4Front is the Baltimore Jewish community’s comprehensive teen initiative. Based on four pillars – advocate, innovate, educate, and collaborate, 4Front serves as a gathering place and open channel for Baltimore’s Jewish teens and the adults who care about them. Here, teens are encouraged to explore Jewish identity in ways that are meaningful to them.
Teens:
4Front directly offers a variety of teen programs emphasizing leadership and social justice! These programs create fun, immersive Jewish experiences where teens can explore who they are and what they care about! From political advocacy, to social entrepreneurship, to hands on community service and philanthropy, 4Front helps teens discover the many ways they can improve our world.
Teen Programs and events include: 6 Signature Programs: Social Innovation Fellowship, Teen Service Council, Students Taking Action for Change (STAC), Diller Teen Fellows, FUN(d): A Teen Giving Circle, Peer Leadership Fellows, 4Front U, Teen Advisory Board (TAB), iEngage, and more!
Adults:
4Front provides support, education and resources for the adults who care about and champion the teen demographic: youth professionals, lay leaders, and parents! Through offering opportunities for professional development and education, 4Front aims to give adults the skills required to address the needs of teens with knowledge and confidence.
Adult Programs and events include: E3 Teen Professionals Network, Lay Advocates, and Parent Engagement Nights.
Partnerships:
4Front has built over 60 partnerships with agencies, synagogues, organizations, and programs throughout the community. We work with our partners to raise the profile and priority on teens throughout the community and our mission is to build capacity for more teens to discover the amazing programmatic opportunities that exist for them throughout greater Baltimore.
Recent partners include: Baltimore Jewish Council, Elijah Cumming Youth Project, Art with a Heart, Leveling the Playing Field, BBYO, NFTY, Beth Israel Congregation, Keshet, and more.
4Front’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
4Front embraces and values diversity when it comes to race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and ability. We are also committed to Jewish pluralism and welcome our friends and peers of all faith traditions and those of none. In order for 4Front to achieve our mission to “help teens increase their relevance to our Jewish community’s present and future,” we aspire to celebrate diversity, work towards equity, and practice inclusion in all of our work.