Strategic Planning:

After a nice trip home, I found myself back at the BBYO office for a very special occasion. As BBYO continues to dive into strategic planning, we held a summit to set important priorities on where we should focus development for the next few years. I joined Joelle and a team of professional staff, advisors, and directors to meet with the team from Third Plateau and talk through the early stages of the plan. I want to study business strategy in university, and this was an incredible opportunity for me to get a glimpse into what this process actually looks like. We had some extremely productive sessions talking about the research findings, vision statement, and so much more to build BBYO into an even bigger powerhouse. We, of course, had fun at the retreat on top of the energetic sessions, with some axe throwing, and I am excited to continue being a part of this process.

Delta:

After a jam-packed week of strategic planning, it was time for a jam-packed weekend of Delta’s spring convention. I arrived a little bit late but was fortunate enough to catch the regional life ceremony from the amazing Delta seniors. It was amazing getting to hear the stories of teens I had worked with all year and seeing the other side of their journey. The rest of Friday night was filled with more senior surprises, and it is always so special for the future BBYO alumni to reminisce on an amazing few years together. Saturday was filled with amazing programming from J-Serve to hearing from Andrew Moses about his journey of starting a podcast. One of the most special parts of the weekend for me was getting to see how close teens were across the different communities. Similar to my home region of Evergreen, Delta’s geography encompasses multiple states and hundreds of miles of territory; despite the distance, teens showed such strong connections individually and between their chapters, which made the weekend so much more fun. We ended the weekend with elections, and after some pretty incredible speeches and demonstrations of excellent leadership, the future of Delta was passed down to the hands of the newly elected regional board. I am excited to see them take the mantle and follow along, seeing their amazing feats of leadership from afar.

North Florida Region:

Next up was North Florida, and although they are concentrated in one state, I also got to travel to a few different cities and see a few different teens. In Tampa, we started off with an AZA legacy night and chapter board roundtable where I got to see the incredible youth of the community. With new teens having just been elected to the regional board at their own convention a week prior, they were excited for the future of the region and taking over the leadership of the graduating seniors. Some of the seniors are our very own Grand Aleph Moreh Will and International Mazkirah Riley. In Gainesville, I got to stay with Will and meet with their chapter board. In a much smaller Jewish community than Tampa, it was interesting to talk through the very different problems their community faces. We also got to meet with the UF Hillel and talk through the intricacies of the Gainesville community and how BBYO can continue to adapt and find their role in the city. We finished off the visit with a road trip to Orlando and seeing Riley and the teens there. In the last city, we met with the oldest teens being the newly elected regional board members in the city. It was exciting to talk through goals and ideas for the year and have some fun with water balloons for Shabbat.

Liberty:

After some time at home for Passover and time with family in Philadelphia, I headed out to the suburbs to meet with Liberty Region. After we had visited the teens during our December board retreat, I was very excited to see the board again. We had a great time watching the Phillies baseball game and reconnecting with the board. With convention coming up around the corner, a lot of the visit was hanging out with the regional board and gearing up for the weekend. Especially for this convention, a lot of the board is taking a large role in programming, so it was great to really zero in on how we can build these programs to deepen the member experience for their teens. After a deep dive into regional elections, it was unfortunately time to leave Philadelphia and head back west.

Pacific Western Region:

In PWR, I got to come to their spring convention. I spent a day in LA seeing sights before we went to convention prep night to get ready for the weekend ahead. From stuffing name tags to program review, I could already tell from that first night that it was going to be a great convention. The team put so much attention into each of the different facets of the weekend, and I was excited to get to experience them all firsthand. We got to Camp Bob Waldorf and started setting up. From registration to the steering HQ and everything in between, they got everything set up for the teens to arrive. The energy stayed high the whole weekend from open to close, with great programs and teens enjoying being together across the different cities. Some of the highlights were Shabbat services with a plethora of options and everyone coming together for the traditional Torah service. The steerers' program rotations were also amazing, with icebreakers, mad libs, and escape rooms. During Chofesh on Saturday, we played a game of soccer with almost the entire AZA body, and seeing teens continue to want to spend so much time together having fun on top of the intense schedule of programming was so energizing. We ended off each night with two separate programs—one from the steerers and one from the regional board. Each one pushed teens out of their comfort zone and encouraged them to connect with other teens they may not have known as well. I was so impressed with the feats of teen leadership from the regional board, the coordinator and steering team, and even all of the chapter leaders whose presence enhanced the experience for all of the other teens. After an awards ceremony and spirit circle, we said our sad goodbyes, and I ventured to the next community.

Great Midwest Region:

Back to the Midwest and the hub of Jewish life that is Chicago. I was excited to see many of the teens I had met on summer programs this summer and the second half of our Mazkirim dream duo with Justin. The week started with a Deli Project event with several alumni from several eras of BBYO. Seeing the teens interact with BBYO alumni from the 2000s all the way back to the 1960s—whether they were general members, international leaders, or even professional staff—was amazing. You should definitely check out the Deli Project podcast to hear firsthand their amazing stories and words of wisdom from BBYO. The rest of the week was filled with bootcamps and board roundtables. GMR has a 4-part bootcamp series, and I was there for the final installment that was run both in the city and in the suburbs. This was an amazing program that was run in two totally different ways, and seeing the teen leaders adapt to their audience to keep the program enjoyable was very inspiring. Upperclassmen got to reflect on their time in the Order, while underclassmen accepted those words of wisdom and figured out how they can apply them to their own experience. This was just days before their states and installation ceremony, so I got to meet with both the boards who were finishing and beginning their tenures. Seeing the transition of power was a very exciting opportunity, and I can’t wait to see the new board take over.

Final Stretch:

As I enter the final month of the term and even more conventions, elections, and exciting summer sendoffs, I am excited to continue meeting even more amazing teens. I am excited to spend the next month continuing to fill this amazing role, and you can follow along @azagodol and #mapmez!