Mitzvah Jamie

Meet Mitzvah Jamie

Since 2011, I’ve spent my days in middle school classrooms teaching Social Studies, ELA, and Math. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that 12 and 13-year-olds are at a magical and messy crossroads. They are beginning to ask, “Who am I?” and “Does what I do actually matter?”

Too often, the “Mitzvah Project” becomes another item on a long family to-do list. A transaction rather than a transformation. I saw an opportunity to change that. I want to take the “Action-Research” frameworks I used in the classroom and apply them to Tikkun Olam.

I created Mitzvah Jamie to bridge the gap between “having to do a project” and “wanting to make a difference.” I don’t just help kids pick a charity from a list. I help them:

Dig Deeper: We use root-cause analysis to understand the “why” behind community challenges.

Lead Bravely: We identify people of power, navigate obstacles, and build actual systems for change.

Connect Soulfully: Every project is anchored in the student’s unique identity and values.

My Promise to Families: I know the B’nai Mitzvah season can be a whirlwind of logistics and, occasionally, friction. As a veteran educator, I speak “Middle School.” I know how to motivate students to take ownership of their work so that you don’t have to be the “project manager.”

My goal is for your child to walk away from our 6-week session not just with a completed project, but with the realization that they have the agency to repair the world.