Jewish Teen Foundations Instill Lifelong Activism and Philanthropy

“Teens step up when they are entrusted with responsibility.”

 

by Rachel Levenson, JTF Alumnus I do not know even where to begin or how to express the importance of the Jewish Teen Foundations on my life. Starting with the JTF board from 8th grade onwards, this experience has been one of, if not the most important thing in my life for helping me find my personal interest and think critically.

The Teen Foundations provided me a place to interact with adults as peers, and I owe a lot of my personal growth to the program. It made me step back and think about what my role – as a Jew and as a global citizen – was and is in the larger worldwide community. I had to think about ways to integrate my Jewish values into projects that are bigger than just the Jewish community.

The Teen Foundations helped me find what I am passionate about. This year, I am starting a job in Malawi where I will be running an evaluation of a project that reduced the barriers to accessing savings accounts. I could not be more excited to be part of an organization that is working to try to measure effectiveness. There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today without the Teen Foundation.