- David Bryfman -
Research about teenagers not only informs our understanding of the youth population at a given point in time, but can also give us a good indication where a society may be heading. Although my study is first and foremost about the identity of Jewish teenagers today I also discovered that it offers an insight into the future directions of North American Jewry. (1) Whether I am right or wrong, only time will tell. Either way, the ten claims that I will make in relation to the Jewish youth today, are derived from the voices of Jewish teenagers, and describe a reality and perhaps a future very different to the world that preceded them.
For Jewish educators and communal professionals, these ten claims are more than just statements about teen identity and future patterns that may emerge (if they haven’t already) in American Jewry. They also tell us that if we, as a Jewish community, want to engage Jewish teenagers in ongoing, meaningful Jewish activities then the paradigms we use and the structures that we are currently offering them are largely outdated and irrelevant.
In many ways discussions about technology have clouded the real conversations that need to take place. The issue is not how Facebook and Twitter have changed teenagers today – but how these technological realities have dramatically altered our understanding of key dimensions of both individual and collective identity including community, affiliation, membership, friendship, belonging, belief systems, rituals, knowledge and authority.
Read the ten things learned at eJewishPhilanthropy.com.
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