NFTY, at its most basic level is an organization made up of Temple Youth Groups. Because of this, most of the social action programming that NFTY does is on this very local level. No matter which level it is carried out on, social action programming comes in many varieties.  It can address concerns with in NFTY or a TYG; it can utilize NFTYites as charitable ambassadors the outside world; it can mobilize grassroots NFTYites to take political action; it can do any combination of the three or more.   

When embarking on a social action program, keep in mind the Five A’s of Social Action

• Awareness: Awareness is the cornerstone of change.  In order to ever change the world, you must know what’s going on in it.  Yet awareness goes beyond just looking at the world…awareness means understanding the world.  Don’t simply accept what other people tell you should be done – it is better to examine the root causes of issues and the facts surrounding them so you can draw your own conclusions.  If you want answers, the best way is to question.  Question everything.  If I, or others, don’t make sense, call us on it.  Be a rebel – but have a cause. Engage in discussion.  Discussion is one of the most important parts of social action, as an examination of all sides of an issue is often the only way to reach the truth.
• Assessment: So you find yourself to be an expert on a particular social action issue, now what? Assessment is twofold: first look within your communities and find aspects of the issue that apply to them directly. When teens focus on fixing problems in their communities - whether through their TYGs, their schools, or other groups – they have the greatest potential to generate real and positive change. It is also important to assess any project after its inception to learn what changes need to be made for improvement.
• Action: It just isn’t social action without the “action.” Action is what you do with your newfound awareness of an issue, and it can take any number of forms. The action component of any social action project or program should ensure some immediate change or impact.  Often we think of action solely as hands-on charity work.  While this is a vital component of it, action can also include doing things that create changes within NFTY and the lives and attitudes of NFTYites as well.
• Alliance: Once you’ve mastered the previous A’s, alliance is a way to take any social action project to the next level by sharing your commitment to social justice with like-minded people. Partnerships between youth groups, organizations, and clubs may be difficult logistically, but the reward is an exponential increase in the power to change the world!
• Advocacy: Advocacy is not so much the follow-through, but a vital component of social action.  While direct action can address topical symptoms of an issue, advocacy is that which is designed to ensure lasting change and better target a problem’s root causes. Advocacy includes lobbying the government, changing TYG/ Temple policy on an issue, or writing letters to companies and newspapers. 

Here are some great starter projects for your TYG:

Night Shelter Lunches

Supplies:

· Cold cuts (buy in packages in frozen section of grocery store)*

· Packages of American cheese singles*

· Bread—several loaves

· Jar of mayonnaise*

· Knife for spreading mayonnaise

· Large bags of chips*

· Small plastic bags

· Large boxes of cookies*

· Small boxes of juice or cans of soda

*Note: Not all of these supplies are necessary. You may cater the lunches to whatever supplies your TYG can afford. You can use mustard instead of mayonnaise, for example, or leave out the cookies. Tailor the project to your TYG.

Procedure:

Speak to the Director of Volunteer Services at a local night shelter. Tell him/her that you are part of a youth group (give the name of your Temple) in the North American Federation of Temple Youth and are interested in making lunches for the night shelter. If you want to make this an ongoing project, decide with the advice of the night shelter on one day each month that your TYG will make lunches.

Your TYG should set aside 1 hour to make the lunches (assuming approximately 8 people make lunches). Small plastic bags should be stuffed with chips. Sandwiches should be made. Two cookies should be added to every bag. Add one box of juice or can of soda per bag.

Hospital Card Making

Supplies:

• Construction paper
• Markers, crayons, pens, pencils, stickers, or other decorations

Procedure:

Speak to the Director of Volunteer Services at a local hospital. Tell him/her that you are part of a youth group (give the name of your Temple) in the North American Federation of Temple Youth and are interested in making cards for patients in the hospital. Discuss this idea with him/her. When you have received permission to initiate this social action project, bring the supplies to a TYG event. Have the participants create cards for the patients. Set up a time with the hospital for you to bring over the cards.

You could do this seasonally (for the holidays, 4th of July, etc.), or you could do the cards as “Get Well” cards. You could even make this an ongoing once-a-month or every other month project.

Food/Clothing/Winter Accessories/Book/Toy Drive

Supplies:

· Fliers

· Items Collected in Drive

Procedure:

Contact the place to which you wish to donate the items that you plan to collect. For example, you may want to collect toys for children in a hospital, clothing for people in a homeless shelter, or canned/non-perishable food for a soup kitchen. Explain that you are part of a youth group (give the name of your Temple). Once you have been told that this collection will be worthwhile for the organization, begin advertising the drive. Publicize, publicize, publicize! The drive will be most efficient if not only your TYG, but your Temple, and your community get involved in it. Ask people to bring in the items that you are collecting by a certain date. Once all of the items have been collected, deliver the items to the organization.

Some Additional Social Action Projects that Rock

•     Hospital/Nursing Home/Homeless Shelter -- Visit/Talent Show - Your TYG can brighten up many people’s day by visiting one of these places.
•     Letter Writing Campaign - Your TYG can choose an issue that speaks strongly to its members. After further educating your TYG about this issue, members of the TYG can write letters to government officials expressing their views. Some issues that may interest your TYG include the separation of church and state, environmental issues, and social justice.
•     Neighborhood/Temple Area/Public Park Garbage Clean-up - Your TYG can make a big difference by taking a walk around a neighborhood, Temple area, or public park and throwing away any trash that is on the ground.
•     Collection of Tzedakah - Your TYG can initiate a fund-raiser in order to help to benefit a charity of your choice. See “Quick and Easy: Five Effective Fund-raisers For Making Money Fast”.
•     Interfaith/Intrareligious Activities - Your TYG can have an event in which you join with a youth group of another religion or Jewish movement. Together the youth groups can discuss similarities and differences in their beliefs. This also provides an opportunity for socializing.

Other Social Action Tips to Keep In Mind

When initiating a social action project, remember that you have many resources. Some of them include your Rabbi, your Temple’s Social Action Committee, your Temple’s Religious School Principal, your regional Social Action Vice President, your NFTY Social Action Vice President, a local organization, the phone book, and the Internet.

•     Remember that in NFTY, when we do social action, we are following Jewish traditions that command us to act in ways that better our world. Therefore, you should try to incorporate some Judaism into social action projects whenever possible. For example, when visiting a hospital, you may want to teach about the mitzvah of bikur cholim, visiting the sick. Ask your Rabbi to help you.
•     If you decide to visit and help people in your community, you may want to prepare participants. For example, if you are visiting patients in a hospital, discuss the possible ways to start a conversation and appropriate and inappropriate topics to discuss.

While social action is about helping to make our world a better place, it can also be about having fun! Enjoy the work that you do and realize that no matter how large or small a social action project you initiate, you are making a difference!

For more action pertaining directly to this year’s action theme, see the interactive guide to the action theme.