Chabad of North Orlando has a 'think club' for Jewish teens

Empowering Teens to Build a More Meaningful and Value-driven Society.

Beginning Oct. 24 Chabad of North Orlando will be offering The JLI Teens Discovery Program, a think-and-debate club for Jewish high school students. This program encourages teens to think deeply about their identity and values as they discuss real-life situations and debate fascinating solutions to life's intriguing conundrums.

"Adolescence is a time in which teens struggle between dependence and independence as they attempt to forge their own sense of self and identity in the world," says clinical psychologist Dr. Joel Cahn. "By providing a forum for safe exploration, the JLI Teens program helps to serve our youth by stimulating critical thought as well as truly impassioned, discussion, debate, and learning." 

"Our teens confront critical choices on a daily basis," explains Rabbi Yanky Majesky who directs the JLI Teens Discovery Program in Lake Mary. "We try to provide them with a moral framework to guide their decisions, a framework that is based on 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom, and we hope it inspires them to do good and to make this world a better place."

The program explores an array of contemporary topics of unique importance to teens, including making sense of the whirlwind of emotions they experience, analyzing scenes from popular Hollywood films to discuss their values and messages for life, and debating the possibility for peace in the Middle East and the significance of Israel to Jews. This series will give teenagers a place to explore, grow, and participate through critical thinking, challenging activities, text analysis, public speaking, mock debates, and multimedia presentations.

The JLI Teens Discovery Program states that its mission is to provide a forum for students to think deeply about themselves and build the strong foundation of beliefs and values necessary for success in school and in life. In his discussion of this program, McGill University's Professor Gil Troy said, "People are more successful when they know who they are and have a strong identity. This is preparation for life, and the sooner they have this conversation, the better off they will be.". 

The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), producer of The JLI Teens Discovery Program, has succeeded in exciting thousands of teens from all walks of life, motivating them to join together for a dynamic and enriching experience. At JLI Teens, high school students enjoy debating real-life issues with good friends in a wholesome environment.

The classes will be held for 3 seasons of 6 consecutive Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The fall season "Why I love Israel" begins on Oct. 22, 2014; the winter season "Hollywood Idol" begins on Jan. 7, 2015, and the spring season "Complicated Me" begins on April 15, 2015. To sign your teens up visit http://www.JewishNorthOrlando.com/JLITeens.

To learn more about the program, contact Rabbi Yanky Majesky at 407-878-3011 or Rabbi@JewishNorthOrlando.com.