t like a group as passionate as this? The individuals that filled the chairs around me on Sunday are an invigoratingly dedicated group of peers. I know we will achieve heights never before seen by the Jewish Teen Foundation. I’m excited to spend this year with the JTF, and I’m even more ecstatic to be giving back to my community with my new friends.
