Community programs

This past summer we were overjoyed to have several programs across North America, and we are excited to say that the USY on Wheels programs and DREAM USY are BACK for an even bigger Summer 2023! Join us as we travel throughout the United States, Canada, and the Dominican Republic in 2023 – changing the world and creating community along the way.

The Gesher program is designed to give rising 12 graders experiences and tangible tools that will benefit them as counselors, individual leaders, and professionals, including group facilitation, public speaking, conflict management, active listening, and program implementation. CITs will also explore their Jewish identity and how it relates to their leadership style, their life outside of camp, and their work with campers.

Immersive two week summer intensive combining Judaism and the Creative Arts.

The Seniors division is the oldest of our camper divisions. Senior campers experience a program that is specifically designed to create the most enjoyable camp experience for this age group, while providing opportunities to grow leadership skills. The Perlman Camp Teen Leadership Program strives to build, strengthen and develop our participants, both as individuals and as a team, with the skills, knowledge and experiences necessary to prepare them to become active Jewish leaders at camp and in their communities at large.

This leadership development program is designed to empower teens by offering new responsibilities, challenges, and adventures including working with younger campers, team-building, and amazing off-site field trips each session.

Camp Ramah in the Poconos is an overnight Jewish summer camp located in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains for kids and teens grades 2-10. We create a warm, nurturing, kosher, Shabbat observant environment complete with water sports, ropes course, sports fields, creative arts, singing, dancing, and spiritual learning that fosters lifelong Jewish connections, one happy camper at a time.

Only one overnight camp in Maryland combines nearly 100 years of history with state-of-the-art facilities and experiences. At Camps Airy & Louise, your child is free to find their inner awesome and make friends that last a lifetime. Camp Airy for boys and Camp Louise for girls both feature a wide range of activities with something that every child is sure to love – from sports to performing arts to outdoor adventures and more. Leadership Training is offered for campers in rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

Unlock your Limitless Potential at Capital Camps! Experience Limitless Adventure our brand new static tower on the ropes course, our beautiful lake and aquatics center, sprawling sports fields, impressive arts offerings, and more. Capital Camps offers an inclusive environment for all campers to challenge themselves and form Limitless Friendships. Teen programs create opportunities for Limitless Leadership: Camper programs for 8th, 9th, and 10th graders, as well as a Leaders-In-Training program for 11th graders, and Counselor-In-Training program for 12th graders.

Through community outreach education and public awareness, the Center for Jewish Camping engages and inspires the Greater Baltimore Jewish community, in order to maximize the number of teens attending Jewish camp, and ensuring a vibrant Jewish future.

CTeen’s (Chabad Teen Network) mission is to provide a nurturing environment fusing fun, friendship, humanitarian outreach, mitzvah observance, and engaging Torah study.

Tikvah Online Academy offers small, discussion-based classes for students interested in Jewish ideas, Zionism and modern Israel, American history, and Western civilization. Available to 7th-12th grade students, they can supplement their learning and explore a new subject of interest!

StandWithUs Teen Leadership Council participants will have the opportunity to further their Israel knowledge, plan innovative Israel programs with their peers, and play a vital role in ensuring that teens in their community are connected to Israel. Student participants will engage in a four-month long program which includes: individual and group learning about Israel, mentorship in leadership skills and community building, access to StandWithUs speakers and materials, and an opportunity to connect with other teens in the region with similar goals and aspirations.

Teen Beit Midrash of Hebrew College (TBM) is an intimate and challenging program for teens in 8th-12th grades of all denominations who are looking for a pluralistic and inclusive place to explore their identity as a Jews and deepen their knowledge. We meet each week to connect with teens from all over the country, learn to read and translate traditional Talmud text and think about how they relate to our lives and the world we live in today.

Come find out about this unique program online for everyone.

NCSY and JSU hosts Latte and Learning every Monday night during the school year for Jewish high schoolers at non-Jewish private and public schools. These evenings are an opportunity for teens to gather in community and discuss Jewish topics of free Starbucks!

The StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship is for self-identified leaders in 11th and 12th grade, who want to proactively impact their local schools and communities. Leventhal Interns will provide nuanced education about Israel and the tools to fight antisemitism to their peers through interactive and creative initiatives and programming. Leventhal Interns cultivate their leadership in the areas of knowledge acquisition, professional development, and practicing new management skills, while receiving personalized mentorship from StandWithUs professionals.

This is an elite program, open to Jewish community and public school teens, designed to create the next generation of Jewish leaders through individual training and exposure to current world influencers.

JSU (or Jewish Student Unions) creates Jewish clubs in public and private schools around Baltimore. These clubs are spaces for Jewish teens to come together as a community to discuss Jewish topics, celebrate holidays, and connect. Contact Mordi Spero about JSU at your school!

Masa Israel Journey Gap Programs offers college-bound high school graduates the opportunity to experience another culture while volunteering, interning, studying, developing Jewish identity, and having an adventure before college.

Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. At Keshet’s Shabbat retreats, LGBTQ and ally Jewish teens are able to exhale; to find their place and their voice as emerging Jewish leaders. Together, they build meaningful friendships, engage in deep Jewish learning, and return home to build a world we can all be proud of. Keshet also creates and promotes virtual and in-person events for LGBTQ and ally Jewish teens.

