Source: eJewish Philanthropy
The second cohort of nearly 100 Taglit Fellows convened last month in San Diego for four days of learning with experts in Jewish, Israel, and experiential education. “Taglit Fellows” is the professional development program launched in 2014 by Taglit-Birthright Israel and implemented in partnership with the iCenter for Israel Education as an educational intensive for exceptional Jewish leaders and aspiring Jewish educators looking to staff Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. These newly and highly trained educators will increase the quality of the Taglit-Birthright Israel experience, play significant roles in the ongoing Jewish journeys of young adults at home, and have a long-lasting, deep impact on the future of Jewish and Israel education.
As with Cohort 1, the Fellows were selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants to form an elite cadre of American Taglit-Birthright Israel staff. The four-day seminar included interactive trainings and in-depth conversations with master Israel educators focusing on a range of areas, including how effective storytelling is a tool for education and engagement; how to create ritual moments with personal meaning; and what experiential education might look like at Independence Hall, Masada, and other sites in Israel. Additional learning sessions focused on everything from using music and poetry in educational experiences to key strategies for facilitating small group discussions.
Along with the in-person seminar, Taglit Fellows includes online learning and additional workshops in experiential Jewish education. The Fellows now are part of a nationwide network of colleagues who have increased their expertise in leadership and teaching practices, as well as their knowledge of Israel and the worldwide Jewish community.
The majority of Fellows are either professionally or personally – and in many cases, both – leaders, educators, and connectors in their Jewish communities. Taglit Fellows accepts one hundred participants, aged 22 and above, into the program every six months.
The first graduates of the program began staffing Winter 2014/2015 trips; Cohort II participants will begin staffing this summer. Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent more than 400,000 young Jewish adults to Israel from more than 66 countries and from all 50 U.S. states, including students from nearly 1,000 North American college campuses accompanied by more than 70,000 Israelis.
Read more at eJewish Philanthropy.