About three weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending BBYO’s Inaugural Chapter Founders Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, with 37 other teens. This summit was designed to educate us on how to make our chapters successful. We spent the weekend learning and growing through collaborative workshops that taught us the fundamentals of building a chapter. We explored things like brainstorming program ideas, community mapping, and learning about BBYO's 100-year traditions to bring back to our communities.

The day we arrived was filled with so much excitement and curiosity once meeting all the teens at the airport. We settled at the hotel and immediately had the opening ceremony led by International N’siah, Joelle Abaew. This ceremony was a truly memorable moment throughout the weekend as we learned about BBYO’s mission which has lasted 100 years. It was incredibly motivating, and I knew in myself that I wanted to be a part of a movement like this one. We spent the rest of the evening with ice-breaker activities, getting to know the other teens there, and concluded the night with pure excitement for the rest of the summit.

The next day was truly special. We began bright and early on a bus headed to Atlanta’s JCC. It was extremely refreshing to see such a vibrant JCC with an active Jewish community. We immediately split into groups where we entered immersive learning workshops. One highlight was when we created mock chapters with our peers, where we had a mock board, program, and even challenges that may be thrown our way. It was a really good activity as we were all able to collaborate and combat issues, which prepared me for my own chapter at home. Another moment worth mentioning was community mapping with our peers from our hometowns. This activity was eye-opening for me as I was flooded with new ideas for programs I could have in my town that I hadn’t thought of before. Following the workshops, we explored the JCC further by playing a pickleball tournament. This was so fun, especially because we genuinely got to know one another. The day concluded with a Shabbat ceremony. The services were so meaningful. It was beautiful to see how everyone’s traditions, whether from sleepaway camp, their family, their school, or BBYO, joined together in unison. There was one common thread between all 37 of us, and that was that we were Jewish. After Shabbat, we spent the rest of the night learning about the BBG and AZA traditions. We learned the BBG chants and sang them together, which united our group even more.

On Shabbat morning, we shared another meaningful moment in our Shabbat morning service, where we were each handed a Lego block that we filled with words describing our community, which was all placed into what formed the BBYO menorah logo. It was really beautiful to see how BBYO connects Jewish teens from everywhere and every community. We then had the privilege of listening to three Atlanta-based Jewish entrepreneurs. We listened to their inspiring stories about the struggles of being an entrepreneur and how many started with nothing and worked their way up. Their testimonies were so inspirational and motivating to continue pursuing my chapter at home despite any challenges thrown my way. Later that day, we went on an excursion to the Lego Discovery Center, where we used Legos to understand the many different “ingredients” it takes to form something amazing. The Lego Center was not only meaningful but extremely fun, as our group grew much closer. The evening was very memorable, especially since I am on the newer side of the BBYO family. The evening consisted of inductions into the B’nai B’rith Girls and Aleph Zadik Aleph orders by International N’siah, Joelle Abaew. This moment was so meaningful, especially since many, including myself in our group, have never experienced inductions before.

Our final day was filled with reflections about the amazing work we achieved at the summit and the eagerness to continue our work with our chapters at home. We visited the Coca-Cola Museum, making even more memories with our group. It was sad to leave the new friendships I had made, but I am so excited to share my experiences with my Jewish community in Park City.

Overall, I am incredibly proud to have participated in the Inaugural Chapter Founders Summit. I feel empowered to create a vibrant chapter that will serve generations of Jewish teens, and I am genuinely excited to see my chapter thrive. I am also deeply thankful for the many friendships I formed during this unforgettable experience.