What Does Engagement and Empowerment Mean at Penn?

National Hillel divides Jewish students into two categories empowerment and engagement.  These categories need to be defined campus by campus.  At Penn, an empowered student (or core student) is a Jewish student who is active in Jewish life.  An empowered student may attend Hillel sponsored programs on a regular basis, be a leader of a Hillel committee or student group, or may serve on the executive board.  Traditionally, empowered students have been of an Orthodox or Conservative background, although the majority of Jewish students at Penn are not Orthodox or strictly observant. In working with the Reform community, its important to remember that Reform students can also and should sometime be, considered empowered. 

Most of the Jewish students at Penn can be categorized as engagement students.  An engagement student is a student who has not been involved in Jewish life at Penn.  There is no typical engagement student.  Many engagement students have been involved in Jewish youth groups or in their synagogues or in Jewish camps, but have come to Penn and found that organized Jewish life does not interest them.  Many are turned off by the religious community. Others have felt alienated from Hillel programs, have little knowledge about Judaism, or feel theyre not Jewish enough.  Basically, no two stories are the same, but all are equally important.  Engagement at Penn means creating more avenues for Jewish experiences, and showing students there are so many ways of being Jewish.

It is very important to work with the students who are turned off by the Orthodox community, or who perceive the Penn Jewish community as a very tight-knit one and feel like an outsider these are your engagement students. Often, it only takes helping connect these students with one group or community. Most of my engagement students connected with Judaism once they connected with a particular group of people or with an important issue, such as Tzedek Hillel.  Penn students have amazing ideas, and the role of the Fellow is to help them develop their ideas and make them happen.

At different points in their experiences with Jewish Life on campus, engagement students do become empowered students.  It is through their positive Jewish experiences, often times with a Fellow, that these engagement students have the desire and skills to become leaders and active members of the Jewish Community.  Therefore, it is the responsibility of the fellow to help students make that transition and figure out their place in the Jewish community. Its important to remember college is a time of change and figuring things out on your own, and part of your job as a JCSC fellow is helping students evaluate where they stand on their Judaism.

WORDS OF WISDOM

            Use August to really get yourself established. One of my greatest challenges this year was starting the year late, not having a JAC until mid-September, and dealing with the aftermath of September 11^th. Use August to:

-         go through files --- I wish I would have done this when I first started! You will get good ideas

-         meet people at Penn, in the various offices and become familiar with the university

-         really talk about your ideas with Rachel, Jeremy and Kate

-         surf www.hillel.org and www.upenn.edu

-         get things organized for you, get a system going that will work for YOU

Other advice:

About the University of Pennyslvania

Penn is a beautiful amazing school. It is so full of wonderful, talented, bright, ambitious, passionated students. The Jewish community at Penn is so diverse and active. Yet, the size of the Jewish community can also be your greatest challenge. The number of Jewish students you can meet is endless, leaving numerous possibilities for creative programs.  The vast possibilities for programs and for working with students can at times be overwhelming.  You could work 24 hours a day and continue to meet new people.  My greatest words of wisdom are to set limits for yourselfset goals and work to attain them but dont take on more projects than you can handle.

Being Organized

Prioritizing is also important. One thing I learned is come in early when you know you have a busy day. Mornings are a good quiet time to get work done, reply to emails, and figure out your agenda for the day. I tried to make my to do list first thing when I got to work. Make sure you keep that list in your planner or Palm Pilot and carry it with you EVERYWHERE you go, to keep you on track! Some days I felt like I had too many things going through my headso many meetings, students, and logistics always to remember!

Personal/Transition Time Stuff

Also, its crucial that you establish boundaries for yourself, and recognize what you can and cannot do.  Mark your calendar with a few go home early nights a month in advance. Mark time to exercise. Reserve time for shopping. Eat lunch outside. Remember that you are part of an amazing universityattend lectures. Get to know other staff on campus.   Always ask for support when you need it one thing I really have cherished about my Penn experience was the supportive Penn Hillel staff. Jeremy, Rachel, Joan, and Kate are all wonderful people and willing to help you out.  Talk about issues and concerns in supervision, Rachel is a great asset in helping you work through your concerns and frustrations!

The last piece of advice which I really wish someone would have given me was this will be a turbulent year. Graduating college is hard and now that youve left school, your first job is working at a university! Sometimes the lines blur between being a JCSC fellow, you are professional staff, but you will often find you have more in common or are closer in age to upperclassmen. Be prepared for your ups and downs and realize that you are going through a major move and transition time. Make sure you leave time to visit and keep in touch with your college friends, while also finding your own niche in Philadelphia. You are not alone. Call people, call Laurie, Tania, call me. Life after college is totally different than your life as a student, although you are still keeping student hours and may sometimes feel like you are still a student. Remember its all part of your experience and realize you are growing from all these changes.