Busy students at independent schools need to work at making time for Jewish involvement. But that’s exactly what they did on Sunday, October 3, at The Curriculum Initiative’s (TCI) teen leadership program, “Making Change Happen.” The purpose of the round table was to develop leadership skills, and introduce students to a variety of social service and community oriented programs.

“Independent school students have always been involved in a host of wonderful social service and community projects,” says Linda Lantos, New York Regional Director for TCI, “we wanted to show them that some of those same opportunities exist in a Jewish context.”

The centerpiece of the conference, which was hosted by TCI and held at the JCC in Manhattan, was a presentation by Ethan Zohn, the winner of Survivor: Africa. Zohn spoke about his experiences on Survivor, attributing his victory directly to his Jewish roots. He said that his experiences in Africa led him to feel even more pride in his Jewish identity, and he noted that after the game was over his mother received letters from strangers telling her she raised a mensch. After Zohn won he deliberated on what to do with the money. Inspired to make a difference in the AIDS crisis in Africa, he started “Grassroots Soccer,” a nonprofit organization which trains professional African soccer players to teach teens about HIV/AIDS prevention.

The message that Ethan brings to these teens is a very powerful one: a bona fide star can express his Jewish identity and have a positive impact on the community. This is a powerful message, especially to students who don’t have much connection to Judaism.”

Participant, Hannah Salzman-Gubbay, 17, was one of the founding members of the year-old Jewish Club at the Packer School in Brooklyn Heights. “We have a large Jewish population that is pretty disconnected from Jewish culture,” said Salzman-Gubbay. She hopes the club will enable students to become more comfortable with, and ultimately foster a love for, Jewish culture. “I came here to learn more about what we should be discussing” and how to connect Judaism to social action projects that will engage the broader student community.

An interactive leadership workshop with Rabbi Michael Mellon helped Hannah and other participants build skills to work with Jewish clubs. The session examined the ways that people communicate and used games to show strategies to improve relationships.

“This workshop is out of the box thinking,” say Lantos. “In many respects it’s counterintuitive, but that’s why it works so well: a rabbi teaching leadership skills in a fun, creative way. The workshop builds students’ skills while broadening their concept of what a Jewish communal leader can be.”

“Making Change Happen” was the first ever New York conference of its kind for TCI. Students were encouraged to take what they learned back to their schools and develop Jewish culture clubs on campus. TCI’s signature TCI Fellows Project sends facilitators to independent schools to work with students at starting or enhancing such clubs.

In addition to the Fellows Project, TCI’s programs include teacher training institutes on ethics and bible, assembly presentations on Judaism and ethics, and an annual weekend student conference, the Jewbilee, in New England. TCI serves schools in New York, New England, New Orleans, and California’s Bay Area.