4Front Signature Programs

Students Taking Action for Change (STAC)

Flex your leadership muscles and get political! STAC teaches teens how to create change in their community through the many avenues of advocacy- gov and politics, lobbying, journalism, and more. Through STAC, teens will develop an understanding of the political process, gain real life skills in lobbying and public speaking, and advocate for change at the grassroots, local, state, and federal levels.

Program Update:
The STAC curriculum will now be broken into multiple, topic driven “pop-up” series and intensives throughout the school year. Teens will be able to sign up for one or multiple series based on their interests. Each will dive into a different topic surrounding advocacy, politics and making change. Program gatherings have the flexibility to take place in person or virtually as COVID-19 restrictions allow. 

STAC Pop Up Series: “Rep US- Explore Election 2020”
In this Fall STAC pop-up, teens will explore topics surrounding the 2020 election. Learn about the role of money in politics, the ins and outs of campaigning, what the electoral college really does, and more. Stage your own presidential debate, join our live election watch party and then debrief the results! Online registration required to participate. 

Dates: 5 Sessions: Oct 13, Oct 20, Oct 27, Nov 3, Nov 8
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $200
Community Service Hours: 5 Hours
Registration: Open August 16 – Oct 1, 2020

STAC Pop Up Series: Government & Politics 
Are you ready to make REAL change? In partnership with the Baltimore Jewish Council, STAC’s winter pop-up series will give you the opportunity to impact our state as you learn about and get involved in Maryland’s legislation process. This 4-week series is designed to expose you to the systems of government at the Federal and State levels, a variety of public policy and social justice issues, and the Jewish values that inform our community’s advocacy around these issues. During the series you’ll select a bill to lobby for or against in the State House and we’ll give you the tools to write effective, persuasive, and passionate testimony to share with state decision-makers at our annual Advocacy Day in Annapolis, MD.

Dates: 4 Sessions: Jan 31, Feb 7, Feb 14, Feb 23 (tentative)
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $200
Community Service Hours: 5 Hours
Registration: Opens November 1, 2020

STAC Short-Term Intensive: Advocacy in the Digital Age
In our 8-week Spring intensive, teens will learn about the power of media advocacy. Teens will learn explore mediums like investigative journalism, social media leveraging, and podcasting to learn new ways to raise your voice and make an impact for causes you care about. 

Dates: 8 Weeks: Tuesday evenings March 30 – May 18 (tentative)
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $500
Community Service Hours: 10 Hours
Registration: Opens Jan 3, 2021

For more information, please contact
Rabbi Dena Shaffer at dshaffer@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.500.5983

Social Innovation Fellowship

The Social Innovation Fellowship is a hands-on entrepreneurship program that inspires and empowers Jewish teens to be changemakers in their community. Under the guidance of innovation experts and local mentors, fellows will develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set to create and implement their own social enterprise to tackle problems in our community. The fellowship offers a real-world, resume-building experience that includes a kick-off innovation boot camp, workshops, mentoring sessions, and a final Demo Day pitch competition.

Program Update:
The Social Innovation Fellowship will now be offered as a 12-week short term intensive, from December – March, 2021. The 2020-21 program will not include overnight retreats or international travel. The program will have a blended curriculum of virtual meetings and in person gatherings, as covid-19 restrictions allow. PLUS get a taste of SIF in our 1-day virtual Hack-a-thon pop up!

Social Innovation Pop Up Event: Virtual Hackathon
Facilitated by our partner Henrik Scheel of Startup Experience, this one day pop up event will give teens a taste of the innovation process as they work with their peers to hack real world problems! Starting at problem definition and ending with a new business idea in just a few hours, this design sprint will teach teens to think on their feet and put their entrepreneurial mindset to the test. This event will take place virtually and will also be open to Jewish teen innovators from around the country. 

Program Dates: Sunday, October 25, 2020
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $50
Registration: Open August 16 – October 23, 2020

Social Innovation Fellowship – Short-Term Intensive
Under the guidance of innovation experts and local mentors, social innovation fellows will develop an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set to create and implement their own social enterprise to tackle problems in our community and work towards Tikkun Olam, repairing our world. A fast-paced version of our traditional fellowship, this 12-week intensive will place teens in startup teams to create and develop a social startup idea to pitch at our culminating Demo Day pitch competition. In the process, teens will also get the chance to meet with real social entrepreneurs, get hands-on experience in business building, and learn how entrepreneurship can be a Jewish endeavor.

Program Dates: 12 Sessions, Sundays December 6, 2020 – March 7, 2021 (no meeting Dec 27 & Jan 3 for winter break)
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $800 (financial aid available) 
Community Service Hours: 10 Hours
Applications: Open August 16 – November 16, 2020

For more information, please contact
Diana Solomon at dsolomon@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.500.5985

Diller Teen Fellows

Diller Teen Fellows is a year-long immersive leadership program inviting teens from six continents and 32 communities to step up, lead their communities, and repair the world. Diller will provide you with the tools, feedback, and guidance you need to experiment, collaborate, and grow as a leader, while exploring your own Jewish identity. You’ll connect with teens in Baltimore’s partner city, Ashkelon, giving you a new, broader perspective. The traditional program includes monthly workshops, weekend retreats, a 10-day seminar with Ashkelon teens in Baltimore and a three-week summer seminar in Israel.

