JCH TEEN PHILANTHROPY BOARD

Under the direction of Anastasiya Martinova, the Teen Board will focus their learning throughout the fall and winter on developing the skill set required for grant making while also studying Jewish values connected to philanthropy. The Teen Board will then narrow down their interests into a list of a select few organizations that will be invited to submit proposals for funds, which will be allocated by the teens in support of the causes that interest them the most. After crafting and issuing a Request for Proposals, teens will carefully review each grant proposal received by the agency, and conduct site visits to some of the organizations’ offices in New York. The teens then spend hours negotiating the difficult task of allocating limited funds to a small enough number of organizations where the funds can have a meaningful impact. The teens are committed to spreading awareness about teen mental health issues, supporting young people in the LGBTQ+ community, and supporting young people with special needs. It is very inspiring to see how much they care, and very educative for the teens to realize that they can’t address all of the problems they see in the world around them. 

In addition, the Teen Board will participate in sociopolitical intensive meetings, where they analyze current events through multiple lenses. The Teen Board will learn about social action and different initiatives they can partake in, in their efforts of pursuing social justice. One initiative that is home to the "J," is the Annual Mitzvah Day, where over 200 teens and young adults come together to help better the community. The Teen Board will be an integral part of the development of the opening session for Mitzvah Day, regarding logistics, as well as assisting site leaders. For more information about JCH Annual Mitzvah Day, please visit our site.