TISBY or “Temple Isaiah Stony Brook Youth” is a group for students in 5th through 12th grade. Depending on the group, TISBY meets once a week for either an hour-and-a-half or two hours. Food is served each week (usually pizza) and every week there is also a program! These programs differ each week and range from the serious and enriching to really fun and silly, but usually we try to have a little bit of both. Youth Groupers also have access to the youth lounge–a room filled with games (a pool table, fooseball table, ping pong table and a Wii).
5th through 7th graders are “Juniors.” Junior Youth Group meets each Sunday from 1pm-2:30pm. Junior Youth Group has programs geared towards this age group. These programs can range from Jewish studies (such as Jewish holidays) to social issues like bullying or stress. There are also programs for social action–doing things for charity and to better the community. We usually end the session with a game or two of Gaga (an Israeli sport that is a favorite among TISBY-ites). “Inters” are 8th graders and their Youth Group time is Sundays from 11am-1pm.
9th through 12th graders are a part of Senior Youth Group which meets every Sunday from 5-7pm. The structure for Seniors is very different from Juniors and is a lot more involved. The Senior calendar and all of the programs are determined by the Senior Board–a group a students voted onto the board by their peers. The board plans and runs the programs with themes like religion and culture, social action, current issues, etc. There are many special events open for Seniors. There are two overnight programs, trips, special events and a Youth-Led Service that is written and run by the Youth Groupers. Once in Seniors, Youth Groupers are also able to participate in NFTY (North American Federation for Temple Youth). This is a large-scale national group of Jewish youth that puts on events at state and even national levels, such as Kalla’s, conventions, and other programs!
Sounds really great, right? If you want to learn more about TISBY, come visit and see what it is all about.
Hope to see you at TISBY!
Fees
Fees for Members:
$150 one child
$235 two children
Fees for Nonmembers:
$200 per child