Terms of Reference of the Family, Youth, and Children’s Committee
Objectives
The FYC Committee strives to increase positive synagogue involvement experiences of couples and families with children so as to:
- Enhance children’s experience of Jewish life.
- Build cohorts (chevra) of members to sustain Or Shalom’s future.
- Empower parents of all backgrounds with practical skills and a supportive community for raising Jewish children.
- Position Or Shalom as synagogue young families look to in order to connect with the wider Jewish community through child-centered activities
Activities
The Or Shalom Family, Youth, and Children’s (FYC) Committee shall:
- Work with Board, Rabbi, and Master Teacher to set goals for FYC programs.
- Review and evaluate FYC programming.
- Provide volunteer support for planning and implementing selected programs.
- Reach out to Or Shalom families with children with the goal of understanding needs, building community, and informing them about FYC programs.
Budget & Staff Support
- The FYC committee is an independent committee of the board, with a board liaison member.
- The FYC committee is funded by various designated funds (see Donation page of website) and from line items in the annual Or Shalom Programs budget.
- Hiring helpers, cleaners and childcare workers is the responsibility of Or Shalom staff.
- Volunteers can have their expenses approved by staff and reimbursed in accordance with Or Shalom financial policy.
- Volunteers will work with Or Shalom staff to review best practices for publicizing events and contacting Or Shalom parents.
- Staff support for FYC programs is limited by their paid hours, and any requests for staff time to dedicate to new projects should be coordinated with them or their supervisor.
Membership Structure
Understanding that parents of young children have unique time constraints, and in order to facilitate sharing of parental responsibilities, membership in the FYC Committee may be held either by individual parents or by households. For example, a couple may be considered jointly members of the committee if they have agreed to communicate with each other about their involvement, and may stand in for each other at meetings.
Meeting Schedule
The committee shall meet on a monthly basis. Additional meetings will be held as required.
Review and Update
These terms of reference should be reviewed and updated on a bi-annual basis.
