Young people today are coming of age amid profound uncertainty. Widespread mental health challenges are compounded by social, political, and economic related pressures, weakening senses of safety, belonging, and possibility. For Jewish youth, these challenges are intensified by identity-based stressors, such as the moral and emotional complexity following October 7, the Israel–Hamas war, and rising antisemitism. In schools, on campuses, and online, these forces make it increasingly difficult to imagine hopeful futures.
In this context, two capacities are essential for positive youth development: hope and resilience. Hope is a goal-oriented mindset grounded in the belief that meaningful futures are possible and one can act to shape them. Resilience reflects the ability to adapt under pressure, recover from adversity, and sustain functioning through challenge. Both are strongly associated with well-being, motivation, effective coping, and social and academic success among young people, and shaped by individuals, relationships, and environments.
Our project examines how Jewish youth understand, experience, and practice hope and resilience within a powerful naturalistic setting for positive youth development: Jewish summer camp. Camps are value-driven communities that can cultivate hope and resilience while providing opportunities for agency, responsibility and leadership. Through mixed-methods research conducted with campers, staff, and alumni we will explore how camp relationships, leadership opportunities, and Jewish ritual life contribute to the development of hope and resilience among teens and young adults. The project will amplify youth voices through a national storytelling and media campaign to elevate young people’s visions for the future. By listening to youth experiences and sharing their stories, this project seeks to understand how hope, resilience and agency develop, strengthen communal morale and help young people imagine and build more hopeful futures.
