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By Gabby Daniels
At only 18, Mya Declue has already surpassed the expectations of a typical teenager.
Declue has spearheaded the creation and opening of a brand-new CTeen lounge that’s being hailed as the first Jewish youth safe space in the Stony Brook area.
CTeen is an international organization for Jewish teens, with its mission to provide a nurturing environment that fuses fun, friendship, humanitarian outreach, mitzvah observance and engaging Torah study. It is meant to be a safe haven for Jewish teens where they can get to know one another, hang out and find comfort in what makes them alike.
The lounge held a grand opening party Sept. 29 at Village Chabad in East Setauket.
It’s open and available to all Jewish teens in the Stony Brook area in grades 8 through 12. Here’s how it all happened.
Needing a space
When Mya was in high school, she was very involved with CTeen. She routinely attended a local chapter at the Village Chabad in Stony Brook, eventually becoming a CTeen leader in her senior year.
“We had a lot of events throughout the year, celebrated different holidays as a group, and we would do community service together,” Declue said. “We would even do overnight retreats, and I not only made a lot of friends from my group, but I was able to make a lot of friends from other CTeen groups from all over the world.”
While Declue was a member of CTeen, her Chabad was moved to a newer building. Although CTeen was always a fun time for her and her group, there was never a real dedicated space for them.
“Our group was just stuck in a random conference room, and it never felt like it was our space,” she said.
Working toward her Gold Award for Girl Scouts, Declue knew she had to focus on something that she was passionate about.
Seeing a gap in her community for a CTeen lounge, she quickly got to work.
“I loved CTeen and had a lot of fun,” she said. “It did a lot for me, and it meant a lot to me, so I thought this was the perfect thing for me to do.”
Getting to work
After seeing other CTeen groups around the world having their own lounges and reaching out to her rabbi, Motti Grossbaum, who loved the idea, coordination of the space began.
“I completed two fundraisers, applied and received a big grant from CTeen, and put a lot of effort into the design and furnishing of the space,” Declue said.
She really wanted to ensure that the space would be somewhere that any Jewish teen would want to spend their time.
“I made sure to include multiple couches, a big TV, a snack bar with a drink fridge, and gaming tables for foosball, ping pong, and other games,” she said. “Now, the group can have their own fun space for all activities throughout the year, and they can even host lounge nights once a month where they can relax, watch movies, or do whatever they want.”
The space is also lined with positive messages, such as “The World Needs Your Light” throughout, reminding any member that they are welcome and can call the space their second home. Executing the vision was not always easy for Declue.
“For my Gold Award itself, I needed 80 hours, and while being in college in Massachusetts and trying to organize things back
on Long Island, it was really hard at times,” she said.
But she had a great support system.
“My parents, my rabbi, and all my family friends were really helpful,” she said. “All the work was so worth it, and I think the space really turned out to be amazing.”
In addition to her dedication to this particular project, her involvement in extracurriculars and her community runs deep.
While in CTeen and Girl Scouts, Declue was also a hard-working, star student at Smithtown West High School, where she graduated this past summer. She also worked at Trader Joe’s, loved playing field hockey and soccer, and found comfort in helping others.
Declue is currently a member of Endicott College’s Interior Architecture program, where she was able to gain a lot of insight into the design of the now-completed CTeen space. The space represents not only another project for Declue but rather her legacy: one that represents the fight against antisemitism and the fight for Jewish teen safety for generations to come.
Join the group
For more information on the Village Chabad’s CTeen lounge and view their calendar for the 2024-2025 session, visit myvillagechabad.com or reach out to Rabbi Motti by emailing [email protected] or texting 631-463-2912.
Top: Rabbi Motti Grossbaum, left, and Chaya Grossbaum, directors of programming and development at the Village Chabad, with Declue. (courtesy photos)
Gabby Daniels is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