Jewish National Fund-USA’s (JNF-USA) Sababa Fellowship is a nine-month program (September through May) open to alumni of Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI), who are committed to developing their leadership and involvement with JNF-USA. Highlights include networking, outreach training, non-profit experience, and leadership opportunities. Upon completion of the Sababa Fellowship, students will be uniquely poised as strong, articulate leaders in high school and college pro-Israel activity, and will be excellent candidates for fellowships and internships in college.

The Fellowship will include:

• A kick-off retreat in the fall
• Workshops with some of the top minds in Jewish philanthropy
• Training in fundraising and outreach
• Opportunities to work with local JNF-USA professionals on events and boards
• Exclusive leadership opportunity to plan and attend High School Summit at JNF-USA National Conference in Boston, November 4-6, 2022
• More opportunities to travel to Israel with AMHSI and JNF on Campus
• Community service hours and an impressive position for your resume

Don’t miss this chance to expand upon your AMHSI experience and become a valued leader on AMHSI’s young alumni leadership track.

Nominate someone who you think would be great! Applications for the 2022-2023 Sababa Fellowship are now closed. Please stay tuned for application timelines for the 2023-2024 school year.

Now you can be one of the 6,000 teens from around the world to participate in this five-day Olympic-style sporting event held each summer in several North American cities.
2023 Games: Israel- July 5-25, 2023, Ft. Lauderdale, FL- August 6-11.

JCC Maccabi ArtsFest includes workshops with artists in residence, performances, exhibits, community service, and social activities. JCC Maccabi ArtsFest will not be running Summer 2023.

HaZamir Baltimore is part of a youth movement that welcomes Jewishly identified and musically talented teens from a broad range of cultural backgrounds and levels of religious observance. HaZamir offers teens across the United States and Israel the opportunity to learn and sing Jewish choral music at the highest musical standard and on the world’s greatest stages. In weekly rehearsals (currently virtual), regional gatherings, and the HaZamir International Festival, HaZamir teens study Jewish text and history, grow as leaders, cultivate a deep connection to Israel, and create enduring friendships that transcend geographic, political, social, and denominational differences. Together the singers of HaZamir create harmonious unity and long lasting connections, to one another and Judaism, through excellence in music.

HSOSC is excited to be offering a mix of social engagement and social action programs for Jewish Teens in grades 8-12. Our programs are new and fresh and open to all Jewish teens in the Baltimore community. Visit our website for a full calendar of events:

Gratz Academy, the high school program of Gratz College, engages teens in meaningful learning and community building experiences through live, online Jewish Studies and language courses. Students can earn college credits and certificates while studying with Gratz College faculty and engaging with peers from across the country.

Gratz Academy supports excellence in teen education by utilizing today’s premiere tools and resources to engage students in deep-dive explorations of topics that are relevant to their lives and supportive of their developing identities. Foundationally pluralistic, Gratz Academy offers Jewish Studies courses that encourage dialogue, questioning and personal interpretation, and Hebrew and Yiddish language courses that promote the development of oral, aural and written skills.

We seek to prepare high school students for the antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment they might be faced with on their college campuses. By drawing on resources from the most effective international organizations that train students and educators, Israel High ensures that Baltimore’s students have a strong sense of Jewish identity and their relationship to Israel, have the tools and resources to feel confident and proud of their connection to the Jewish state and are linked to a network of educators and professionals who are trained to support them in their journeys to college.

The Program: Students participate in sessions facilitated by local educators with materials and support from international organizations such as StandWithUs, Makom, Emory University’s Center for Israel Education (CIE), AIPAC, and JerusalemU.

CHAI’s School and Community Partnerships team leads the way with school partnerships and engagement. Together with the Pikesville Schools Coalition, CHAI supports the academic, social, and cultural environment that is commensurate with the expectations of the local community, in order to secure a bright future for our Pikesville youth.

Applications are now open for the Baltimore Jewish Council’s Social Justice Teen Fellowship (STJF)! This coming year, SJTF fellows will meet in-person once a month to work alongside other teens as well as a dedicated team of professionals and facilitators to learn about the fundamentals of justice, racism, and antisemitism and how to create their own social justice project. For young people who want to get involved, SJTF is a great opportunity to address these pressing issues that are front and center in our nation and the world today.

This past year’s cohort has been collaborating with fellows from the Elijah Cummings Youth Program (ECYP) and Aaron Henkin from WYPR to create a social justice podcast. You can take a listen take a listen to episodes from last year’s podcast and audio postcards from this year by clicking here.

The 2023-2024 SJTF plans to continue to partner with WYPR and is actively working on creating an opportunity for fellows to travel overnight to Washington D.C. to participate in conversations with scholars about race relations. This opportunity is open to all rising 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders and is free of charge. Applications will remain open through May 31, 2023

The Baltimore Zionist District (BZD) nurtures the bonds between Baltimore and the State of Israel.  We strive to bring Israel closer to Baltimore. BZD programs are open to the community for all ages groups, we welcome anyone who wants to join and feels they want to better their connection with Israel through: Education, Virtual Tours, Zionist Education, Geo-political Topics and much more. Check out the Summer 2023 Israel Teen Trip!

