Springboard Community Calendar
Learn more about community programs. Check out what is happening now on Springboard’s Community calendar or look for other community opportunities on The Menu.
Alexander Muss High School in Israel (AMHSI) is the only 6-week, 8-week, or full semester non-denominational, English language academic program in Israel with sessions offered throughout the year. Generous grants are now available only for Chicagoland teens! Thanks to the Marc and Susan Sacks Fund for AMHSI-JNF, local students are eligible to receive funding towards tuition for our study abroad programs.
All Star Abilities (ASA) is a peer-to-peer fitness literacy, wellness instruction, and recreational opportunity for teenagers of all abilities in concert with community partners. ASA provides participants with practical exercise training, comfort/ability to utilize a fitness center, and new friendships with other participants and teen volunteers. Peer volunteers will work in tandem with participants to help them achieve their goals.
Chi Town Connection is the JCC's year round program for high school aged teens and 8th graders. Chi Town Connection is run by the Camp Chi staff and a teen advisory board made up of 25 males and females ranging in age from 14-16. While Chi Town Connection is run by Camp Chi, you do not have to be a Camp Chi Camper to get involved. Throughout the year CTC offers teens the chance to get involved in exciting programs, excellent leadership opportunities, and important community service projects.
The JCC Maccabi Games—five days that can change the lives of Jewish teens (13 to 16 years old)—have been doing just that for more than 30 years. During the JCC Maccabi Games, teens from communities around the globe are immersed in an “Olympic-style” sports and recreation program imbued with Jewish values and experiences. The goal of the JCC Maccabi Games is to contribute to the maintenance and enrichment of Jewish identity in youth and to the development of democratic values and leadership through healthy competition and sportsmanship. The JCC Maccabi Games, in partnership with its sister program JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, is the largest annual gathering of Jewish teens in the world and has now influenced over 130,000 Jewish youth in North America and around the world.
Jewish Student Connection helps high school students find a deeper connection to Jewish values and their community through weekly after school clubs. These clubs provide fun and innovative programs on Jewish culture, community, Israel, and more. JSC reaches teens across the Chicagoland area and provides them with information and access to a wide variety of Jewish teen programming offered in the community. JSC clubs are school-sponsored and open to all students.
Jewish Student Union helps students at public high schools create and run Jewish culture clubs after school. JSU clubs offer free pizza, innovative informal Jewish educational programming, and a sense of community for teens in Chicago's public school system. In addition, we present teens with information on a wide-array of programming in the Jewish community that is available to them.
Moving Traditions emboldens teens by fostering self-discovery, challenging sexism, and inspiring a commitment to Jewish life and learning. Over 400 Moving Traditions’ groups, Rosh Hodesh for girls, Shevet Achim for boys, and the pilot Transgender/Nonbinary group, meet nationwide and 35 groups meet in Chicago. Moving Traditions partners with synagogues, community centers, and other institutions for teens to gather once a month for two hours in a safe space where they can articulate their deepest concerns, consider the impact of gender on their daily lives, have fun, and be “real” with their peers, with the guidance of a trained adult mentor.
Or Tzedek is Jewish Council on Urban Affairs's year-round teen institute for social justice. Through hands-on service, teen-led social action projects and education about Jewish values and social justice, teens learn about challenges facing Chicago's diverse communities and take action to combat them.
Roots Israel is based on an expansion of Jewish National Fund’s successful Alternative Break and Volunteer Vacation models. Participants plant trees, spend time on farms, work with disabled soldiers in the Negev, and help beautify a Bedouin community. Additionally, following the Alexander Muss High School in Israel model of experiential learning, the trip integrates educational elements, teaching the rich history that made the land of Israel what it is today.
Seed613 empowers Jewish teen girls to work together to identify challenges in the community and create solutions, whether big or small, that will make a meaningful difference. Fellows will practice innovative problem solving, critical thinking and human-centered design project design, discuss pressing social issues, learn business skills such as marketing, fundraising and budgeting tactics, and create community among peers. The program culminates in a Launch Night where Fellows have the opportunity to pitch their social impact projects to the community.
Shorashim's Club Israel was created to provide junior high and high school students in the Chicagoland area the best in Israel education and cultural programming. Since its inception in 2004, Club Israel has reached thousands of teenagers and continues to lead the way in dynamic and engaging Israel activities. From high school Hebrew classes to Israeli rock concerts, to Israeli fims, and conferences...Club Israel makes it happen!
Started in 2012, the StandWithUs High School Internship Program is a high school leadership program that prepares students for the challenges they may face regarding Israel in college and in their communities. Students participate in a yearlong program that includes two national conferences and ongoing educational online workshops, and they receive guidance and funding to run programming in their high schools and youth groups. Students are encouraged to participate in positive campaigns that inspire their peers and educate people about Israel. The internship program is open to Juniors and Seniors throughout the US and Canada. For more information about the program and the application process, feel free to contact the Midwest High School Coordinator for StandWithUs, Adam Blue, at adamb@standwithus.com.
In key cities around the USA and Canada, StandWithUs has set up Teen Leadership Councils (TLCs) for high school students who wish to get involved in Israel-related activities and make a difference in their communities. StandWithUs Teen Leadership Council participants will have the opportunity to further their knowledge, plan innovative Israel programs with their peers, and play a vital role in ensuring that teens in their community are connected to Israel. Student participants will engage in a four-month-long program which includes: individual and group learning about Israel, mentorship in leadership skills and community building, access to StandWithUs speakers and materials, and an opportunity to connect with other teens in the region with similar goals and aspirations. This one semester opportunity is open for students between 9th-12th grade, and you may contact adamb@standwithus.com for more information on how to apply!
Serving Jewish kids with special needs providing social, recreational, and educational programming. Age groups: Junior Yachad (8-15) and Senior Yachad (15-25).
Learn more about community programs. Check out what is happening now on Springboard’s Community calendar or look for other community opportunities on The Menu.
Looking to make a Mitzvah project part of your B'nai Mitzvah? Check out this guide.
Open a Donor Advised Fund at the Jewish Federation. Learn More
Community powered, we consider the totality of local and global Jewish needs and how to address them. From generation to generation, we help people connect to Jewish life and values, fueling a dynamic, enduring community that comes together for good.
