AREAS OF FOCUS:
THE CENTER for SHARED SOCIETY runs programs for training the next generations of communal and civic leaders in New York ranging from high school students to mid-level non-profit professionals.
The Blumberg Fellowship for Jewish Community Relations
The Blumberg Fellowship for Jewish Community Relations is a 12-month civic leadership training program at JCRC-NY for young, emerging Jewish leaders in New York City. Participants will gain the knowledge, skills, and cultural competency to advance the values, interests, and security of the New York Jewish community by building relationships with key public officials and diverse community and faith leaders. Together, the cohort will learn how to face the most challenging issues of our day in the hopes of creating a more interconnected New York for all.
Through a stimulating series of discussions and activities, the fellowship presents its participants with an opportunity to identify and address the issues and needs of the community. Throughout the fellowship, participants will greatly expand their leadership potential as well as their personal and professional networks as they grow into the next generation of NYC Jewish civic leaders.
Application criteria: Seeking Jewish young professionals between the ages of 25-40 who are committed to learning and engaging in civic life. Successful applicants will find significant value in Jewish communal life and engaging beyond the Jewish community into to build relationships with leaders of other diverse communities as well as public officials.
They should appreciate navigating complex and nuanced issues and rolling up their sleeves to build a better city. Learn more here.
Bridges-NY
The Bridges-NY fellowship includes opportunities for emerging leaders to build relationships, develop leadership skills and learn from experienced mentors and experts. We seek to prepare the next generation of civic leaders to partner in a shared society and to better understand the diverse communities that make up New York City.
For more information, visit Bridges-NY
We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship Against Hate (WAABFAH)
The We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship Against Hate is an integral part of our response to the challenge of rising hate in our respective neighborhoods, boroughs, and city. This initiative is in its second year and is created in partnership with The Center for Community Leadership at the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY and the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, as part of the Partners Against the Hate (PATH-Forward) initiative.
YouthBridge-NY
YouthBridge-NY is a two-year leadership development program which convenes and trains young people to meet the challenges of an extremely diverse NYC. YouthBridge-NY is devoted to improving the atmosphere of respect and diversity in our City, the schools, and community organizations in which our youth leaders live and learn. These youth leaders are proactively involved in the leadership and diversity landscape of our City, and are dedicated to improving the quality of life for all.
Each year, YouthBridge-NY selects an outstanding group of 35 high school students and trains them in the core competencies of leadership and diversity. By engaging these teens in workshops, site visits, lectures, and experiential learning opportunities, YouthBridge-NY ensures that future leaders from the myriad of faith, ethnic, and racial groups that compose New York City are equipped to work collaboratively to enrich their neighborhoods and advance the City as a whole.
Throughout the first year of the program, Fellows participate in skill-building workshops and team-based learning opportunities. In the first year, Fellows meet as a whole group one evening a month for interactive skill-building workshops and team activities in which they:
- Learn how to solve real problems together
- Learn how to resolve conflicts in school or among peers
- Promote diversity and eliminate discrimination and stereotyping
- Network and meet with top NYC professionals
- Learn how to create a social justice project from scratch
- Volunteer for community causes such as park clean-ups and building houses
- Make new friends from diverse backgrounds
Fellows also select and commit to 1 of 3 social action teams, meeting on a second night each month to work together in smaller groups on a long-term project.
In the second year, Fellows become Bridgers and participate in monthly advanced skill-building workshops and hands-on learning, where they are immersed in experiential learning opportunities.
As we train teens through the lens of cultural humility and social justice, they gain a new understanding of other people’s narratives and life experiences. The Fellowship is unique in how it challenges students to unlearn implicit biases and assumptions, and rather, interact with, respect, and embrace various social identities in ways they previously have not.
For more information, visit youthbridgeny.org
YouthBridge-Brooklyn
YouthBridge-Brooklyn is a five-month fellowship program for Brooklyn 10th and 11th graders. During the five months, Fellows participate in monthly skill-building workshops and team-based learning opportunities. They also select and commit to one of two social action committees, where they meet a second night each month to work together in smaller groups addressing long-term impacts.
The application process for the 2025 fellowship will begin in the fall of 2024.
To review the 2024 application, click here.
For more information, contact Kim Robinson at robinsonlk@jcrcny.org.