Program Update from Diller International:
“As Diller Teen Fellows prepares for the 2020-2021 Fellowship year, there are still a lot of unknowns in the world, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. While, we don’t yet know what will be possible in terms of travel, and group gatherings in some communities, we are committed to offering a full Diller experience, with even deeper opportunities for Fellows to develop leadership skills, connect in a global network of peers, and strengthen their understanding of their Jewish identities. Diller International continues to develop innovative ways to deliver unique Diller content, consistently researching, seeking, and implementing new educational techniques and strategies that can be utilized both in-person and virtually.

Diller has always been a yearlong Jewish leadership experience, and it will continue to be that in the year ahead. Whenever possible, local Cohort workshops will be conducted in-person (observing all local health guideline) and will be supplemented by interactive virtual experiences, including cross-cultural workshops and meet-ups with international Cohorts. Throughout the year, Diller will follow guidelines to determine if, and when, travel might be possible, and, will communicate with families of Fellows on a regular basis.”

Diller Teen Fellows: Year-long Cohort 
Program Dates: September 2020 – September 2021
Grade: 11th Grade
Cost: $3100 (Financial aid available )
Community Service Hours: 20-30 Hours
Applications: NOW OPEN

For more information, please contact
Sam Kahan Strakes at sstrakes@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.843.7477

Peer Leadership Fellows

4Front’s new Peer Leadership Fellows program trains and empowers teens to be communal connectors! Fellows will learn how to build relationships, engage their peers in meaningful, identity-based conversation, and connect their social networks to the vast menu of opportunities available to teens in the Baltimore Jewish community and beyond. Fellows meet monthly (in real life and virtually), building a team of leaders helping to strengthen the community and each other.

Open to sophomores and juniors, Peer Leadership Fellows runs from January-December each year (applications open in late fall) beginning with an immersive leadership training experience. In the months that follow, Fellows will also receive training on social network mapping, community organizing, and peer-to-peer engagement following the nationally recognized Hillel campus curriculum. Peer Leadership Fellows is a legitimate, resume-building internship! Fellows receive a $500 annual stipend which represents a commitment of approximately 10 hours each month. Each Fellow is charged with building relationships with uninvolved Jewish teens in their own communities. Serving as a conduit to a plethora of communal opportunities, the Peer Leadership Fellows strive to advance Jewish values in the context of their relationships.

Peer Leadership Fellows: Year-long Cohort
Program Dates: January 2021 – December 2021
Grades: 10 & 11
Applications: Open November 1, 2020

For more information, please contact
Jeffrey Snyder at jsnyder@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.500.5453

Teen Service Council

Teen Service Council is a great first step towards identifying needs in your community and making a real difference. This program offers opportunities for exciting, hands-on service learning to give back to your community. Through Teen Service Council, participants will learn about the many needs in our community, work with organizations addressing those needs, and make their own impact!

Program Update:
Teen Service Council will now be composed of several individual pop-up events throughout the year. Teens will be able to sign up for these service projects individually as we offer various ways to give back to the community. The types of service projects and level of hands-on interaction will be based on the current COVID-19 regulations at the time of each project. Stay tuned for more details and upcoming Teen Service Council pop-up projects!

Teen Service Council Pop-Ups
Program Dates: 

• Pop Up #1: November 8th | Environmental Health & Sustainability
• Pop UP #2: January 17th | MLK Day of Service
• Pop Up #3: March 14th | Homelessness
• Pop Up #4: May 2nd | Hunger

Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $25 each
Community Service Hours: 3 hours each
Registration: Opens August 16, 2020

For more information, please contact
Jeffrey Snyder at jsnyder@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.500.5453

FUN(d): A Teen Giving Circle

Want to make a difference in the community? Put your money where your mouth is! Make an impact with thoughtful, strategic, and inspired giving to causes you care about. Teens in FUN(d) will experience the importance of philanthropy and fundraising using their personal passions while engaging in a group allocation process. Experience what it means to be a philanthropist and why it is so important to give back to the community. Learn how to think outside of the (tzedakah) box!

Program Update:
Fun(d) program coordinator Sam Kahan Strakes is currently out spending time with her beautiful new baby Zoey, which has put a hold on planning for Fun(d) 2020-21. When Sam returns, she look forward to planning and sharing more about Fun(d)’s new format- likely following a short-term intensive model aimed for Spring 2021.  

Fun(d) – Short-Term Intensive
Program Dates: March – May, 2020
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: TBA
Community Service Hours: TBA

For more information, please contact
Sam Kahan Strakes at sstrakes@4frontbaltimore.org or 410.843.7477