This year we are launching a new initiative to support NCSY Alumni and their Jewish peers on on college campuses. We’re looking for emerging and established leaders who are looking to make a difference in their community and be a part of this exciting cohort. Fellows will be provided with training and resources (through Heart to Heart, JLIC, NCSY Alumni Connections, Israel Free Spirit, and the Orthodox Union’s NextGen department), guidance from fellows and mentors, and funding from OU NextGen. Find out more about our partner organization, Heart to Heart, at kahal.theheart2heartproject.org, and let’s work together to build the future of the Jewish community!
Apply below by September 9th
About the NCSY Alumni College Fellowship:
This new fellowship is going to be a full year program in which OU Alumni Connections and our partner programs will be working with each of you to help support you, the NCSY Alumni on your campus and the wider Jewish community there.
Our goal is that by the end of the year, you will help foster a growing religious community or strengthen an existing one, feel more supported in your environment, and help support the Jewish students around you.
Here’s what we’re offering you:
- Leadership training webinars: We’ve been working on a comprehensive curriculum and timeline for the year. Topics will range from “Building your Jewish community” to “Doing outreach on your campus” – and at the end of each session you should come away with a concrete goal to apply the newly learned skills on your campus. Sessions will be run through online Google Hangouts, led by OU young professionals and NCSY Alumni, approximately once a month.
- Mentorship: Beyond training sessions, each of you will be paired up with a mentor (recent college graduates) who will work with you to share strategies, discuss issues on campus, and provide support.
- Shabbatons at your campus: We’ll work with you to organize a Shabbaton at your campus and provide seed funding. Depending on your location, we may also be able to connect you to a community of other religious students from a nearby school to have a Shabbaton together.
- Group Shabbaton: We hope to host a group Shabbaton in NYC towards the middle of the school year. (Because what’s nicer than New York in January, right?).
- Funding and Stipends: The NCSY Alumni department will provide you with a stipend each semester, as well as a generous budget to use as seed money each semester. Additional funds may be available.
What we’re asking from you:
- To be an active member in our webinars: our trainings will not be frontal lectures, but rather discussions with all of you, young Jewish leaders on the forefront of Jewish life in North America. So besides just watching the webinars, we need your input, your ideas, and your contributions.
- To contribute to the group: we’ll help facilitate group discussions (or you can do this on your own) – so if you have a problem that you don’t know how to handle, you can send an email to the whole group. All of us, staff and students, are here for one another to deal with any issues on campus, big or small.
- To run at least 3 events a semester – these will be based on and develop out of our training webinars, and really tailored to what your community is lacking (e.g. a Shabbat dinner, a learning event, a minyan, etc.). Only you can make them happen!
- To help us share opportunities with your friends and community. Each semester we have a lot going on, from NCSY Alumni swag giveaways to photo contests, from local reunion events to international travel programs. And the best way to reach students on campus is with with your help!
We’ve been working hard on planning this and we hope that you’ll consider being a part of this fellowship. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email alumni@ncsy.org. Please apply below by September 9th.