Have you had trouble finding safe spaces to explore your thoughts and questions around Israel and all that has happened since October 7th?
Are you interested in connecting with teens from across North America and Israel with diverse passions and interests?
Does the idea of organizing for positive change in Israel and at home inspire you?
Want to make a meaningful difference in the conversation around Israel?
If any of these questions are true for you, APPLY to the Fall 2024 Cohort of the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive!
What is the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive?
The URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive is a program for teens with diverse views who want to deepen their understanding of current events, social justice and culture in Israel and learn how to organize around Israel in their community.
The program will begin with an opening seminar during the Collab at URJ Camp Coleman October 18-21, 2024. There, students will learn about different social justice issues that Israel is wrestling with today; explore different tools for community organizing; learn how to facilitate discussions about Israel with their peers; meet with community organizers organizing around Israel in diverse and creative ways; celebrate Shabbat and be in the company of teens from all over the US; and more.
After the opening seminar - and under the guidance of a supportive mentor - teens will return home and spearhead an Israel organizing project in their local communities. In partnership with their peers, teens will explore what they are passionate about, decide how they want to organize around Israel in their communities, and then put their ideas into action!
Teens in the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive will finish this program empowered and prepared to lead their peers on the issues they care most deeply about. They will have developed a deeper and more nuanced understanding of Israel; they will be able to lead community actions, events, discussions, and more within their community; and they will have the tools they need to work for social change in Israel, at home, and elsewhere.
What will you do as a participant?
Participants in the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive will…
Attend the Teen Israel Organizing opening seminar at URJ Camp Coleman during the Collab, October 18-21, 2024
Meet with a mentor four times (approximately once a month) to help them plan and lead their organizing project
Collaborate with their mentor and fellow teens to facilitate one community conversation about Israel for their friends and family
Attend a few webinars in the Fall and Winter of 2024
Create and implement an organizing project in collaboration with their peers
Timeline for the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive
| October 18-21, 2024 | Opening Teen Israel Organizing Seminar at URJ Camp Coleman |
| November/December 2024 | Participants will facilitate a community conversation about Israel and will begin to plan their Israel organizing projects |
| January 2025 | Participants will execute their Israel organizing project |
| February 2025 | Participants will meet for a virtual symposium and a closing program tekes (ceremony) |
What might an organizing project look like?
Once they return home from the Teen Israel Organizing opening seminar at URJ Camp Coleman, Teen Israel Organizing Participants will plan an organizing project based on the issues in Israel they and their peers are most passionate about and based on what needs they see within their communities.
So that they feel supported throughout the entire process, participants in the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive will work with a dedicated and attentive mentor to help them plan and implement their organizing projects.
Our understanding of organizing is intentionally broad and we're hoping to bring in a diverse group of participants with a variety of interests and skillsets. Teen Israel Organizing participants can be activists, artists, athletes, and more. They can have different political perspectives and different levels of exposure to Israel. As such, Israel organizing projects can take many different forms depending on the fellows’ passions and the change they want to make!
Examples of organizing projects might include (but are not limited to): starting a club or running a program; curating an art exhibit, dance or musical performance; creating a zine, website, short video or podcast; bringing friends to your house for a Shabbat or holiday experience of your own design; planning a local march or another community action; conducting a series of 1:1 meetings or organizing a house meeting; running a campaign about something Israel-related; hosting a public conversation with other religious youth groups; holding a fundraiser for an organization you believe in; and more..
A Note on Inclusion and Access
We welcome teens of all social identities and from all socioeconomic classes to apply to this program As such, this program is free for teens and their families.
Also, although the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive is organized through the Reform Movement, we hope to draw students who come from many different denominations to create a vibrant and pluralistic Jewish community. All are welcome to apply!
As a part of the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive, teens will receive…
A free trip and free registration to the Teen Israel Organizing opening seminar at the Collab October 18-21, 2024
mentoring and support to successfully complete the Israel organizing project
a series of online learning and exposure to community organizers and thought leaders on Israel
$200 with which to implement their Israel organizing projects
Eligibility
We are looking for teens…
with various political perspectives and with various levels of exposure to Israel
who are open to exploring people and ideas they haven't yet encountered.
who are 14-18 years old.
Application Process
Applications and admissions are rolling. The deadline to apply is September 18th, 2024.
There are a limited number of scholarships available, so submit your applications as soon as possible!
Next Steps
- Apply to the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive.
- For more information about the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive, complete the interest form.
- Refer a teen for the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive.
The URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive is a joint venture between the Union for Reform Judaism and the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
