education TIKKUN
OLAM
Good Deeds Day 2020 | By Deborah Vietor
A
re your teens interested in providing global Tikkun Olam? Perhaps you are connected to some teens in your neighborhood who could benefit from involvement through service in the community. The San Diego Jewish Teen Initiative (the Initiative), launched in 2016 and funded by the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative, including the Jewish Federation of San Diego holds Motiv under their umbrella. Housed within the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, (JCC), the initiative is led by Rebecka Handler and her team. “One of the Initiative’s largest successes is the creation of the Motiv platform. The Motiv platform is a central hub for all things service. The platform is open to teens from all backgrounds and religions. Teens interacting with the Motiv platform can come together to find and participate in service projects around the county. Motiv was created to remove the barriers that are associated with teen volunteering. We are very proud that Motiv, a branch of the San Diego Jewish Teen Initiative, is the facilitator of Good Deeds Day for high schoolers here in our community,” Handler said. Teens volunteer at nearly twice the rate of adults, acting as agents of change. Motiv offers service awards, internships and competitions, hosting free community-wide service events for teens, highlighted by Good Deeds Day. Motiv connects with numerous community partners, providing funding and swag. Allie Donahoo, Associate Director of the San Diego Jewish Teen Initiative said: “Since 2007 Good
MOTIV OFFERS SERVICE AWARDS, INTERNSHIPS AND COMPETITIONS, HOSTING FREE COMMUNITY-WIDE SERVICE EVENTS FOR TEENS. 24
L’CHAIM SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2020
