FAQs About Wednesday Teen Nights

Q: Did you hear who is teaching on Wednesday nights?
A: Our clergy and education directors will be teaching in all grades on Wednesday nights, so you know it will be engaging and fun! We'll also be bringing in special guest instructors to share their expertise in social justice, the arts, urban farming, and more!

Q: Why Wednesdays?
A: We wanted to carve out a specific night for teens only! We know you have busy weeks but we hope you will show up when you can to this special teen night, just for you and our clergy and educators. Teens last year appreciated this mid-week pause to de-stress and connect!

Q: Will we be in-person for these programs?
A: We are taking a hybrid approach! Last year, busy teens and parents appreciated the accessibility of our online programming and it allowed us to grow our teen community.  Still, we want to provide rich in-person opportunities for teens to connect, and some classes may be best suited for in-person learning.  We are still building the programs and will give you all the details ahead of time!

Q: What if my teen has other commitments and cannot make it right at the start time? Or what my teen needs to miss a few sessions in a row?
A: We are here for you; teens do not need to attend every Wednesday night class! We ask that they attend as much as they are able, even if that means coming in pajamas or cleats while finishing their dinner when we kick the night off!

The calendar is also designed to be bite-sized blocks of 4-6 weeks at a time, so there are many on-ramps throughout the year even if you need to miss one!

Q: What will our teens be learning?
A: Each grade has a special content theme as well as the opportunity to participate in electives of their choice. Teens will explore relevant Jewish content, engage in art making, and become leaders and social justice activists! We are hard at work planning the course offerings for fall and will share specific topics soon!

Q: Is there going to be social justice learning? My teen is really into that!
A: YES! How could we ignore such an important topic? Each grade will have different levels of justice learning. Favorite topics from our past high school programs such as Civil Rights and Religious Action Center issues have been woven in to the curriculum and evolved to keep it fresh and relevant. "Tzedek tzedek tirdof — seek justice and pursue it."

Q: Can my teen be part of BATY or Madrichim and not partake in Wednesday night learning?
A: Well... we love that our teens want to step up to be a community members in various ways AND we really hope that they will attend Teen Nights on Wednesdays. This is where our community begins and where our teens can model their Madrichim leadership and add to their BATY engagement by being with the larger teen community for Wednesday nights. Either way, we'll ask that families register for teen programs in order to have access to the BATY and Madrichim programs — registration information is available on our Youth Ed Registration page.

Q: Will there be the cool travel and trips as in years past?
A: YES! Connected to our Teen Night programming, teens at Beth Am have the opportunity to travel with our community for immersive experiences like our Civil Rights trip to the American South, Confirmation L'taken social justice seminar to Washington DC, and Los Angeles Trip to explore Jewish LA. 2021-2022 trip offerings and dates will be posted soon!

Q: What's going on with Confirmation?
A: Confirmation is an important part of Wednesday night programming! Just as in years past, teens will have the chance to bond with their classmates, learn with our rabbis, and think about what Judaism really means to them. The year will culminate in a meaningful student-led Confirmation ceremony and celebration. We hope your teen will be part of it.

Q: This all sounds awesome! How do we sign up?
A: Registration information is available on our Youth Ed Registration Page. (All you have to do is sign into ShulCloud!) If your teen is interested in applying to be a part of our Madrichim program, they should also independently fill out the Madrichim Application and have it in by August 15.