Description:

In the teen world, peers are everything. The Jewish Federation’s Los Angeles Jewish Teen Initiative (LAJTI), in partnership with Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles (JBBBSLA), is proud to present the LAJTI Teen Talk Virtual Training Program. Jewish teens are invited to apply for our next Teen Talk cohort to learn how to provide social and emotional support to their peers through the anonymous Teen Talk phone app developed by JBBBSLA and Teen Line. This program empowers teens to support each other through the unique challenges they face, especially during the isolating days of a pandemic. Teen Talk is an anonymous app (iPhone and soon to be Android) where teens can get support from trained teens and learn what other teens are dealing with.

The LAJTI Teen Talk Training is a 50 hour training where participants will learn the essential tools to successfully support their peers. Due to COVID-19, the Winter 2021 Training will be VIRTUAL and take place via Zoom. Training will be held on Sundays from 1:00pm-5:00pm and begin on Sunday, February 21st. Please confirm that the following dates work with your schedule - 1/24, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, and 5/9. This training is designated for Jewish teens who live in the greater Los Angeles area (not including Pasadena).

Once trained, teens are expected to sign up for 2.5 hour shifts (between 5:00-10:00 pm PST) twice a month. During these shifts, teens will provide support at home on their own devices while supervised remotely by a mental health licensed professional. Participants will receive community service hours for both the training and weekly shifts.

This LAJTI Teen Talk cohort will have two additional post-training meetings to come together to share learnings and experiences and engage in continuing education opportunities. These dates will be determined by the group in August 2021 and January 2022.

We are currently accepting applications from Jewish Los Angeles teens (Grades 9-11) who would like to be trained to provide peer support to other teens on the app. All applications must be submitted by 1:00 pm on Friday, January 11th. If invited, Interviews will be held on Sunday, January 24th via Zoom.

Please complete the application. Responses will be confidential. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to reviewing your application.