Moving Traditions

MOVING TRADITIONS' MISSION IS TO EMBOLDEN YOUTH BY FOSTERING SELF-DISCOVERY, CHALLENGING SEXISM, AND INSPIRING A COMMITMENT TO JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING.

MOVING TRADITIONS' FOUR MAIN PROGRAMS ARE B'NAI MITZVAH FOR 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR PARENTS; OUR EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION TEEN GROUPS, ROSH HODESH, SHEVET, AND TZELEM; KOL KOLEINU FEMINIST TEEN FELLOWSHIP; AND CULTURESHIFT, OUR "TRAIN-THE-TRAINER" PROGRAM FOR JEWISH INFORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. MOVING TRADITIONS PARTNERS WITH CONGREGATIONS, JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS, CAMPS, AND OTHER AGENCIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO DELIVER OUR RESEARCHED-BASED PROGRAMS, AND WE TRAIN THE ADULTS WHO FACILITATE THEM. EACH PROGRAM CONNECTS JEWISH TEACHINGS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNINGS TO EMBOLDEN JEWISH PRETEENS AND TEENS TO RESIST RESTRICTIVE GENDER NORMS AND TO FOSTER MEANINGFUL, FLOURISHING, AND JEWISH LIVES. MOVING TRADITIONS' B-MITZVAH PROGRAM HELPS 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR PARENTS TO DEVELOP STRONG COMMUNICATION AND EMPATHY, AND THE CAROL LOWENSTEIN MOVING TRADITIONS B-MITZVAH TRAINING INSTITUTE PREPARES CLERGY AND EDUCATORS TO LEAD MEANINGFUL, JEWISH CONVERSATIONS TO HELP FAMILIES NAVIGATE THIS IMPORTANT "COMING OF AGE" CELEBRATION, AND HELP THEM REIMAGINE THE CELEBRATION DURING THE PANDEMIC. MOVING TRADITIONS B-MITZVAH PROGRAM OPERATED NATIONALLY IN 2021-22 WITH 115 PARTNERS, TRAINING 138 CLERGY AND EDUCATORS AND SERVING 3,565 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR 4,278 PARENTS. MOVING TRADITION'S TEEN GROUPS - ROSH HODESH FOR GIRLS, SHEVET FOR BOYS AND TZELEM FOR TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY TEENS - CONNECTS THE ISSUES TEENS CARE ABOUT MOST (SUCH AS BODY IMAGE, FRIENDSHIP, SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC PRESSURE, ROMANCE, AND SEXUALITY) TO ENDURING JEWISH VALUES; FOSTERS POSITIVE PEER-TO-PEER RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH OUR TRAINED EDUCATORS AND MENTORS; AND INSPIRES PARTICIPANTS TO DEVELOP AN ONGOING CONNECTION TO JEWISH COMMUNITY. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 65 ORGANIZATIONS, MOVING TRADITIONS OPERATED 160 GROUPS IN 21-22, SERVING 1,280 TEENS. WE TRAINED 57 GROUP LEADERS DURING OUR SUMMER 2021 GROUP LEADER TRAINING INSTITUTES. WE ALSO PILOTED KULAM - AN ALL-GENDER CLASSROOM PROGRAM - WITH 31 SYNAGOGUES AND HEBREW HIGH SCHOOLS. WE HAVE 54 FELLOWS PARTICIPATING IN OUR KOL KOLEINU TEEN FEMINIST FELLOWSHIP, WHERE PARTICIPANTS DEEPEN THEIR KNOWLEDGE, AMPLIFY THEIR VOICES AND TOGETHER WITH ADULT MENTORS DEVELOP PROJECTS TO CREATE TANGIBLE CHANGE. MOVING TRADITIONS' CULTURESHIFT PREPARES INFORMAL EDUCATORS TO CHALLENGE SEXISM, SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT, AND TO PROMOTE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ROOTED IN SAFETY, RESPECT, AND EQUITY. IN SPRING 2021 WE TRAINED 148 CAMP STAFF AT 3 SEPARATE WEBINARS. TO DATE, MOVING TRADITIONS HAS EMBOLDENED 28,000 TEENS, TRAINED 2,500 ADULTS AS B- MITZVAH PROGRAM LEADERS AND TEEN GROUP MENTORS, AND PARTNERED WITH MORE THAN 500 CONGREGATIONS, JCCS AND OTHER JEWISH ENTITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA.