www.atlantajewishtimes.com
EDUCATION
Back to School Means Back to Collaboration
Youth movements look for ways to expand cooperation
T
he school year is about to begin,
and that means Atlanta’s youth
movements are ready to get
back into full swing. Leaving behind
summer programs, trips to Israel and
camps, teens and adult youth leaders
are eager to start the school year by
working together in the spirit of February’s Coalition of Jewish Teens.
Adam Griff, co-adviser for NFTY’s
HOTTY chapter at Temple Beth Tikvah,
said he and David Hoffman, the BBYO
director at the Marcus Jewish Community Center, are planning to include a
NFTY team in BBYO’s AZA winter basketball league for boys. The league will
play nine regular-season games plus
playoffs from Dec. 6 to March 27.
Griff is excited for the basketball
league partnership but said HOTTY
has no other collaboration planned.
“We don’t do much in terms of
planning during the summer. Most of
it takes place during our board retreat,
which would be in August,” Griff said.
“I think there’s definitely an appetite
for that and an interest in doing more,
but there’s nothing planned yet.”
Many local NFTY chapters have
not had the chance to meet yet about
programming because several Reform
synagogues have new youth directors.
Griff is hopeful for more collaboration among the youth movements
this school year and would like to see
more joint leadership opportunities.
“I look forward to there hopefully
being more conversations and more )