Collab
Students spend study halls and free periods at school on social media rather than being productive academically or socially. Collab is a course designed for students to sign-up and take in place of a traditional study hall. This course will include a combination of workshops on healthy study habits, mental health awareness, social skills, and social media usage and safety, while also providing fun activities that foster a relaxed environment in which teens can form bonds.
Meet the Fellows
Talia Spector is a sophomore at Niles West High School. She joined Seed613 to gain more problem solving and collaboration skills to help her in her future endeavors. She is a part of her school’s competitive acapella group and bowling team. Talia also loves photography and singing and playing guitar in a band. She is active in BBYO and enjoys attending both regional and chapter events.
Charlotte McAninch is a sophomore at Northside College Prep. She joined Seed613 to become more engaged with the Chicagoland Jewish community and to collaborate with other teens looking to better the world around them. She’s enjoyed developing new business and design thinking techniques and making strong connections. Charlotte is involved with a variety of leadership councils, including her government ward’s youth cohort, and her school’s journalism team. She loves to sing, run track, play tennis, and – most importantly – eat good food.
Teen Mental Health Kit (TMHK)
Teens are going through a modern-day mental health crisis, and many are unable to afford the counseling services they need. Teen Mental Health Kit (TMHK) wants to provide all underprivileged teens with their own kit of resources that can help teach them the coping skills they need to thrive. Our goal is to provide all teens with the ability to prosper for their whole lives.
Meet the Fellows
Danielle Edley is a sophomore at Stevenson High School. She joined Seed 613 to find a way to support and inspire her community. Danielle is a part of her school’s Green Team and is a percussionist in the band. In addition, Danielle is involved with her school Horticulture Club, which learns about caring for plants in a sustainable way. Outside of school she enjoys reading and painting.
Sarah Holzman is a sophomore at Deerfield High School. Sarah is thrilled to be a part of Seed613 and hopes that her efforts will have an influence on her community. She is a part of her school’s swim and lacrosse teams and engages in numerous clubs. Sarah is also involved with many Jewish organizations like the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Rise Up Education
Rise Up Education’s purpose is to help underprivileged students in high school prepare for college. We aim to give students the proper resources to succeed and be confident in their college admission process. These resources consist of access to college prep (ACT/SAT information), opportunities to get scholarships, essay workshops, and campus visits/research. Volunteers would offer free tutoring opportunities and free college counseling.
Meet the Fellows
Elana Goldwin is a junior at the Latin School of Chicago. She joined Seed613 to help develop and grow her knowledge of entrepreneurship and community. She hopes her work will help to educate kids all over and make a lasting impact on the future of the Jewish community. She is a part of her school’s lacrosse team and heads up both the Jewish Student Connections Club and Best Buddies club. She also is involved in Latin’s Roman2Roman committees, a group that helps plan programs to help the freshman class get acclimated into the school. She loves going on walks with friends and traveling around the world. She spends her summers at Camp Interlaken JCC.
Ella Toppel is a junior at Lane Tech High School. Ella joined Seed613 to learn about how to make a difference and see the powerful changes it will have on her community. She is president of Jewish Student Connections club at her school. In her free time, she likes to cook and bake, hang with friends, and travel.
Amit
Amit is nonprofit organization that aims to educate teachers for grades K-12 on the warning signs of gun violence and how to prevent it. Amit aims to change legislature and mandated teacher education to include gun violence and its effect on students’ mental health. We strive for an ending to the cycle of gun violence in the United States.
Meet the Fellows
Abby Weiss is a junior at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She joined Seed613 to explore her Jewish identity in the way of leadership. One of her big passions is helping kids who have disabilities. At her school, she is a part of Best Buddies club. When she grows up, she wants to be a special education teacher.
Alana Slade is a junior at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She joined Seed613 to use her Jewish values to work to create a better world. She spent this past semester in Israel at Heller High School and while she had to leave early due to the war that began on October 7th, the experience made her love for Israel and Judaism so much stronger. She loves to dance and is in a dance company called Momenta which creates performances with abled bodied and disabled bodied people.
Maya Sheldon is a freshman at New Trier High School. She joined Seed613 because she heard about the program through her former Camp Chi counselor, Maya Parks. She was inspired to learn how this program helped other teens grow and improve their community. She is a student athlete on the track and cross-country team and is an active member of BBYO.
Soup-er Markets
This community space is a soup kitchen where people in need can enjoy a meal, but it also serves as a market where anyone in the neighborhood can buy fresh produce. The Soup-er Market uses food that would have otherwise been wasted by grocery stores and restaurants. These businesses can sign up to donate food and delivery drivers can bring it to our location, which would be most effective in a food desert area of Chicago (South/Far Southeast side). Volunteers would cook the food and serve it to people in need.
