In 2008, on Boston’s North Shore, the Jim Joseph Foundation released funds to start a project called the North Shore Teen Initiative (now JTI). The program was launched to break through some of the traditional territorial boundaries that exist in Jewish communities, and to approach Jewish youth engagement in a new way. For many years, teens from the 23 North Shore communities seeking meaningful Jewish engagement had few options, particularly if they were unaffiliated with a specific temple or wanted to connect with friends outside their town or youth group. JTI seeks to fill this void by connecting Jewish teens to a broader base of their peers.