The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler. 

Almost every person in BBYO says that it “changes their life.” 

In case you don’t know, B’nai Brith Youth Organization, or  BBYO, is a teen-led pluralistic Jewish youth group. This means that all of the programming, marketing, merchandising, and more is run by teens like you! Pluralistic means all denominations of Judaism are welcome. The main part about BBYO that changed my life was the ability to give back to a community that had given me so much.

I came into BBYO as an 8th grader who was too afraid to speak in front of everyone. Over the past four years, I met my best friends, developed leadership skills, and gained self-confidence. I would’ve never been able to accomplish any of this without the encouragement of past BBG (girls) leaders. 

As Morah (vice president of membership and recruitment) I strived to be this mentor. I knew how much BBYO changed my life, and I wanted every single Jewish teen to be able to feel the magic of BBYO.

My chapter was struggling with recruiting underclassmen. On the outside, it seemed like we were thriving, but I knew that we were a junior-heavy chapter and we needed to get younger members as soon as possible.

At the beginning of August, my intense recruiting process began. I reached out to every single person I knew, encouraged all members to bring prospects, and even made my mom post on Facebook to try and help us get members. I didn’t just want numbers on paper, I wanted us to have active new members.

I taught BBG traditions and planned Big Little’s program where each new member is paired with an older one. This helped me so much as an 8th grader, and I wanted to make sure everyone felt included. 

After five months of hard work, my dedication to BBYO paid off. I doubled my chapter membership by getting 21 new members and I even won the PWR (Pacific Western Region’s) membership mania contest for my chapter! 

I highly encourage every single person in and outside of BBYO to put their all into setting up a strong future for their activity, whether it be growing a BBYO chapter, club, or sports team. It’s because of leaders like YOU that more teens will be able to develop self-confidence and be a part of an amazing community.