Looking for something different for your teen this spring break? How about using music and film to craft stories that make a difference in the world? Or participating in a mock crime scene investigation to discover the interplay between Judaism and scientific exploration?

Springboard, a series of new, five-day immersive Jewish experiences for 100 high school students, will provide teens with the opportunity to form friendships with their peers from across the Chicago area while engaging in unique spring break experiences. Springboard runs in two sessions on the weeks of March 20 and March 27.

“Spring Break provides a unique opportunity to engage Jewish teens in exciting and meaningful experiences,” said Sarina Gerson, director of JUF’s Teen Engagement Initiative. “We are thrilled to be launching Springboard-which is the first program of its kind in the country-with our outstanding community partners, OSRUI and Camp Chi.”

Both programs are five-day immersive Spring Break experiences designed to appeal to teens with diverse interests and backgrounds while connecting them to the broader Jewish community.

JCC Camp Chi’s StudioChi , will focus on the arts-using storytelling, drama, music, and film to effect social change. Stories will be crafted through multi-media platforms, involving everything from songwriting to filmmaking and then shared on social media. Participants will challenge themselves and connect with a diverse group of teens while making a statement on something they believe in. StudioChi will take place at JCC Camp Chi in Lake Delton, Wisc.

“Giving teens an opportunity to express themselves is always a high priority for us,” said Brad Finkel, associate director of JCC Camp Chi. “We were able to build upon some of our most popular activities during the summer and create this completely amazing concept.”

The other Springboard experience, the Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI) Sci Lab , will explore science as far away as the stars and as close as right outside-as big as the galaxy and as small as DNA. Participants will discover that science and Judaism cannot only co-exist, but naturally complement each other. Sci Lab will take place at OSRUI’s camp in Oconomowoc, Wisc.

“This will be an amazing few days for teens to participate in scientific discovery in a Jewish environment,” said Jerry Kaye, director of OSRUI. “Enjoying five days of new ideas presented by real professionals along with other ninth-graders is a rare chance-not to be missed.”

In 2017, Springboard will expand from two innovative spring break opportunities to 10.

Springboard is the result of over a year of conversations with community partners-each with a unique perspective on the Chicagoland Jewish teen landscape- working together to increase the number of teens engaged in Jewish life and learning.

Program registration is available online at springboardchicago.org ; Email [email protected] for more information. The subsidized cost for participants who register by Feb. 15 is $250. Springboard is made possible by generous grants from JUF, The Jim Joseph Foundation, The Crown Family, and an anonymous family foundation.