Over the past few years, my chapter has more than halved in size, with our events going from an average of 30 to 45 BBGs to an average of fewer than 20. From the time I was in 8th grade to my current junior year, I have watched my chapter seemingly fall apart, with a smaller and smaller regional presence at both events and conventions. Throughout my past two years on board, I spent my terms stressing over our attendance and membership goals, thinking that those factors determined the overall success of my chapter, the place I have been lucky to call home these past three years. So, when I ran for my chapter, N’siah, my primary vision for my chapter was to return it to its past prosperity and double our current membership. I based my entire plan for this year around building quantitatively. I attended both ILTC and Kallah with the intention of learning every possible way to grow my chapter membership. I asked the same question over and over again: how can I grow my regionally-based chapter, when our towns perceive BBYO as weird, time-consuming, and off-putting? I found that this specific question, while applicable to so many chapters across the order, had no real answer.

After this summer, I put my plan into motion. Countless meetings with my Aym Ha'Chaverot resulted in a prospect list with nearly forty BBGs, and a kickoff with over thirty BBGs, both new and old. Still, as my year progresses, fewer and fewer members are returning to events, and very few on our prospect list have actually attended one. Our September membership goal was ten, and we only recruited four official new members. After each small event, each failed recruitment text, I have felt somewhat defeated. I have put every ounce of my effort into growing my chapter, but no matter how hard I try, nothing seems to work. At some point, somewhere, something in me changed: a shift in perspective. Maybe my chapter has only around 25 active members, with fewer than 10 being new prospects, but it has something many others lack. Each and every member of L'Chaim BBG has a strong connection, a deep friendship, and true care for each other. At every event, all members are so happy to be together, so excited to engage in new conversations, and so grateful to have made forever friends through BBYO. My chapter may have only around 15 members at regional events, but everyone in the region knows our names. We come off strong, devoted, funny, and passionate to everyone we interact with. No matter how small we are, our presence and impact have remained undying.

These past few months, I’ve felt like giving up. My seeming lack of success has deterred me from continuing to put in so much for so little return. But then, I think about when I was an eighth grader, feeling so unbelievably lucky to find my home in L'Chaim. My new members and prospects are so fortunate to have so many years left in such an amazing community. I need to keep my chapter strong for them so that they will be as motivated as I am three years from now. I am one hundred percent certain that, while this year I may recruit only a few new members, each year that number will continue to grow. I see limitless potential in every new member, and I am confident that they will continue our success through fostering true, unbreakable friendships. That is the spirit of my heart and home, L'Chaim BBG #2148.