NCSY SUMMER PROGRAMS 2013 REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
So your teen didn’t get the Chanukah gift he or she had been wishing for. No problem — here’s a better one, even now that the holiday is over — a spot in an NCSY Summer Program.
NCSY | Jewish Youth Leadership, the Orthodox Union’s international youth program, plays a pivotal role in the lives of Jewish teens around the world. The organization’s multitude of educational and fun-filled activities, retreats and programs, help Jewish teens to connect with and appreciate their Jewish heritage and the land of Israel, as an investment in the future of the Jewish people.
David Cutler, Director of NCSY Summer Programs, noted, “NCSY Summer Programs are so much more than fun summers — they are life-changing experiences that last a lifetime.”
Building on the success and feedback of past NCSY summer participants, NCSY has created GIVE USA. Just like her sister Program GIVE, GIVE USA is only for high school girls from 9th- 12th grade, and focuses heavily on volunteer opportunities. This trip takes place domestically here in the United States. This five-week program spends time in: Upstate New York, as well as New York City, New Orleans (working with Habitat for Humanity), Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta.
NCSY features a variety of summer programs that cater to the many interests of Jewish teens of different ages. Though this year’s summer programs include annual ones like JOLT (Jewish Overseas Leadership Training), some of the trips have changed. EuroICEa four-week program, previously exploring Jewish communities within Israel and Central Europe, will this year take participants to Italy, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Slovenia, before heading off to Israel, to compare European society with Israeli culture. A participant last summer from St. Louis Park, MN, shared, “NCSY ICE was an experience of a lifetime. I learned so much more about Judaism, Israel, and myself! I made the most amazing friends, and now I have the most incredible memories. It truly was the greatest summer ever!”
As an offshoot of Euro ICE, brand new for summer 2013 NCSY Summer Programs is introducing ICE Israel. For participants looking to spend four weeks on an all access Israel exploration this is the trip for you. No stone will be left unturned by the end of the trip. This trip has is the most affordable Israel trip for Day School students currently enrolled in 9th – 12th grade.
The summer 2013 NCSY programs include:
• BILT (Boys Israel Leadership Training), a five-week program for high school boys in grades 9-12. BILT participants will volunteer at places such as a camp for Israeli children and an occupational factory for the blind; will camp out and cookout under the stars of KfarShamai (in Israel’s northern Galilee region) during a four-day trek across the country; build and race rafts on the Kinneret Sea, and snorkel in Eilat; and experience life on an Israeli kibbutz, and army training on an Israel Defense Force base.
• GIVE (Girls Israel Volunteer Experience) – Program for girls grades 9-12 that provides the opportunity to create a carnival for children from Sderot; teach Ethiopian children how to read Hebrew; and develop, and participate in activities with mentally disabled children and adults.
• GIVE USA is only for high school girls from 9th- 12th grade, and focuses heavily on volunteer opportunities. This trip takes place domestically here in the United States. This five-week program spends time in: Upstate New York, as well as New York City, New Orleans (working with Habitat for Humanity), Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta.
• Euro ICE & ICE Israel – Tour exotic locations such as Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, and Czech Republic, then Israel. Experience great touring, educational programming and community service projects. Available to those in grades 9-12.
• JOLT (Jewish Overseas Leadership Training) – a leadership program that begins in Poland at Majdanek, Treblinka, Lublin and Auschwitz; then goes to the Austrian Alps to be a counselor at an OU/NCSY summer camp, run in partnership with the Lauder Yeshurun Outreach Organization, to connect with Jewish children from across Eastern Europe. After Europe, participants travel to Israel. Available to those in grades 10-12.
• Kollel – In Jerusalem, boys (grades 9-12) will intensify their commitment to Judaism through learning, playing competitive sports, engaging in recreational activities and touring Israel.
• Michlelet – In Israel, girls (grades 9-12) will learn Torah on beginners through advanced levels, while touring Israel and participating in recreational and volunteer activities.
• TJJ (The Jerusalem Journey) – Public school co-ed students grades 9-12 will explore Israel by participating in activities such as archeological digs, hiking up Masada, visiting the Kotel, and swimming in the Kineret.
• TJJ Ambassadors – Public school students in grades 10-12 participate in a leadership training program in areas such as social action and political advocacy, combined with high level study and touring in Israel.
• Camp Sports – Baltimore-based camp for boys in grades 8-11, featuring baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and frisbee in competitive leagues and recreationally. Includes paintballing, trip to Hershey Park, watching a demolition derby, and 20 other field trips.
For more information on these programs, and to register, visit NCSY’s website at www.ncsysummer.com, call 1-888-TOUR-4-YOU, or e-mail David Cutler, NCSY Director of Summer Programs at {encode=”mailto:summer@ncsy.org” title=”summer@ncsy.org”}.