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And After All, (Bristol), You’re my Wonderwall

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When I sit at my desk to write the week’s programme, adorned on my walls are

lanyards, thank-you letters, and pictures from Shorashim. Occasionally, the

glossy laminate catches my eye and just for a second I’m taken back to those

precious carefree summers. These reminders make me remember why I run

Bristol BBYO: it’s a place where the teens - like I did - can find their home.

Our home is at Park Row Synagogue, where BBYO enjoys a healthy partnership. We use their space, and in return, we aim to make their kids engaged and empowered Jewish leaders. To me, Bristol is not merely a weekly activity: it’s a stepping stone for all involved to develop along their BBYO journey. That’s what I wanted to reflect on this week - where we’ve come from and where we’re going. The twisting roads that we’ve walked, and the difficulties we’ve overcome that have obscured our vision.

When Ricky offered me the position of Bristol fieldworker, I accepted without hesitation. Sure, it was going to be a lot of work. But you know what they say: when you love what you do you never work a day in your life. And so I approached the first chapter meeting with antsy anticipation. What were the teens going to be like? How many were we going to have? Could we make it a success?

Well - if first impressions were anything to go off of - it was going to be a bigger challenge than I intended. These were teens with the potential of being BBYO Teens, but they weren’t BBYO teens yet. Sure, they had the empathy and engagement that all involved bring to the chapter, but they were skeptical - and rightly so. Imagine if your parents instructed you to go and hang around with some floppy-haired uni student for a couple of hours when you could just sit on your phone before school started the next day.

Nonetheless, over the past year, I’d like to believe the teens have a reason to come back: they love it. At the time of writing, six teens have signed up for Winter Con, and this alone will make it the most special Winter Con in recent memory. From an embryonic plan in HQ to the tangible results BBYO has been able to deliver, truly, the growth of Bristol has been remarkable. But it’s very little to do with me: it’s the teens that attend each week; the parents that always want to chat about all things BBYO and how it can benefit their kids; and the trust from the local community that make this a special project.

So where are we going? I couldn’t tell you. Plans for the next couple of chapter programmes aside, the future is an open path with many different tributaries. But I won’t be on this journey alone. Guiding my decision will be a group of teens who have made a real difference on my university experience and they are the ones who will carry BBYO forward, however they choose to do it. Truthfully, I don’t think I could express how grateful I am for the opportunity. Because of my semantic failure, I’ll conclude my sentiments on a quote.

‘And all the roads we have to walk are winding;

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding;

There are many things I’d like to say to you;

But I don’t know how’ - Liam Gallagher 

Thank you BBYO for everything you’ve done to support Bristol.

Yours sincerely,

A Damm Proud AZA,

Toby Ross