Connection
You Get Out What You Put In
Too many, that phrase may not make sense. But to sum it up, it’s about taking all the opportunities you are given with BBYO and in this case at CLTC 4.
The first way to take advantage of your CLTC experience is in the second letter, leadership. Throughout the conference, you will be given many opportunities, but one of the main ones and most well known is mock chapters and board elections. On the fourth day we were given all the information about running for a position. For some, it was easy to decide if they wanted to run or didn’t or what they wanted to run.
As many cities around the country wrapped up their own primary elections, Ben-Gurion AZA #1948 they began their own in a small room in Poyntelle, Pennsylvania. Three hours and seven runoffs later a board of six young men from all over the order were elected to serve.
Even without being on board there are other opportunities in the Chapter Leadership Network(CLN), which much like the ILN allows various chances to take initiative in a certain field. There is press corps, fundraising, oneg planning, shabbat decoration, and much more. They all play a part in bringing the second half of CLTC to life and showcasing it to the rest of BBYO.
Though it's not necessarily leadership you can apply the same skills to making friendships. On the first day most people come here knowing nobody. Maybe a friend or two from your region but nobody you hang out with at home. One of the best parts of CLTC is developing new connections with Jews from around the world.
Remember these words whether you are just beginning your leadership journey or if it is coming to an end. Even beyond BBYO these words aren’t just lessons for leadership, but lessons for life.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.
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