About BBYO
We believe in the power of youth. We believe that every young person can embrace who they are, define their future, and change the world.
We are the UK region of the world's largest Jewish youth movement, BBYO. We connect with nearly 70,000 young people in over 60 different countries. Our peer-led organisation is based around chapters (local groups) where our members are empowered to take the lead in organising their own activities. Join us and let's unleash the power of youth together!
Our Mission
To build leaders who will embody and strengthen our values within the Jewish and wider community through inspiring, developing and empowering Jewish youth.
Our History
In 1924, a group of boys formed a fraternity in Omaha, Nebraska, called Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), which stands for Ahava Tzadakah Achdu't - brotherhood, charity, and unity. In 1927, the B'nai B'rith Youth Organisation (BBYO) was formed, incorporating the B'nai B'rith Girls (BBG).
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The first BBYO chapter in the UK and Ireland was established in Leeds in 1940. Today, BBYO is the world’s largest Jewish youth movement, with nearly 70,000 members and more than 1,000 chapters across the globe.
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Throughout BBYO’s 100-year history, the organisation has delivered leadership training, community service opportunities, Jewish education, a connection to Israel, and positive identity to thousands of Jewish youth. While the structure may differ depending on the needs and design of each Jewish population, the foundation remains the same: BBYO provides fun and meaningful Jewish experiences for Jewish teens everywhere.
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BBYO has always been the world’s leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement. As the first - and most dynamically inclusive - organisation of its kind, every Jewish teen, of all backgrounds, anywhere in the world, will find an experience that provides the foundation for a meaningful Jewish life.
What We Do
We hold weekly chapter meetings in various locations around the country, run by executives who are elected members of the chapter. We also run a variety of residential camps throughout the year, including leadership training courses and trips to Israel.
Our Ideologies
Pluralism
We believe in creating a kehillah (community) that acknowledges and celebrates our diversity.
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Our approach to pluralism is based on:
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Contraction: Making space for diversity
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Companionship: Finding friendship in diversity
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Education: Learning from diversity
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Celebration: Embracing diversity
Peer Leadership
BBYO’s international leadership model is built on fun and meaningful teen-led programming. Members are empowered and trained to be effective, inspiring leaders. Peer leadership means teens run events for teens, developing practical skills such as public speaking, programme planning, and managing responsibilities. You don’t have to be on a chapter or national exec to lead—everyone has the opportunity to step up and shape the movement.
Activism
Rooted in Jewish obligation and BBYO tradition, our teens practise Tikkun Olam - repairing the world around us. By launching their own campaigns at local, regional, and international levels, teens gain invaluable experience in community service, philanthropy, and advocacy, cultivating skills to become effective change-makers in the Jewish community and beyond.
Judaism
Jewish values, traditions, and practices run through everything we do. BBYO encourages teens to find meaning in Judaism and to develop their own unique Jewish identities.
Zionism
We are committed to the expression of Jewish peoplehood in the modern State of Israel. Our teens develop an understanding and appreciation of Jewish and Israeli texts, history, and culture as part of their national Jewish identity.
Meet our Team
Our dedicated team works to ensure every Jewish teen, regardless of background, can find their place and thrive within BBYO UK. We are here to support, guide, and empower the next generation of Jewish leaders.
