The Jewish Federation of Ottawa’s Young Adults division, which is in its 50th year, continues to evolve year after year. Soon, the division will bear the name J-Now. This transition is more than just a name change; J-Now will serve as the hub for all the things young Jewish adults in Ottawa need.

Spearheaded by Young Adults Associate Oren Baray, he spoke about what young adults can expect as J-Now begins to roll out. 

“We want to take young adult engagement further than it has ever gone before,” he explained. “The rebranding of J-Now sets our mission in stone, which encompasses three different components: engagement, leadership, and connection to Jewish life.”

Engagement, Baray says, will continue through gatherings like HOTtawa, which will be open to the entire young adult community. As far as leadership, young adults can expect to continue having the opportunity to participate in J-Fellows, and those who have already completed this program may be able to participate in J-Fellows+, an extension of the original program that focuses more on preparing participants to enter leadership roles, which you can read more about here.

Furthermore, a new initiative of J-Now is its young adults-only grant stream. This is a shift away from the previous model, where young adults were encouraged to apply for a Federation Microgrant. 

“We are narrowing it down not only to make it easier for young adults but also giving them the freedom to create something by them, for them,” Baray said. “We are giving them every tool and resource to stay engaged and committed, as well as a way for them to find their touchpoint of leadership within our community.”

Something else that J-Now will provide is a new pathway to donorship. The “StartUp” society, as it will be called, will serve as a way to get young adults committed to Jewish Ottawa at a lower bar for entry into donating.

“The StartUp donor society starts at a $60 per year commitment,” Baray explained. “That amount will connect young adults with all three components of J-Now: eligibility in the J-Fellows and J-Fellows+ programs, the ability to apply for J-Now grants, and one complimentary selected J-Now event.”

All of these new components of young adult experience in Jewish Ottawa will help encourage the next generation to step up and become community leaders, Baray said. He believes that as these new resources become available through J-Now, more young adults will be welcomed into the fold and continue to be active participants in Jewish life in Ottawa in the years to come. 

“We have young people stepping up to the plate who may have only had one touchpoint with our community and knew they wanted to lead,” he explained. “I think when you are surrounded with people like that, it makes you want to take the leap, too.”

One of the more exciting updates as J-Now begins to take shape is its new online home. The J-Now website will serve as the hub for all things young adult in Jewish Ottawa. 

“Ultimately, the new platform is intended not only to be another, communication tool, but an investment in creating a community infrastructure that young adults can use, shape and grow with,” Baray said. “This will help ensure they remain connected to Jewish life for years to come.”

To learn more about Federation’s young adult programming, you can visit the new website by clicking here or reach out to Oren Baray at [email protected].