BBYO Professional Team,

As the election process begins for the 101st Grand and 81st International Boards, your partnership is needed to ensure that only the most qualified and strongest candidates caucus for these positions. Although the pride and honor felt from having a teen from your community on the International Boards is understood, it is more important that the right teens step forward for consideration, and that they do so for the right reasons.

During this process, your teen is expected to reach out to you to have a discussion about their candidacy. Please see the proposed agenda. Ultimately, the greatest reason for this conversation is to ensure that the experience will be one that the interested teen can succeed in and enjoy. Post that meeting, there will be time for reflection in this form to aid you in thinking through your endorsement. 

It can be a very tough year for a teen who doesn’t realize what they’ve decided to take on until it’s too late. Unfortunately, the pace of the program year and the expectations of each International Board position do not allow these roles to be opportunities for skills experimentation. International Board teens are treated as an extension of BBYO’s professional staff, and it is imperative that only teens who are seeking strategic, managerial and production experience are encouraged to move forward.

It is very important that the candidate and regional staff members have an understanding of the possible multiple roles they are about to take on. Priorities, workloads, and balance all need to be discussed and evaluated. Please take the time to dive into a meaningful discussion with your teen about their aspirations for Grand/International Board during your meeting with them. We have developed five core competencies that we believe a teen must hold to be able to be successful on I-Board. Please do not sign off for a candidate who has displayed mediocre abilities at best or has not completely shown their ability to reach these standards. A teen who has displayed less than exemplary leadership, negative or mediocre behavior, or an inconsistent work ethic, should not be endorsed–but neither should a teen who does not lead with those competencies in mind: presence, coach, mobilizer, professional, and goal-oriented. If their presence and talent is needed in their chapter or in the council/region/country, we encourage that all available ‘AZA and BBG muscle’ remain close to home. The Order is only as strong as the grassroots network that it supports.

If you have any questions about the candidacy process or the day-to-day expectations of members of the International Board, please be in touch. 

If you feel that the candidate in question is top-notch and you’re absolutely confident in their ability to lead the Movement to new heights, we encourage you to endorse the teen and their qualifications below. Your approval of a candidate affirms that you have thoroughly discussed the responsibilities and opportunities tied to serving on Grand or International Board, belief in their ability to carry them out with excellence, and clarity on the role this candidate will play within their home community if elected. 

If you choose not to endorse a teen, your completion of this form affirms that you have discussed your reasoning with the teen and identified other opportunities to channel their passion and vision into the community.

Thank you for all you do. 

Loyally, 

Dan Mezistrano | 100th Grand Aleph Godol
Joelle Abaew | 80th Anita M. Perlman International N’siah
Morgan Wittenberg | Senior Director, AZA & BBG Teen Leadership
Ian Kandel | Vice President, Movement Strategy

During your conversation, these core competencies guided you towards deciding whether or not you feel that your teen could uphold these competencies. Using your experiences with them as a leader in your community as well as the insights they've gained going through the first steps in this candidate declaration process, and your discussion you had with them about their candidacy, it should have become clearer whether or not your teen is capable of a position on I-Board. Reflect on the pillars to re-evaluate their skills and use them to match the skills a position on I-Board demands with the capacity that your leader brings to the table.

If you have questions or wish to discuss anything before approving a particular candidacy, please feel free to contact Morgan Wittenberg or Ian Kandel. Ultimately, you are responsible for having the conversation with your candidate(s) about the status of your approval.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out this form and work through this process with your teen(s).

Presence | Approach that Commands Respect (digitally and in-person)
Coaching | Strategic Coaching that Drives Results (one-on-one and in managing teams)
Mobilizer | Motivation that Thoughtfully Leverages Relationships 
Professionalism | Demeanor that Communicates Passion/Knowledge/Investment?
Goal-Oriented | Creative approach that solves problems proactively