Youth

Debra Beland, Director
Phone: 703-425-3237     e-mail: dbeland@olamtikvah.org

See our Teen Page for activities just for teens and Like our OT Teen page on !

Sign up for the Youth Activities Listserv to stay informed about all the exciting youth events at Olam Tikvah.  Send your e-mail address to youth@olamtikvah.org.

We sponsor three Conservative movement youth groups: Machar (grades 4 and 5), Kadima (grades 6-8) and USY (grades 9-12).  OT also sponsors several Scout troops.  We offer a special Pre-College program for our 11th and 12th graders, too.

Just for fun: Enjoy a look at OT youth past and present with this PowerPoint Slide Show!

Join a youth group simply by turning in the Permission and Emergency Form (one per child, please).

Machar (Grades 4-5) is a great place to meet new friends. We have social activities from bowling to ice skating to seeing a show. Join us for community service projects, arts & crafts, or a youth Shabbat.

Kadima (Grades 6-8) is an international youth organization sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism for Jewish pre-teens.  Here at OT, our Kadima chapter is all about fun activities and events for Jewish kids to have a great time together. Led by Dan Noble, our Kadima chapter has big plans for year. We’ll be kicking things off with a giant inflatable water slide, followed by events like Laser Tag, Pump It Up, and other exciting excursions. We’ll also stay closer to home for movie nights and, new this year, a lock-in overnight that will include a Nerf Rodeo (stay tuned for more details).

Machar/Kadima Events

OT had a fantastic time bouncing off all our excess energy at Pump It Up! See more photos on our Facebook page.

Kadima's Laser Tag Adventure at Laser Nation, Saturday, December 3, 6:15-8:00pm at 421 S. Sterling Blvd. Sterling, VA 20164. Don't miss out on the chance to dodge lasers and strategize with your Kadima teammates as you compete for high scores and glory in this futuristic version of Capture the Flag. To make the night even better, we're even including a pizza dinner! To join in on the fun, just send your RSVP to Beth Felsen by Friday, December 2. Cost: $20/person. Kadima events are open to ALL OT members in 6th-8th grade.

Teen Activities

Have you "liked" us yet? Check out the OT Teens Facebook page for more photos of all the fun we've had during the Sukkah Hop in a Hummer Limo!

Olam Tikvah Teens Chanukah Party, Thursday, December 22, 6:00-8:00pm. Kick-off winter break with Olam Tikvah Teens! First we'll light the third candle of Chanukah and then we're off to the kitchen to fry up a pile of sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts)! We'll have music, tikkun olam, games, and did we mention the doughnuts? Send your RSVP by Tuesday, December 20 to our advisor, Talia Orencel.

USY (United Synagogue Youth) (Grades 9-12). For 60 years, USY has been involving and educating Jewish teens across North America, teaching them about life, friendship, religion and leadership while changing their lives forever. From leadership training to social programming on a chapter level to community service and Israel Advocacy or seeing the world outside your area code on a USY on Wheels, USY Israel Pilgrimage or International Convention, USY has something you want. Here at OT, our USY chapter offers Jewish teens opportunities to become leaders in their community and to have a great time doing it. Led by Talia Orencel, our USYers will design and facilitate programs and activities that meet their needs. You dream it, we make it happen!

Regional Event Registration. Regionally, Kadima and USY offer several evening and weekend-long events that draw pre-teens and teens from across the DC area. To register for these regional events, all OT members should send their materials to the OT Youth Office, rather than to the Seaboard Regional office. It’s the best way for us to know who is planning on attending from our community and for us to best meet your needs.

At the Israel on Campus session with 2010-2011 shlicha Michaela Cohen, pre-college students reviewed many facts about Israel's history and the current conflict in order to aid them in future discussions about Israel on the college campus. They heard several personal vignettes from Michaela and participated in role plays.

OT Pre-College Program

The Olam Tikvah Pre-College Program is a unique opportunity for high-school juniors and seniors. The program will enable you to apply your many years of Jewish education to a variety of experiences, both inside OT and outside. As a subset of the OT community, we’ll both socialize and learn… and eat. We’ll also think about important issues that you will encounter on the college campus. See our Pre-College page for more information.