Meet the Fellows
Maya Henschel is a junior at Jones College Prep. She enjoys making presentations as a co-president of the Philosophy Club, studying literature for the varsity Scholastic Bowl team, and writing poetry and short stories. She also loves working with kids as a religious school Madricha at Temple Sholom and is honored to serve as Social Justice Chair for the temple’s youth board. In her spare time, Maya likes spending time with friends, playing with her dogs, and steadily becoming more of a tea snob.
Jordyn Yoskowitz is currently a sophomore at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. She joined Seed613 because she wishes to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others and help lessen whatever burden they are facing. She is an active member of her school’s Model United Nations team and enjoys the arts.
Unplugged
Unplugged is a newsletter and social media account focused on exposing teens to the unbiased facts of the year’s top news stories – a perspective they rarely see due to extremely subjective social media posts and news stories – and educating teenagers on how social media changes the way we learn about and experience current events. We offer the unique chance to interact with the news alone. Unplugged provides the facts, expert views, and famous opinions, but ultimately, it is up to you. Simply read the facts as we give you the freedom to come to your own conclusions.
Meet the Fellows
Blair Deutsch is a freshman at Deerfield High School. She joined Seed613 due to her passion to learn more about the worlds of business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Blair is highly involved in her school’s student council, debate team and DECA chapter. Blair also plays on her school’s field hockey and soccer teams.
Noa Paige Bremen is a Junior at the Latin School of Chicago. She joined Seed613 due to her passion for helping others and learning about how to make a meaningful impact. Noa is a member of both her school’s JSC and Women in STEM chapters. She plays on her school’s field hockey team and is also a volunteer tutor with the program Learn To Be.
Schools Out Support (SOS)
Schools Out Support (SOS) is an after-school program that strives to provide children with a safe and supportive environment where they are presented with positive role models and resources to grow. We believe that underserved children should have access to a space to reach their full potential where otherwise their needs would not be met at home. As an organization, we will provide a community of mentors and a toolbox of resources to set children up for success.
Meet the Fellows
Maia Weissman is a freshman at Glenbrook South High School. She joined Seed613 to learn new strategies to make a meaningful difference in her community. She also wanted to learn valuable skills about the world of marketing. Maia plays the flute for her school’s concert, marching, pep, and jazz bands, where she loves to make music with her friends. Maia is also an active writer for her school’s newspaper, The Oracle. She loves to write for the arts and entertainment section. In addition, Maia enjoys volunteering with a local farm that works to help serve the community. She also volunteers at her synagogue, BHBE, by leading art activities for the Sunday School students. Maia hopes to continue to make an impact on her community in the future.
Meredith Deutsch is a freshman at Deerfield High School. She has a passion for helping others and joined Seed613 to create a project to positively impact her community and learn new skills. Meredith is a member of her school’s swim team and water polo team. She also is an active member of Student Council. Outside of school, she is involved in BBYO and has been on the teen board for three years for Gratitude Generation, a non-profit organization.
Step
STEP (Supportive Teen Emotional Processing) is a safe space for teens to comfortably talk about their emotions in a welcoming environment. STEP is a processing group that will help teens feel like they have consistent easy access to mental health support and can be around other people their age without the fear of judgement from adults.
Meet the Fellows
Jada Harris is a junior at Deerfield High School. She is elated to be a part of Seed613 so she can expand her knowledge in community building and business. She is part of the Deerfield Debate team and writes for her school newspaper. Jada also loves to bake and cook. In addition, Jada is involved with Student to Student where she gives presentations to schools, educating students about Judaism to deter prejudice and antisemitism. She hopes that her work with Seed613 will make a valuable impact on the future of her community.
Ayelet Lazar is a junior at Lane Tech High School. She joined Seed 613 because she is always looking for new ways to help others around her in any way possible. Ayelet is a competitive dancer for Inside Out Dance Crew and competes hurdles for her school’s track team. Outside of this, she is a Madricha at her synagogue and has attended Ramah Overnight Camp in Wisconsin for 8 years, to which she will return to as a Counselor. Ayelet hopes to go into the medical field in the future as a profession so that she can make an impact on the world around her.
Cookcessible
Cookcessible focuses on giving people a new outlook on an attainable, healthy lifestyle by providing authentically nutritious recipes.
