A leadership seminar for teenagers, AJProf, was held in Almaty, organized by the international project for Jewish teens Active Jewish Teens (AJT).
Over five days, 25 teens from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia learned how to be leaders and create a future for the development of their communities in their cities. It is thanks to such leadership programs that teens realize which values are truly important to them — respect, mutual assistance, empathy, faith, creativity — and learn to put them into practice in their clubs.
“We wanted to show the kids that leadership begins not with a position but with an inner sense of responsibility and readiness to act. AJProf is a space where teens learn to think, feel, and create together,” said Ilona Ilchenko, the AJTorah coordinator.
During the seminar, the participants studied leadership thinking, developed their own projects, conducted training sessions, took on the role of madrichim — Jewish youth leaders — and sought inspiration in Jewish sources.
A significant part of the seminar was the sessions with a psychologist, where the teens discussed motivation, ways to find common ground in a group, and methods for maintaining an atmosphere of trust and cooperation.
Thirteen‑year‑old Eva Pivovar from Karaganda took part in this seminar for the first time. She speaks about the programme with enthusiasm, because in addition to interesting knowledge she also gained confidence, which is very important in adolescence.
“I learned to be more open, more confident, and now I know how to run activities in the club competently and in an engaging way. This experience made me feel like a real leader,” the participant told us.
The teens were also able to fully immerse themselves in Jewish culture and traditions: the participants independently held the festive welcoming of Shabbat — Kabbalat Shabbat with songs — and organised the morning Shacharit prayer.
“AJProf left incredible impressions! In the club I feel the warmth and strength of the community, and now I want to contribute even more,” shared one of the participants, 14‑year‑old Polina Andruh from Bishkek.
According to the organisers, AJProf has become not just an educational platform but a growth point for a new generation of Jewish leaders — creative young people who will one day inspire, unite, and create a living space for development and communication among like‑minded people in their communities.