USY is partnering with Hazon’s Jewish Youth Climate Movement for the Teen Climate Activism Retreat. JYCM is dedicated to combating climate change and environmental injustice from a Jewish lens. Together with USY’s passion and focus on Tikkun Olam, we thought this was a wonderful partnership to blend our efforts.
This convention will be just outside of Baltimore, Maryland at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown, MD 21136.
Travel to Baltimore is not included in the cost of the Teen Climate Activism Retreat.
Transportation will be arranged to and from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Staff will meet participants at BWI in Baltimore, where the group will board a bus and head to Pearlstone for Shabbat.
Flights into Baltimore must land in BWI by 11:30 am on Friday Feb 24th and depart from BWI after 1:00 pm on Sunday Feb 26th.
The retreat will officially begin at 2:00 pm on Friday Feb 24th (arrivals can happen any time after 12pm) until 1:00pm on Sunday, Feb 26th. Those who live near Baltimore may locally drop off and pick up teens at the retreat.
If you can’t find a time within our travel windows please be in touch directly with [email protected] to discuss travel.
If you have paid your airline for your child to travel as an unaccompanied minor, please email [email protected], so we can let you know in advance which staff member will be at the airport to meet your child (the airline will need this information to release your child). An unaccompanied minor is defined as an individual, five to 14 years old, traveling without a companion 15 years of age or older on the same domestic flight and in the same compartment.
All Jewish teens in grades 8th-12th are invited to attend, regardless of previous USY or JYCM participation or experience.
Registration is now open! Click here to register.
Early bird registration for the summit costs $289 by January 20th, not including travel. After that date, the registration will increase to $324 USD. Registration closes on Feb 10th.
Both regional and international scholarships are available to USY members. If you need a scholarship, start your registration. One of the questions asks if you need additional financial assistance, click yes, and fill out our 1 page scholarship application. We will get back to you within 2 weeks with how much scholarship you have been awarded.
If you are a member of JYCM, either a national leadership board member or member of a Kvutzah/chapter, and would like to request a travel stipend, please email [email protected].
At the retreat you can expect a perfect mix of Jewish climate activism education, time to hang with old friends and make new ones, and a meaningful Shabbat experience. Each day there are discussion groups or experiences specifically designed to strengthen your knowledge of climate change and the essence of USY.
All attendees must show proof of full vaccination. Vaccination cards must be uploaded as part of the registration process.
The USY medical committee oversees all programs and activities based on current public health recommendations and will continue to provide guidance for the summit and all USY programs. The safety of our participants continues to be our highest priority. Protocols will be updated based on CDC guidelines for gatherings.
We are working with the staff of Pearlstone to ensure we are prioritizing safety in all of our procedures and plans for the retreat. Leading up to the retreat, we are monitoring the situation closely. If things change, we will be in touch, but at this point, we expect these protocols to remain.
Testing requirements:
Please make sure that you take a rapid test two times before the retreat within a few days of each other (something like Tuesday and Thursday before the retreat). If you are feeling at all unwell, or have reason to believe you were exposed, please let us know, and we will work with you to consider what options might be, including coming a few days late after multiple negative rapid tests.
Masking requirements:
We will wear masks inside during any indoor programming, except for meals, which will be eaten inside in the dining hall. As much as we can, we will do our programming outside. Outdoors, you do not need to wear a mask, though you are welcome and encouraged to do so anytime. Please note that retreat participants will be sharing rooms of four for sleeping, and we will let you decide on masking protocols in your rooms at night.
All participants are in rooms with two double beds. There are four participants assigned to each room. Participants can request up to three friends, however, we cannot guarantee that all requests are fulfilled. We will do our best to fulfill mutual requests.
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