Mitzvah 13: a volunteer opportunity for young teens
By Elena Cooperman
To prepare for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, young people spend years studying Hebrew, months planning parties and weeks writing speeches – all in preparation for the Big Day.
But lots of young people and their families are looking for a project that goes beyond the day of the Bar or Bat Mitzvah, for something meaningful that brings a sense of tikkun olam, repairing the world, to their simcha.
Mitzvah 13 connects Jewish youth to Jewish elders. The program, created by Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, in partnership with Sholom Home West, works to ease older adults’ loneliness and isolation by matching them with youth volunteers. Kids, ages 11-15, can participate with residents at Sholom Home West in a variety of activities.
Youth make a one-year, 13-hour commitment. The program begins with an introductory one-hour training session. Then, volunteers visit with residents once a month for an hour. Young people might participate in small group activities, such as holiday programs and Shabbat services at Sholom Home. Other times, volunteers may meet with a Sholom resident one-on-one, to read them a book or chat about a common interest.
Through Mitzvah 13, young teenagers will have the opportunity to develop positive relations with adults of a different generation, and these young people will learn and grow through their year of service. It’s also a great way to meet community service requirements for school or synagogue.
Ben Share, who finished eighth grade at St. Louis Park Junior High this year, is a committed volunteer. According to Karla Zoffka, Director of Volunteer Services for the Sholom Community Alliance, Ben has been a committed volunteer since November 2007.
Says Zoffka, “When Ben comes, he volunteers for a variety of tasks, including activities with residents, Shabbat dinners and transporting residents who are in wheelchairs. His gentle demeanor with the residents and the way he speaks to them, make him a standout volunteer.”
Ben says simply, “I like helping people.”
Mitzvah 13 was modeled after the Kesher 13 project, sponsored by Jewish Family Service of Metrowest in Framingham, Mass. Thea Bader, coordinator of Kesher 13, says, “Part of the Jewish learning experience should be learning to give of oneself. If all the kids involved in mitzvah projects continue on this path, how fortunate our world will be!”
JFCS also offers the following volunteer opportunities for youth:
• Hip Hop tutors who help 4th-6th graders with homework after school at Cedar Manor Intermediate Center in St. Louis Park.
• The Hag Sameach (Happy Holidays) gift-giving program at Chanukah and Passover.
• Through JFCS’s Jewish Big Brother/Big Sister Program, be a Big in Training (BIT), for teens in 11th and 12 grade, or be in the Pal to Pal mentor program for youth.
For more information on youth volunteering or to receive Mitzvah Madness, a monthly volunteer e-newsletter, contact Elena Cooperman at ecooperman@jfcsmpls.org or 952-542-4855.
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Elena Cooperman is Coordinator of Outreach Programs at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis.
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