By Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Director, Whole Community Engagement
The Reta Emerson Fellowship/Teen Assistant Program (TAP) is Jewish Learning Venture’s education initiative through which a group of selected high school students are trained and mentored to assist children with special needs and those experiencing difficulty in congregational classroom settings. Beginning with a week-long intensive training, and continuing monthly through the school year, teens study, learn skills, work in classrooms in their congregations, and reflect with one another about their experiences. The program is generously funded by the family of Reta Emerson, z”l, who was dedicated to helping children and worked tirelessly for many causes through her life.
Sixteen amazing teens spent four nights last week learning about disability awareness and gaining practical skills to use when they work 1:1 or in small groups with students who need extra support during religious school. The teens learned also about how children with learning differences can be socially isolated and may need extra s