Meet the Fellows
Rachael Zacks is a junior at New Trier High School in Winnetka. She has a passion of helping others, especially those in underserved communities. At school, Rachael is part of the Social Service Board where she oversees organizing volunteers for Northside Tutoring, which tutors kids in need in Chicago, as well as a member of the Sports Medicine Club, and she also tutors in the Math Resource Room. Rachael enjoys playing basketball, which she’s played since 2nd grade.
Abby Rabin is a senior at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. She is enthusiastic about business and working with people in the community. Since 8th grade, Abby has run her own tennis business teaching children and adults in her community each summer as well as teaching and participating in her Chabad community. She loves to travel internationally with her family to explore the cultures and lifestyles of other countries. Her love for traveling and business have encouraged her to major in International Business and Abby is looking forward to the new opportunities her two passions bring her.
Emmie Alexander is a sophomore at Jones College Prep and lives in central Chicago. She is a big proponent of ending food insecurity in underserved communities and wishes to aid her cause via her group’s Seed613 project. Emmie enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her friends and family, all of whom are hockey fanatics like her (Go Hawks!). She participates in several clubs at school, some of which include Jewish Student Connection, PreMed Club, Women in STEM Club, and Law Club. You can find her bundled up for all sorts of weather as she goes on adventures around the city.
Let’s Talk About It
Let’s Talk About It is a women-oriented magazine to help focus on yourself. As women we are constantly told not to be too emotional, but emotion is normal. Acknowledging where our mental health is at and what you can do for yourself is just as important as getting a bandage for a scrape. We, as a community of women, are here for each other as we all go through the motions of our lives.
Meet the Fellows
Emma Felix is a junior at Ida Crown Jewish Academy. She joined Seed613 to learn business skills and build a project that will help her community. She plays on her school’s Varsity Basketball team and runs on the Cross-Country team. She loves to run along the beach near Northwestern University. In addition, to serving on her school’s Student Council and Yearbook team, Emma is also a group leader in Student to Student where she gives presentations to schools, educating students about Judaism to reduce prejudice and anti-Semitism. She hopes to continue to make an impact on her community in the future.
Molly Miller is a freshman at Highland Park High School. Molly is an active member of the Rotary Interact club as well as a member of Girl Up. Molly loves to play volleyball and is travelling to Israel to compete in the U16 division at the Maccabi Games this summer. Additionally, Molly enjoys being an active member of her community and giving back to others.
Chloe Sedler is a sophomore at Latin School of Chicago. Chloe is a state-ranked track athlete who loves the outdoors. She is also a very competitive cross-country runner who keeps the competition on their toes. Chloe loves to bake when she has free time and her favorite thing is baking vegan chocolate chip cookies. She babysits regularly and participates in her temple’s Madrichim program. Chloe is most passionate about women’s equality and equity.
Pencils for Potential
Pencils for Potential strives to provide pencils and other school supplies for every student in the Chicagoland area. We believe children will feel empowered to learn when they receive a kit filled with educational supplies.
Meet the Fellows
Ariela Ostrov is a junior at Glenbrook North High School. She is on the board of her school’s Jewish Student Connection club and is a member of Interact Club. She loves to draw and is in National Art Honors Society at school. Additionally, Ariela is hoping to become an engineer after high school and is passionate about creating a better and more inclusive environment for our future generation. She also loves to travel with her family to places all over the world to learn about other cultures and traditions.
Lindsay Katai is a sophomore at Deerfield High School. Lindsay plays field hockey, lacrosse and is involved in BBYO and Student Council. Lindsay is a very active member of her community and is very passionate about giving back.
Sophia Libman is a sophomore at Academy High School in Champaign-Urbana, near the University of Illinois. She has a passion for community service and enjoys volunteering for Special Olympics and leading her school’s Service club. Sophia also plays basketball, participates in gymnastics, and runs cross-country and track and field. She has a twin brother and a younger sister, and her whole family are big Illini fans! She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate in Seed613.
The Health Information Initiative
The Health Information Initiative is a teen-led database aiming to support, inform, and educate teens across the Chicagoland area about health and emotional wellbeing issues.
Meet the Fellows
Grace Rosenberg is a junior at Highland Park High School. She is on her school’s Lacrosse and Debate teams and is on the student boards of a couple of local non-profits. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and playing with her two dogs. An interesting fact about Grace is that she loves thrifting and buys most of her clothes second-hand.
Elsie Cohen is a sophomore at Latin School of Chicago. She runs track and cross country, loves biking and anything crafty. She also loves to read, bake, and all things science fascinates her. An interesting fact about Elsie is that she has a birthmark shaped like Australia!
Ori Hoch-Stein is a freshman at Niles North High school. One of her extracurricular activities is Astronomy club. Some of her interests are art, reading and journaling.
