TORONTO — The Canada Israel Experience (CIE) will receive $150,000 in additional funding this summer from UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Shauna Waltman
The funding, which will be added to the more than $1 million that federation allocated to CIE this year, is part of a new young-adult engagement initiative and will be used to enhance such young-adult programming as the Birthright Israel Alumni Community (BAC).
“Greater engagement of young adults in Jewish community life is a really high priority,” said Howard English, federation’s vice-president of strategic communications. “[Engagement] sets the stage in young adulthood for participation throughout the decades, so we’re investing a lot more resources.”
This initiative will provide more leadership training opportunities for youth and new programs in conjunction with organizations such as the Koffler Centre or Jewish Family and Child of Toronto.
For Shauna Waltman, BAC’s director, the extra funding means more staff, a broader mandate and a chance to connect to twice as many young Jews.
“We’re the official alumni organization for Birthright Israel in Toronto… our goal is to inspire Jewish young adults to connect to the community in their own terms,” she said.
“We’re looking to personally connect with 600 to 700 individuals, that’s our goal,” she said, adding that, in 2009, BAC connected with 200 young adults.
The organization supports some 170 to 200 events a year, including the annual Hoops 4 Israel event and various social and charitable initiatives, many of them run by Birthright Israel alumni.
With the new funding, BAC will be reaching out to all young adults in the Jewish community, rather than just Birthright Israel alumni, Waltman said.
“Alumni don’t see themselves as different from their peers that didn’t go on the trip… It’s a common finding among young adults, once they graduate, many of them… don’t have any idea what’s available to them post-university,” she said.
This is where BAC comes in.
“I believe the expansion will help fill that need and help provide an outlet to young adults in general.”
According to a 2009 Brandeis University study on alumni engagement in New York, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles, about 74 per cent of Birthright alumni in Toronto are aware of BAC programming, compared to an average of 48 per cent in the American cities, which have a similar organization called Birthright NEXT.
The study also showed that about 38 per cent of alumni in Toronto participate in BAC programming, compared to 19 per cent in the United States.
Waltman attributes BAC’s success to the staff’s ability at forming personal connections.
“We don’t believe in massive events to massive markets… we would prefer 10 targeted events that capture 10 people. We feel that when people come to a smaller event that really speaks to them… that’s going to make them want to come back,” she said.
“Everything we do comes back to the personal relationships we establish. It’s one thing when someone receives an e-mail… a lot of people are receiving personal phone calls.”
For Jessica Taylor, who went on Birthright in 2005, BAC is a way to stay in touch with friends and contribute to her community.
“I think a lot of their programs create a comfortable environment,” she said. “I think the whole point of the Birthright experience is not just to experience the culture but to bring that home and help build the community here.”
