MOVING TRADITIONS
8380 OLD YORK RD STE 4300, ELKINS PARK, PA 19027 www.movingtraditions.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: MOVING TRADITIONS' MISSION IS TO EMBOLDEN TEENS BY FOSTERING SELF-DISCOVERY, CHALLENGING SEXISM, AND INSPIRING A COMMITMENT TO JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING. THROUGH OUR FIELD-TESTED GROUPS, ROSH HODESH, SHEVET, AND TZELEM, AND THROUGH OUR PROGRAM FOR B'NAI MITZVAH, MOVING TRADITIONS CREATES EXPERIENCES THAT INSPIRE JEWISH TEENS, PRE-TEENS AND PARENTS TO OPENLY EXPLORE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS OF IDENTITY AND SOCIETY. WE HELP TEENS AND PRE-TEENS REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL BY CONNECTING RELEVANT CONTENT WITH ENDURING JEWISH VALUES, AND BY FOSTERING POSITIVE PEER-TO-PEER RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH OUR TRAINED CLERGY AND EDUCATOR-MENTORS. WITH THE GUIDANCE OF MOVING TRADITIONS, MORE TEENS ARE GROWING INTO ADULTHOOD WITH CONFIDENCE, COMPASSION, AND A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO JEWISH COMMUNITY.

MOVING TRADITIONS' MISSION IS TO EMBOLDEN TEENS BY FOSTERING SELF-DISCOVERY, CHALLENGING SEXISM, AND INSPIRING A COMMITMENT TO JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING.

MOVING TRADITIONS' THREE MAIN PROGRAMS ARE B'NAI MITZVAH FOR 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR PARENTS; OUR EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION TEEN GROUPS, ROSH HODESH, SHEVET, AND TZELEM; AND CULTURESHIFT, OUR "TRAIN-THE-TRAINER" PROGRAM FOR JEWISH OVERNIGHT CAMPS. MOVING TRADITIONS PARTNERS WITH CONGREGATIONS, JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS, CAMPS, AND OTHER AGENCIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO DELIVER OUR RESEARCHED-BASED PROGRAMS, AND WE TRAIN THE ADULTS WHO FACILITATE THEM. EACH PROGRAM CONNECTS JEWISH TEACHINGS AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNINGS TO EMBOLDEN JEWISH PRE-TEENS AND TEENS TO RESIST RESTRICTIVE GENDER NORMS AND TO FOSTER MEANINGFUL, FLOURISHING, AND JEWISH LIVES. MOVING TRADITIONS' B'NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM HELPS 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR PARENTS TO DEVELOP STRONG COMMUNICATION AND EMPATHY, AND THE CAROL LOWENSTEIN MOVING TRADITIONS B'NAI MITZVAH TRAINING INSTITUTE PREPARES CLERGY AND EDUCATORS TO LEAD MEANINGFUL, JEWISH CONVERSATIONS TO HELP FAMILIES NAVIGATE THIS IMPORTANT "COMING OF AGE" CELEBRATION. OUR FIELD-TESTED CURRICULUM, DEVELOPED BY RABBIS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND PSYCHOLOGISTS, INCLUDES FAMILY EDUCATION SESSIONS AND PRE-TEEN SESSIONS THAT EXPLORE BECOMING A TEEN AND PARENTING A TEEN; BEING A RESPONSIBLE HOST AND GUEST; NAVIGATING GENDER CODES AND THE WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA; AND DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR PARENT-TEEN COMMUNICATION. MOVING TRADITIONS B'NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM OPERATED NATIONALLY IN 2019-20 WITH 63 PARTNERS, TRAINING 106 CLERGY AND EDUCATORS AND SERVING 2,110 6TH AND 7TH GRADERS AND THEIR 2,532 PARENTS. MOVING TRADITION'S TEEN GROUPS - ROSH HODESH FOR GIRLS, SHEVET FOR BOYS AND TZELEM FOR TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY TEENS - CONNECTS THE ISSUES TEENS CARE ABOUT MOST (SUCH AS BODY IMAGE, FRIENDSHIP, SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC PRESSURE, ROMANCE, AND SEXUALITY) TO ENDURING JEWISH VALUES; FOSTERS POSITIVE PEER-TO-PEER RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH OUR TRAINED EDUCATORS AND MENTORS; AND INSPIRES PARTICIPANTS TO DEVELOP AN ONGOING CONNECTION TO JEWISH COMMUNITY. BY PROMOTING A MORE INCLUSIVE AND EXPANSIVE VIEW OF GENDER FOR JEWISH GIRLS, BOYS, AND TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY TEENS, WE CREATE A MORE VIBRANT, ENGAGING JUDAISM THAT HELPS ALL TEENS TO FLOURISH. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 72 ORGANIZATIONS, MOVING TRADITIONS OPERATED 234 GROUPS IN 2019-20, SERVING 2,106 PRE-TEENS AND TEENS. WE ALSO TRAINED 87 GROUP LEADERS DURING OUR SUMMER 2019 GROUP LEADER TRAINING INSTITUTES. MOVING TRADITIONS' CULTURE-SHIFT PREPARES CAMP LEADERS TO TRAIN THEIR COUNSELORS AND STAFF TO CHALLENGE SEXISM, SEXUAL HARRASSMENT, AND ASSAULT AT CAMP, AND TO PROMOTE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ROOTED IN SAFETY, RESPECT, AND EQUITY. AT OUR WINTER 2020 CAMP TRAINING INSTITUTES, WE PREPARED SENIOR STAFF FROM 19 CAMPS. TO DATE, MOVING TRADITIONS HAS EMBOLDENED 25,000 TEENS, TRAINED 2,000 ADULTS AS B'NAI MITZVAH PROGRAM LEADERS AND TEEN GROUP MENTORS, AND PARTNERED WITH MORE THAN 400 CONGREGATIONS, JCCS AND OTHER JEWISH ENTITIES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. WE OPERATE SIX STAFFED REGIONS IN BOSTON, CHICAGO, DENVER, LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, AND PHILADELPHIA.

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