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Please join us this Winter to raise $5,000 and sponsor our Spring 2021 semester of Jewish teen engagement.
CCM's Covid Pivot: How we are Thriving...!
CCM began 2020 in Israel, ringing in the New Year at Ein Gedi, overlooking the Dead Sea with 13 CCM teens and two educators on an amazing trip with our friends from the Mosinzon High School in Hod HaSharon. While the year changed drastically in March, CCM only ramped up its offering to teens during all the changed stay at home orders. Here are the highlights we most want to share with you:
- Just announced! CCM's has been chosen to be part of the Jewish Federation Teen Initiative's "Tzedek Cohort!" We will launch our new "Project Ezrach," where our teens get an opportunity for civic engagement through education, service, and advocacy with trips, workshops, and hands-on experiences. Sign up will be launched in January - stay tuned!
- In March, we immediately moved Wednesday nights to an online Zoom format, with 75% of enrolled teens joining us each week. Spring's special [virtual] events included Holocaust survivor speakers, a meaningful graduation ceremony and racial justice seminars.
- Hamsa Fund ended the school year funding four amazing organizations working to provide educational support for those who need it. This Fall a new cohort started, picking a mission that “ensures families a safe and healthy home environment by funding nonprofits that provide food assistance, abuse prevention programs and other resources.”
- Over the summer we created "Summer Sheva," a series of camp-like programs to engage our teens. They included Celebrity Chef cooking classes (food delivered right to the door) and art classes featuring supplies from Aran's Art Studio. We ended our seven weeks with a drive-in movie night in Beth Chaim's parking lot in partnership with the East Bay International Jewish Movie Festival.
- We restarted Better Together, our intergenerational elder and teen program designed to alleviate feelings of isolation for both populations. It connects 18 CCM teens with 12 community elders from Reutlinger and our partner synagogues.
- This Fall Contra Costa Midrasha has continued online with strong enrollment and engagement of our community's Jewish teens. We've continued special programs too - bringing in celebrity guests and monthly cooking classes with guest chefs.
We're working hard to continue offering creative, fun and engaging Jewish programming for our teens. It's our goal to continue providing a place for our teens to be in Jewish community, to do Jewish ritual, and offer a respite for teens to renew their mental health. Support our work with a fully tax-deductible gift this month!
