THE HEART OF THE BBYO EXPERIENCE
Here you'll find the pulse of our global community, where chapters thrive as the cornerstone of our International Order. Each chapter represents a vibrant hub of connection, leadership, and friendship, shaping the BBYO journey for teens worldwide. Every pin on the map signifies a home for passionate teens, united in their commitment to Jewish identity, leadership, and service.
Didn't spot a chapter near you on the map? Head here to uncover how you can ignite the flame by starting your very own chapter.
Every AZA, BBG, or BBYO Chapter is part of a Community. BBYO Communities have conventions, programming, and other experiences where teens from different chapters can come together for bigger experiences. Dive into the maps below to explore the diverse BBYO Communities around the world!
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Since our founding in Omaha, Nebraska in May 1924, AZA and BBG have expanded into hundreds of chapters divided over 40 regions across the United States and Canada. The first chapter in Canada was founded in Calgary, Alberta on December 1926.
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BBYO’s first chapters in Latin America started in the early 1950s with the founding of AZA in Mexico City. BBYO Argentina, founded in 2012, is home to our largest membership in Latin America. Today, BBYO has a presence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Since the founding of the first AZA chapter in Leeds in March 1940, the love of AZA and BBG across Western Europe has only continued to grow. After expanding to cover most of the United Kingdom, BBYO established its first AZA chapter in Paris, France in January 1945. Today, BBYO has a presence in Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and The United Kingdom.
BBYO has had a presence in Eastern Europe since 1936, when the first chapter outside of North America was established in Sofia, Bulgaria. While the size of the Jewish communities are smaller in Eastern Europe, our chapters thrive and continue to grow across the region. Today, BBYO has a presence in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Turkey.
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BBYO's community in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) is known as JDC's Active Jewish Teens (AJT) with clubs spanning from Minsk to Vladivostok. JDC's AJT was founded in 2013 through a joint effort with BBYO and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). AJT reaches thousands of teens across the FSU led by their governing body, the AJT Parliament. JDC's Active Jewish Teens is present in Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine.
BBYO is a proud partner of Maccabi World Union in Israel. AZA and BBG work hand-in-hand with Maccabi World Union's youth Movement, Maccabi Tzair. Maccabi Tzair has dozens of youth clubs across the country that are led by the Haganah. Teens from Israel are plugged into BBYO experiences year-round through our summer camps, trips to Israel, Movement initiatives, and more.
BBYO has a growing presence in the Middle East and recently launched in Morocco in 2021.
BBYO’s presence in Africa started in April 1941 with the 76 charter members of Maimonidies AZA in Cairo, Egypt. AZA and BBG continued to grow across Africa in 1961 with the founding of an AZA chapter in Johannesburg. Today, BBYO has a presence in Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.
In June 1941, a group of Alephs were installed into the first chapter in Asia in Shanghai, China. BBYO has had a resurgence in the region after a few decades of dormancy. Today, BBYO has a presence in China, Japan, and Singapore.
Since 1948, BBYO has had a storied history in Australia stretching from Sydney to Melbourne. In recent years, chapters have flourished and brought a new renaissance of AZA and BBG to the region. Today, BBYO has a presence in Australia and New Zealand.
Explore some resources below to take your chapter to new heights of excellence.
Ready to turn your chapter's programming from good to WOW? Check out all of the BBYO International Grants that we have available for your chapter.
Evaluate where your chapter is and plan goal sofr your chapter for the upcoming semester.
Building a calendar is key to a successful chapter experience. Make sure your chapter Calendar is following the guidelines int his resource.
The Executive 'Exec' Board of a chapter ensures that your chapter is healthy and operating at fully capacity.
Every member counts and it's important to show how much we value each one - new, returning, long-standing, and prospective member. Utilize these tips to make everyone feel great at events.
Identifying potential new members for your chapter is much easier when you work as a team.
Use this survey to check in on chapter progress and identify which areas to focus on and in what order to keep growing and strenghtening your chapter.
Looking for an easy way to plan a Rush experience? Look no further! Use this resource to build your ideal calendar.
Utilize these sessions to educate Members-in-Training (MITs) and Alephs-in-Training (AITs) about everything BBYO.
One of the greatest legacies any Aleph or BBG can leave is starting a new chapter or launching a new community in their council, region, or country. This is one of the fastest ways to grow BBYO around the world.
But why would you start a new chapter? Great question. There are three important questions to think about when it comes to chapter start-up:
Does your chapter have enough leadership opportunities for everyone involved?
Are there specialized groups of people in your community that could form a chapter (e.g., Summer camp alumni or Russian-speaking Jews)?
Is there a city, town, or suburb in your area that has Jewish people, but no chapter?
There are many reasons to start a new chapter. Utilize these tools below to guide you through the process for creating and sustaining a new AZA, BBG, or BBYO chapter.
Follow these steps to officially launch your AZA, BBG, or BBYO chapter. If you're looking for a Name Change Petition, head here. For more information, check out the Chapter Chartering Process Overview.
A BBYO Start Up is a body of teens interested in starting a new chapter. In this stage, you're building a network of teens, parents, and community partners. We want to help you out—let us know what you're starting!
Let us knowA Temporary Chapter is a group of at least 12 teens formally committed to building AZA and BBG in their community. You'll begin to establish your goals and benchmarks as a chapter and choose your name! Request a temporary charter.
Request CharterA Permanent Chapter is a group of at least 12 teens who have achieved the benchmarks set out in their Temporary Charter and established sustainable culture, systems, and structures. Request a permanent charter and chapter number.
Request Charter
