We are excited to welcome all emerging and established BBYO teen leaders in Grades 8-12, from across Canada, to our first-ever Lake Ontario Region Invitational Fall Convention taking place October 20-23, 2022 in Niagara Falls🌊, Ontario. This weekend will serve dual purposes - as a retreat for BBYO members throughout the Greater Toronto Area, and as a chapter development and national planning summit for Canadian teen leaders from across the country.
Lake Ontario delegates (Toronto & Hamilton) please click here to register.
New to Conventions? A convention is a weekend retreat that is planned and led by teens in BBYO. Conventions bring members together for a fun and meaningful weekend of programming, activities, Shabbat moments, and hanging out with friends!
This is your chance to:
- Make connections👫🏻with Alephs and BBGs from across Canada (Lake Ontario Region, Montreal Region, Northwest Canada Region, Red River Region, and Vancouver Region);
- Explore Clifton Hill's world famous Street of Fun🥳 by the Falls, including the Voyage to the Falls Boat Tour🚢, and your choice of the Niagara SkyWheel🎡, Niagara Speedway🏁, or Dinosaur Adventure Golf⛳;
- Compete against other chapters in showcasing your ruach🕺 (spirit), and participate in convention favourites like Separates🥰, Oneg Shabbat celebrations🎉, Song Sessions🎶, and an energetic camp-style Shabbat🕯️🕯️.
The cost is $550 and includes Thursday night accommodations in Toronto and all associated programming and meal expenses, round-trip ground transportation🚌 from the Greater Toronto Area to and from Niagara Falls, quad-occupancy hotel🛏️ accommodations, and all meals🍽️ (kashrut observed), programming👾, entertainment🎭, staffing👨🦳, supplies✏️, and convention swag👕. Best of all, payments are fully refundable until October 6, 2022 for any reason. Registrations will close on October 13, 2022.
A note about pricing:
BBYO strives to ensure that any teen who wants to be at our programs can join us. The cost of our conventions has had to vary recently because of inflation. Unfortunately, the costs of busing, hotels, and catering have increased drastically in recent months.
We always try to do everything we can to ensure that the cost of programs, especially conventions, is accessible for our members. As always, we offer scholarships to help offset some of the costs for these programs.
We never want finances to be a barrier to a teen's participation. We recognize that high levels of participation in BBYO can often be expensive, and therefore designate scholarship funds that members can apply to receive to help them attend.
To request scholarship assistance, please register for the convention and then contact Landon Chapley at lchapley@bbyo.org for scholarship information.
Transportation is as follows:
For National Delegates attending the Invitational, it is ideal to arrive by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, October 20th. Of course, we will work with delegates or delegations that require later arrivals as needed pending flight availability. Regarding returning flights departing Toronto on Sunday, please do not schedule any flights before 3:00 PM ET.
Space is limited. As this is the first year of BBYO coordinating a national delegation at this event, BBYO is hoping to host (approximately) 5 to 10 delegates from each of Canada’s regions beyond Lake Ontario. Teens attending should be those most interested in collaborating with peers from across the country to grow BBYO locally and nationally by strengthening existing chapters, opening new chapters, and uniting around new programming projects to move BBYO across Canada forward. All members in good standing, regardless of elected position history thus far, are eligible. Please note that you must be a paid member of BBYO to attend this convention.
Health & Safety Protocols:
- All participants, staff, volunteers, and guests must have received the full series of an approved COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of accepted vaccines at least 14 days prior to the program. The following vaccines are recognized by BBYO – Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Novavax. Everyone is encouraged, but not required, to receive a booster.
- All participants, staff, volunteers, and guests are required to provide documentation (a photo is acceptable) of a negative rapid/antigen test taken within 24 hours of travel. Home tests will be accepted.
- Participants who have tested positive for COVID-19 less than 10 days before the convention will not be permitted to attend.
- We strongly encourage that all participants receive a flu (influenza) vaccine before attending the convention.
- Lastly, we strongly recommend that participants take care in interacting with unvaccinated, immunocompromised, and/or at-risk individuals for several days upon returning home from the convention.
Participant information, including a suggested packing list and emergency contact information, will be sent by email to registered participants and parents approximately one week prior to the convention.
LOR Invitational Fall Convention is coordinated by:
Jesse Garber, Dayan AZA #1215
Sarah Glogauer, Dor Chadash BBG #2404
National Delegates should be in touch with Landon Chapley at lchapley@bbyo.org with questions.