Were you in a youth movement? Many readers will have attended a youth movement summer camp or Israel tour. This summer, more than half of the 16-year-olds amongst mainstream Jewry will have just come home from youth movement Israel tours, supported by UJIA Israel Experience, and 3,200 are currently on UK summer camps, across the ideological spectrum of our diverse community.
For tens of thousands of you, youth movements will have left indelible, positive memories that shaped your lives — whether by finding meaning in Israel and Jewish identity, meeting your life partner or making lifelong friendship groups (with uncontrollable laughter along the way). Thousands of you will have given up time and energy in volunteer leadership roles as madrichim/madrichot and will appreciate the responsibilities you were given and the invaluable learning and life skills you developed.
It is not by chance that our cross-communal organisations today are led by graduates of our youth movements — the Board of Deputies, CST, Jewish Care, the JLC, JW3, Norwood and UJIA, to name just a few.
I have been privileged to witness today’s transformative power of youth movements and their ability to consistently deliver Jewish life-affirming programmes that provide a very effective antidote to disengagement from our Jewish community and Israel. Their informal Jewish education approach is built on voluntary participation in a highly creative and dynamic setting, providing intensive group experiences in which deep friendships flourish and where everyone has a chance to become a leader.
Being led and run “by young people for young people” is a defining ingredient in their success. The controlled risk-taking generates extraordinary returns — at a time when wider society is becoming increasingly smothering.
The commitment and professionalism of the youth movements has never been greater. However, sometimes things do not go to plan, as this paper has recently reported. As a community, we must continue to support our youth movements to strive for the highest standards in health and safety, as well as welfare and safeguarding, while we continue to recognise the unique value of young adult leadership in these settings.
Some might claim the movements are less relevant today due to the dramatic growth of Jewish schools or that they are outdated and no longer in tune with contemporary youth culture. Yet the movements continue to dominate our youth provision even though young people themselves are particularly “discerning customers”.
Nonetheless, there are emerging challenges across society that, as a community, it would be irresponsible for us to ignore.
Painfully, you will have either witnessed or been a parent struggling to guide children effectively through the distressing impact of social media on mental health, and the isolation and bullying that too many young people still experience. In the formal education sector, evidence shows these issues are at a worryingly high level.
As a Jewish community, we are very fortunate to have access to a choice of informal educational settings led by peer role models. Youth movements and the empowering, educational impact they have are one of the best tools available and can be a crucial support for our children as we help them navigate a world which is very different from the one we grew up in.
For the vast majority of children and teenagers, summer camp will provide them with the chance to grow in confidence, resilience and personal fulfilment, all while engaging with Jewish life and Israel. For those who stay involved, the leadership roles and responsibilities on offer are, quite simply, unparalleled.
Mandie Winston is the chief executive of UJIA and a youth movement graduate