Find you path…choose your adventure…from travel, study, social action, youth group and more!

BCPL offers a variety of programs, services and resources to youth, with a goal of providing dynamic, inclusive and innovative learning, social, and educational experiences in a safe space.

LFT helps high school students develop a strong Jewish identity and trains them as advocates for Israel, and to be voices against antisemitism. LFT gives students the tools to talk about the issues impacting world Jewry today, and the confidence to stand up for these issues in college and throughout their lives, no matter how difficult the situation.

AMHSI has been pioneering the academic and experiential study of Israel and Jewish history at the high school level. Students are inspired to live outside their books, encounter new ideas and challenge themselves to find their own link within the chain of Jewish continuity. Travel options include semester, minimester, and summer options from 4-6 weeks for 11th and 12 graders.

Adult Prep teaches life skills to our next generation, enabling them to be able to stand on their own two feet when they leave home; provides 1:1 personal development coaching for teens in need of some extra support; and specializes in supporting those with ADHD and Executive Functioning Challenges.

Tiyul Adventure Camps offer a variety of immersive Jewish outdoor adventure programming for children ages 6-17.

Explore Israel for 5 weeks this summer with teens your age. Learn first hand about Israeli history, culture, and society! Grow as a leader on Machaneh Bonim b’Israel!

The JCC fitness center offers many programs for teens to enhance and improve their health and wellness. These include Jr. Weight Training, one-on-one personal training, small group training and group fitness.

Leveling the Playing Field gives underprivileged children the opportunity to enjoy the mental and physical benefits of youth sports participation. We do this through the donation of used and excess sporting equipment to programs and schools serving low-income communities.

Infusing the volunteer spirit into the community throughout the year, JVC coordinates four events which coincide with local, statewide and national days of service:  Season of Service in the fall, Mitzvah Day in December, MLK Day of Service in January and Good Deeds Day in April.

While the pandemic continues to exist our annual days of service may look different. JVC will continue to respond to the needs of our service partners as well as offer innovative ways for people to volunteer. These days of service will follow health and safety guidelines and offer multiple volunteer opportunities to meet varying levels of comfort for volunteers whether it’s serving from home or out in the community.

Volunteer at home and with friends – any time! Live with Purpose is a initiative by Jewish Volunteer Connection that offers monthly volunteer projects that you can any time. Projects range from cooking casseroles, putting together care packages, or making dog toys!

Workshop is the longest running North American gap year program in Israel, offering participants nine months full of meaningful encounters with Israeli Society through service-learning, Hebrew language learning, and leadership development.

HDNA and Yallah Israel (formerly NFTY in Israel) have partnered to offer a 4-week trip for anyone interested in engaging with Israel through a Habonim Dror lens. Together with peers from 6 Habonim Dror North America camps, create and be part of an immersive traveling Israel program. Expect the iconic Israel experiences, from hiking Masada to exploring Jerusalem, with an emphasis on values-based education and deep engagement with dilemmas of modern Israel. Meet your national kvutza, share your camp traditions and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

June 29 – July 27th 2023

imadi supports families living in Washington D.C. and Maryland who have a child diagnosed with a chronic illness or a genetic condition. Through concierge case management, patient advocacy, and therapeutic programming, imadi provides a customized client experience to families facing complex pediatric health diagnoses. imadi creates meaningful volunteer experiences for teens to work with clients and families.

The Art of Leadership program brings together 10th and 11th grade public and private school students of diverse backgrounds to develop leadership skills and engage in dialogue across cultural barriers.

AIPAC provides opportunities for teens to learn about Israel advocacy through attending the AIPAC policy conference.

Through year-round programming and domestic and international travel opportunities, USY provides meaningful, immersive Jewish experiences, helping teens integrate Jewish rituals and values into their everyday lives.

NFTY’s Mid Atlantic Region (NFTY-MAR) includes North Carolina (excluding Charlotte), eastern West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. We work in partnership with Union for Reform Judaism affiliated congregations to provide meaningful Jewish experiences for middle and high school students.

NCSY is the premier organization dedicated to connect, inspire and empower Jewish teens and encourage passionate Judaism through Torah and Tradition.

Beth Israel’s Chapter of the Conservative Movement’s Youth Group

Baltimore Council is home to over 350 Jewish teens throughout Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Each of our chapters has its own teen leadership board and hosts weekly programs, typically on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. Each chapter is supervised by at least one adult advisor. The council comes together throughout the programming year for large events and conventions.

Events are planned by teens, for teens and programming ranges from fun activities like ice skating and overnights, to communal Shabbat celebrations and leadership trainings. A parent, advisor, or regional staff­ member is always on hand to ensure safety and health.

BBYO Baltimore Council gives our members opportunities to develop leadership skills and positively affect their communities, the world, and themselves. We constantly strive to provide more Jewish teens with more meaningful Jewish experiences each and every day, so that they may become the future Jewish leaders in their communities and in the Jewish world at large.