BBYO programs for teens and preteens

Shelly Bell, Regional Director, North Florida Region

Naples BBYO’s programming year started off with a splash as our members spent the Sunday afternoon with 50 other teens from the North Florida Region at Aquatica Waterpark for Fall Kickoff. It was a day packed with fun, sunshine and recreation. At the end of it, our bus of exhausted teens returned to Naples eager to see their region-wide friends again.

To tide them over for our next regional program was Fall Convention, a camplike weekend spent at the Lake Placid Conference Center, where Naples BBYO planned some local programs for their enjoyment. Area teens met up for Sky Zone’s Glow Night, an extravaganza of lasers, music and black light, which transformed the trampoline park into a crazy jumping dance club. At a much quieter program a couple weeks later, new and prospective members enjoyed a swim party while their parents relaxed by the pool to hear more about the amazing opportunities BBYO offers its members.

This month, Naples BBYO is excited to announce an upcoming program open to all Jewish teens, 8th through 12th grades, and their parents! On Nov. 20 from 2 to 4 p.m., BBYO will host a program at Topgolf in Fort Myers. Joining us will be members from the Temple Shalom Men’s Club, who have graciously offered to assist the teens with their golf swings as the parents gather in a private space to see a presentation on BBYO and learn about next summer’s BBYO camps. For more information and to sign up for the program, visit https:// bit.ly/topgolfnaples.

Whether your teen is looking for community service, travel to Europe or Israel or to improve their leadership skills, BBYO has a camp for them! We have many scholarships available, including, but not limited to, a $3,000 Root One scholarship for trips to Israel, Jewish Federation Summer Camp, and Israel Scholarships and Temple Shalom Men’s club’s scholarships for leadership programs.

Do you have kids in middle school? Naples BBYO has partnered with PJ Library Our Way to bring programming for those in sixth through eighth grades. Our first event, Fall Fest 2022, will be held Nov. 13. Registered kids will go mini-golfi ng and for ice cream. To register, visit https://bit.ly/naplesfallfest.

Nov. 29 is #BBYOGivingDay, during which our teens will be reaching out to friends, family and community members for donations. The money raised goes to our region, funding chapter leadership programs and providing scholarships. If you’d like to support BBYO with a donation, please visit https://bit.ly/ donate2bbyo.

If you have any questions about BBYO or want to know how you can get your teen involved, I’d love to hear from you at 313-550-3313 or sbell@bbyo.org. To sign your teen up for a BBYO membership, visit https://bbyo.org/ become-a-member.

Monthly fun BBYO fact

In February of 2023, 5,000 teens from 60 countries will descend on Dallas, Texas to participate at BBYO’s International Convention, the largest international gathering of Jewish teen leaders and the second-largest Jewish communal event in North America. Your teen can be one of them. Ask me how!