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JTeen856 is the heart of teen leadership and service at the Katz JCC—a center for meaningful mitzvah work, collaborative projects, and community impact. Rooted in kindness, respect, and Jewish values, JTeen856 empowers teens to envision and lead initiatives that make a difference in the world around them.
The program includes three powerful cohorts:
🌱 Seed856 – A leadership development program for 7th and 8th graders, introducing core concepts of philanthropy, teamwork, and giving back through hands-on mitzvah projects.
🌳 Root856 – A next-level program for 9th and 10th graders that challenges teens to explore identity, responsibility, and communal change through deep-dive learning and teen-led grantmaking.
💬 Teen Mental Health Committee – A teen-led initiative focused on raising awareness, promoting wellness, and creating meaningful, peer-driven content and support resources for the entire teen community.
Mitzvah Makers | Empowering bar and bat mitzvah-aged teens to make a difference (fill out a form today)
Teen Antisemitism Awareness & Engagement Survey | Your voice can drive real change—help us understand and combat antisemitism by sharing your experiences in this quick, impactful survey | fill out the survey today.
Together, these cohorts form a growing network of changemakers committed to building a more compassionate, inclusive, and empowered future.
Seed856 empowers 7th and 8th graders to tackle local challenges through innovative problem-solving and human-centered design. Participants develop critical skills like public speaking, marketing, fundraising, and budgeting while making a real impact in their community.
Root856 equips 9th and 10th graders with the tools to collaborate with local communities and peers to address real-world challenges. Participants engage in critical thinking, innovative problem-solving, and human-centered design while gaining essential business skills like public speaking, marketing, fundraising, and budgeting.
