Dear USY Community: We write to you following an extremely successful launch of our USY strategic planning process that took place last week in Chicago, IL. About 30 members of the Vision Team met to officially begin this work. We have engaged Insyte Partners as our consultants and to guide us in a comprehensive visioning and planning process.
We see this planning process as unique for several reasons:
Our Vision team includes teenagers, current staff, alumni, volunteers, clergy, and other synagogue professionals, and reflects the diversity of experiences and relationships to USY. You can learn more about the Vision Team here.
We don’t have a predetermined outcome in mind. We are fully open to considering what to keep, transform or let go. Every possibility is on the table at the moment.
The listening, or “sensing,” chapter of the work has already begun! Taking advantage of our Chicago meeting location, we invited a number of CHUSY teens for a conversation to hear what being a teen is like today.
Core to this process is hearing from as many voices as possible and there will be many opportunities for stakeholder input. We want to hear from you and will provide more information on this effort as it becomes available. If you are already interested in participating please fill out this form.
Change can be difficult. We know that for many, there is so much to love about USY. We also know that the world has changed dramatically and that honest reflection and bold transformation is key to meeting the wants and needs of today’s teens. Until the culmination of this process, we will remain in interim mode. This means that we will continue to fulfill the commitments to programming as we have done since this fall. We will communicate regularly about our strategic plan and will update you along the way and when we are ready to announce any changes or next steps. We are excited for what this initiative holds for the future of teen engagement in the Conservative Movement and look forward to working with you as partners in this effort. L'Shalom, Jacob Blumenthal, CEO
Julie Marder, Interim Senior Director of Teen Engagement
Eliot Meadow, USCJ Vice President |
