Teens Gather Online For a Fun Friendship Circle Workshop

Man plans, and Hashem plans better! This seems to be the theme these days. Well, who would have expected we would get a foot of snow this week?

Thankfully, Friendship Circle of Brooklyn had made plans to host their annual mid-year workshop online for all their dedicated teen girl volunteers. The goal of the workshop was to bring the volunteers to a positive headspace about themselves, their impact and their relationships. It gave the volunteers a chance to relax, unwind, and do something for themselves amidst their hectic school and family life.

Prior to the event, each girl received a workshop kit filled with art supplies and event snacks for the program. To ensure every volunteer can take part, girls with no access to Wi-fi were invited to a joint viewing in the Jewish Children’s’ Museum.

Mrs. Eda Schottenstein, a renowned mental health advocate, eloquently shared with the volunteers how to become a better YOU – the importance of not listening to your inner Pharaoh, being enslaved to negative thoughts, how to move through an uncomfortable situation, and the power of taking action.

The workshop was built on the basis of the book “My Awesome Self’ by Mrs. Sterna Ginsberg zoning in on the Possukim of Shema Yisroel and Bechol Dor V’Dor. Her words empowered the girls and gave them a strong sense of pride in the volunteer work they are doing and how they are navigating these challenging times.

Chana Laber, a talented artist, instructed the teens how to create stunning alcohol ink art sealed with fire. They then chose a phrase or saying to display on their art that they can now hang in a special place of their own. It will serve as a daily reminder to them about how powerful and courageous they are. The volunteers each had a chance to be in the spotlight and proudly showed off their artwork!

At the end of the evening, a written word contest was launched for volunteers to pen their thoughts on a specific point of the workshop that resonated with them and/or about their Friendship Circle volunteering experience. The entries will be shared publicly and the first place winner will receive an iPhone.

One volunteer, Mushky T. expressed: “It was so nice to sit down to do a project and not be on my phone or doing schoolwork – there was no stress involved and I had pure enjoyment. I haven’t experienced this type of enjoyment since I was in elementary school.”

The inspiration and creativity were flowing all night and the energy was incredible! Catch a glimpse of the fun in the photos below.

A huge thank you was given to the incredible school presidents Zlati Edelman, Aliza Feiglin, Esty Friedman, Yehudis Goldschmid, and Necha Wolowik for helping make this event possible. This event was held in memory of Yocheved Tova bas Avrohom.