A collaborative effort to design the Robbins Family Youth Center in Thornhill, Ontario
Teens at Chabad’s Jewish Youth Network in Thornhill, Ontario, have been sharing their hearts, minds and dreams for more than three years in helping to design the Robbins Jewish Youth Center, the first major Jewish community center in the world built exclusively to serve the spiritual, social and emotional needs of local youth.
Urban vibes meet bright and airy amenities and modern finishes at the $13 million building, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open at the beginning of 2022. The center has also been awarded a $1.7 million grant from the government to help cover some of the recreational expenses for the building.
The outreach model at the Robbins Family Youth Center is hardly a “top-down” approach, as teens have taken an active part in each step of the decision-making process—from the relevance and comfort of the facilities to the colors and personalization of the interior space.
One feature in the 27,000-square-foot facility that is sure to strike visitors is the engaging visual imagery of the Ten Point Mitzvah Campaigns inspired by the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—that fills the halls. Passages from Tanach on Shabbat candles, kashrut, tefillin and the mezuzah leap from the walls to create an interactive educational experience. “We hired a company who specializes in environmental graphics and design on top of the general interior designer. We figured, let’s make the graphics meaningful. We wanted the environment of the center to speak for itself,” says Rabbi Shmuli Nachlas, who has co-directed the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Youth Network (JYN) along with his wife, Chani, since 2007.
Mary Stone, a sophomore at Ryerson University, says that as a freshman in high school, she fell in love with JYN. “I loved the people and the feeling of being so close to my Jewish heritage,” she tells Chabad.org.
For three years, Stone served as a student “ambassador” to the Jewish students of her grade at Westmount Secondary School in Thornhill, representing JYN and encouraging other students to get involved in their programming. “The building was being discussed throughout those three years. As ambassadors, we were very involved in the planning stages of the building. We were constantly attending meetings and phone calls with the rabbi and with designers, and discussing various options for the building. It was pretty cool how they’d ask for our opinion on things with questions like, ‘What do you think of this?’ Do you like this?’”
“When I was a senior in high school, I became a student president of JYN and I got to observe and celebrate each step of the process. Rabbi Shmuli would call me with ideas and text me during milestones, excitedly saying, ‘We just got the permit to break ground!’ My mom would pick me up after meetings with the rabbi and the design team, and I would share all my notes that I had written down in a notebook. It was truly amazing to see the whole thing play out firsthand!”
Rachel Dusang, a senior at Westmount, says she first became involved with JYN when she attended their Hebrew school in elementary school. In ninth grade, she enrolled in JYN academy. “It was special,” she says, “because I was able to learn and dive more into Judaism and Jewish philosophy in an inclusive and enjoyable environment. The following year, in 10th grade, I joined the ambassador team. That year the idea for the building was proposed. The ambassador team was very involved in each step of the building process—from what amenities it should have to the design and purpose of each part of the building.”
She says the project is unlike anything the Thornhill community has seen before: “I know that the center will be an amazing and life-changing place for the Jewish youth of this community, and I’m beyond excited for the building to be completed.”
‘Teens Have the Power to Change the World’
At the front and center of the building stand an elaborate chai sculpture, promoting positive messages of Jewish life and pride. Inside stands a display on the Rebbe and his message reflecting the power of Jewish teens and their ability to impact the world.
A state-of-the-art basketball court with floor-to-ceiling windows will serve as the backdrop for teens to congregate after school. The workspace area will allow students to grab a coffee or a kosher bite to eat. The youth lounge comes complete with ping-pong and pool tables and large screens. Also featured are classrooms, a music room, a rooftop patio and an outdoor pavilion.
In addition to providing a fun and light environment for teens to unwind, the Robbins Family Youth Center is committed to ensuring the mental and emotional well-being of the teens who pass through its doors. A counseling office will offer a roster of available mental-health professionals, community members and rabbis who will be there to provide legal and spiritual guidance. Having a safe space for teens to feel comfortable opening up, especially after the aftermath of the global pandemic, is especially important.
A Crucial Time for Jewish Teens
“It’s a very crucial time for Jewish teenagers today,” says philanthropist and lead supporter of the Robbins Family Youth Centre, Larry Robbins, principal partner of Erin Mills Development Corporation and Great Gulf Homes. “From my point of view, one of the things we’re most interested in is helping Jews marry Jews. These are regular kids from regular public schools, and this center means they can each find their unique place within Judaism. At this point in their lives, before they go off to college, it’s most important to get that message across to them.”
Robbins believes that the center can be a prototype for other communities around the world that want to build similar facilities.
The Nachlas family moved to Ontario in 2001 and began working with youth in Ontario in 2007. In the early years, they rented out storefronts and other extracurricular amenities, and held classes and programs for teenagers. Over the years, they’ve impacted thousands of teens and hold alumni events around the holidays for the now “young professionals” who were involved with JYN as teenagers.
“Hundreds of teens from across Ontario visit our center throughout the year. What’s more, unlike other Chabad centers who generally have programming for youth and adults, we’re here exclusively for the youth. We started our work with teens before there were any resources like CTeen,” says Nachlas, who was instrumental in planning the first CTeen Shabbaton and currently runs CTeen programs for the community.
Throughout the year, JYN runs a Hebrew school for elementary-aged students as well as a “peer mentoring” program where teens are matched with elementary-aged students for educational and entertaining programs like crafts and team-building activities. The JYN Academy, a set of high school accredited courses recognized by the ministry of education in Ontario, allows students to explore their Jewish heritage, no questions barred.
“Teens for the Community” is a volunteer program comprised of Jewish student advocates for the Jewish community, the land of Israel and the sick, elderly and needy. “There are two or three groups a year of about 20 teens, and their activities involve thousands of individuals throughout the year,” says Rabbi Nachlas.
JYN holds a yearly ski trip, a trip to New York City, the West Coast, Niagara Falls and Washington, D.C., as well as many Shabbatons throughout the year. “JewBall” basketball and the recent launch of their TechCamp are ways that teens can express themselves and learn more about their Jewish identities. The “Speaker Series” offers an opportunity to hear from Holocaust survivors, entrepreneurs and communal leaders.
“We started a new initiative with some of the ‘up-and-coming’ musical stars at JYN,” says Rabbi Nachlas. “Together with one of our alumni, we wrote a new song centering around themes in Judaism. The song is going to be produced soon,” he says, noting that the Robbins Family Youth Center will feature a music room for teens that enjoy playing and producing music.
An annual Super Bowl party and Jewish “celebrity events” with famous athletes of Toronto sports teams are attended by hundreds of Jewish teens across Ontario. The funky, brightly decorated “Kosher Pickle” food truck makes its way around to local public high schools, offering kosher food to Jewish students across Ontario, as well as perks like, “Put on tefillin and get a free hot dog.”
Aaron Litvak has been involved with JYN ever since he attended their Hebrew school in the first grade. As a senior, he was a student president at JYN: “To me, being involved in JYN and in the building of the new youth center is important because I know I’m helping make a big difference in the community. I know that this building will last longer than my time as a teenager, and I’ll be able to look back in the far future and know that I did something big. I’ll know that something to which I’ve contributed is still standing.”
As for Noa Kastroyano, a high school student at Westmount high school in Thornhill, “when I finally walk into the building, I’m going to be very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
