Getting a group of energetic tweens to stop belting the latest Rihanna hit long enough to focus on an art project might seem impossible.
But it can be done. Well, sort of.
Take the participants of Hot Topic, 12-year-old girls who meet weekly at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. The after-school program is aimed at strengthening friendships, establishing a positive self-image and combating peer pressure through art, music, dance, games and speakers.
“In some groups, it’s hard to share feelings,” said Marissa Rosenberg-Carlson of San Francisco. “At Hot Topic, you get to talk with different girls and know that nothing leaves the room.”
Hot Topic is an offshoot of the JCCSF’s Club 18, which provides after-school activities and a teens-only lounge for entertainment and hanging out.
On Dec. 10, seven girls put the finishing touches on an art assemblage project they started Nov. 5. Collectively, they filled a large black canvas split into quadrants representing different themes — including friendship, music, glamour, being “green,” President-elect Barack Obama, San Francisco, happiness and “Girl Power.”
The decorated board will be displayed in the Club 18 lounge during a ceremony for the Hot Topic girls, their families and friends at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17.
The project was completed under the guidance of Rachel Kamen, the JCCSF’s teen program coordinator, and Caren Lorber, a San Francisco artist who specializes in assemblage.
“We’re teaching the girls to see the world in a different way and to see the things we use in a different way,” said Lorber, who approached Kamen last summer with the desire to get involved. “I love working with young people because I can help build their character and self-esteem.”
When the girls weren’t gluing trinkets onto the canvas, they were socializing, munching popcorn, trying on each other’s shoes and singing pop songs. The scene captured the essence of a slumber party, but in an after-school setting.
“[Hot Topic] is a great way to let loose, have fun and bond,” said Elena Bernick of San Francisco. “We’re a confident inner-circle that has a great time together.”
Now in its fourth year, Hot Topic prides itself in providing a safe, comfortable and supportive environment for discussion and exploration. The latest group of girls, all seventh graders at Claire Lilienthal K-8 Alternative School in San Francisco, has been participating as a cohort since September 2007; Kamen took charge of the group around the same time.
And while there isn’t an obvious Jewish component to the program (which is open to all students, regardless of their religion), Kamen said she likes to throw in a Jewish teachable moment subliminally here and there.
“All of the values and everything we do is done through the lens of community and friendship,” said Kamen, 24.
“Yes, we celebrate Shabbat, but the focus is on the girls’ choice of topics. It’s an exceptionally diverse group, and we appreciate this because it’s definitely a part of what makes us who we are.”