Jewish teens visit Hartford leadership conference

HARTFORD >> 120 Jewish teens gathered at the state Capitol building in Hartford as the Jewish Teen Learning Connection (JTConnect) held its 2nd annual Teen Leadership Conference.  The theme was "Leadership in Shorts; Leadership in Suits and was a collaborative program with our community partners: BBYO, Beth El Temple, B'nai Tikvoh Sholom, The Commission on Jewish Education and Leadership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, The Emanuel Synagogue, and Hebrew High School of New England.


The day began in the impressive Old Judiciary Room where the teens were divided into groups to learn about the Jewish perspective on issues such as education, gun violence, mental health, environment & energy, hunger & poverty, and social media & the internet.

After lunch and a tour of the beautiful Capitol Building and Legislative Office Building, where there was a sighting of Governor Malloy, teens chose between staying at the Capitol to meet with legislators about how to use advocacy as a tool for leadership ("Leadership in Suits") or going out into the Hartford community to make a difference by volunteering ("Leadership in Shorts").

"Leadership in Shorts"

"Leadership in Shorts" teens opting for community service volunteered in 3 different locations.  At Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC), teens learned about Alyssa's Angels, an organization named for Alyssa Temkin, which supports children with Glycogen Storage Disease, a rare genetic metabolic disorder centered in the liver. Alyssa, who lives with GSD, and her mother Gayle, educated the teens about the disease and worked with them to decorate storage containers for supplies needed for the lifelong management of this disease.

Another group of volunteers worked with Riverfront Recapture. Understanding that it takes the help of everyone to keep our community beautiful, teens used their energy to shovel and rake an area of the Riverfront so that we can all enjoy its beauty.

Hands on Hartford spoke with the teens about hunger and food donations to both its food pantry and backpack program. At Stop & Shop in Hartford, teens collected 177 pounds of food for these programs and spoke with dozens of people to educate them on the importance of feeding the hungry.


"Leadership in Suits"

At the State Capitol, "Leadership in Suits" participants met with legislators to learn about how to make an impact on society through the use of advocacy. Representative David Baram, Representative Brian Becker, Senator Beth Bye and Senator Gayle Slossberg held sessions with the teens, giving them the opportunity to take a position on an issue that was current and meaningful to teens. Teens learned about the issue, built and presented their platform to the legislators.

One highlight of the afternoon was being invited into both the Senate Chambers and House of Representatives Chambers. One participant reported that she was so influenced by the conference that she would now consider a career working in the realm of political advocacy.

This exciting and impactful day of learning and service was only possible generous support of our sponsors: BBYO, Beth El Temple, B'nai Tikvoh Sholom, The Commission on Jewish Education and Leadership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, The Emanuel Synagogue, The Fishman Family and The Samuel Roskin Family Trust of Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.


To find out about future JTConnect events, please visit our website at www.jtconnect.org or call our office at (860) 727-6110.


Jewish Teen Learning Connection is a learning and social community that offers a rich experience for teens, enhancing their connection to Jewish heritage, traditions and values. The program is designed for students in 6th through 12th grades. Synagogue membership is not required.