The North Shore Teen Initiative recently held its annual meeting at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead. The evening provided a retrospective of the wide range of programs that NSTI was involved with over the year, along with the installation of a new slate of officers and directors.  
 
NSTI’s new slate of officers is: Chairperson - Susan Cohen, Vice Chairperson - Maura Copeland, Vice Chairperson/Development -Linda Greenseid, Treasurer - Perry Frankston and Clerk - Beth Finkelstein.
 
Elected to serve two-year terms are Beth Andler, former President Ina-Lee Block, Ivy Dorflinger, Laila Goodman and Marla Mindel. Susan Callum, Jed Filler, Karen Rosenberg, Mark Schwartz and Jerry Somers will continue in office for one-year terms. Ex Officio, with voting rights are Jewish Federation of the North Shore Executive Director Liz Donnenfeld and Representative of the North Shore Rabbinical Association Rabbi Aaron Fine. Ex Officio, with no voting rights is NSTI Executive Director Adam Smith.
 
Via a series of multimedia presentations, attendees reflected on NSTI’s accomplishments. Hannah Wolf and Jacob Cline, two members of NSTI’s Teen Advisory Council, presented first-hand accounts of running and participating in this year’s programs. The evening highlighted the organization’s success in delivering exciting teen opportunities through institutional collaboration, a rich spectrum of innovative programming, and participation in national opportunities.
 
Incoming Chairperson Susan Cohen applauds NSTI’s progress. “The organization has flourished and exceeded my expectations in the last two years. [Executive Director] Adam Smith is really focused on delivering programs that enhance the entire community. He understands that working together across the community we have a tremendous opportunity to offer a wide range of options to our teens,” Cohen said.  
 
“I am proud that we have been able to work so collaboratively with dozens of synagogues, youth programs and Jewish agencies from all over the North Shore,” Smith said. “Our partners throughout the community have been spectacular and the cooperative opportunities for youth programming seem only to be on the way up.”
 
More than 150 teens were involved over the last year in NSTI events. A recent highlight was J-Serve 2010, a highly-successful international day of service in April where more than 80 teens from the North Shore and beyond participated in a day devoted to transforming the yard of the Ford School in Lynn with trees, gardens, benches, hopscotch, murals and a greenhouse.
 
“Our teen leaders have risen to the occasion and then some at every turn. It never ceases to amaze me the impact engaged teens can have. Whether it’s working with us as part of their high school senior project, or serving on our youth advisory council . . . teens from all over the North Shore have been a central and critical part of shaping our first two years,” Smith said.
 
This spring, three teens worked with NSTI in support of their senior projects. “Our seniors contributed to our success with both J-Serve and the organization of our Summer Service Learning initiatives,” says Smith.
 
Cohen is excited about North Shore Teen Initiative’s future.“My vision for NSTI is that everyone in the community will know what NSTI is and our teens will look to actively participate in our programs for their own growth, as well the fulfillment of community service hours needed for most high schools in the area,” said Cohen, VP of Sales and Marketing at UpSource Inc.
 
She urges everyone to pitch in to insure NSTI’s future. “Get the word out. Have them follow NSTI on Facebook. Use the community-wide teen calendar of events to see what’s happening. We have an amazing opportunity in this community to be a model for teen participation. It takes everyone with teens to encourage their teens to participate,” Cohen said.
 
“In a year that has seen lots of challenges to Jewish organizations around the country, teen opportunities on the North Shore are amazingly on the rise. It truly has been a remarkable year of growth for teen programming on the North Shore,” Smith added.
 
The NSTI website, http://www.nsteeninitative.org/ photo_gallery.html, offers a year-in-review snapshot in photos and video. Visit http://www.nsteeninitia tive.org or http://www.facebook.com/nsti18 to learn more.