Launching COJECO’s BluePrint Fellowship Cohort VIII 2017-2018

The COJECO BluePrint Fellowship is a year-long program for Russian-speaking Jewish adults ages 25-40 to explore personal and collective identity through the creation of Jewish community projects, supported by group workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and a mini-grant of up to $5,000.

The BluePrint Fellowship brings together a select group of Russian-speaking Jewish innovators, artists, and intellectuals, to explore the link between personal identity and creativity.

What does it mean to be Jewish for someone born in the Former Soviet Union and living in the United States today? The BluePrint Fellowship offers participants the opportunity to examine and explore this question on their own terms. Chosen through a competitive application and interview process, fellows are able to bring their ideas to life and engaged in this community-wide conversation.

PROGRAM DETAILS

The BluePrint Fellowship begins with a weekend retreat and is followed by monthly educational workshops, where fellows meet other talented thinkers and social activists, gain a new perspective on the community’s historical context, and hone their project management skills. BluePrint sessions are designed to inspire and support participants through the development of their projects, while exploring new ways of looking at personal history and identity.

Through a guided grant application and reporting process over the course of the program, each fellow is awarded a mini-grant of up to $5,000 for the implementation of their community project.

Each fellow is paired with a BluePrint alumnus mentor who can offer guidance, support, and advice to a new fellow, having had firsthand experience of participating in this process.

SELECTION CRITERIA

For the 2017-2018 BluePrint Fellowship cycle, preference will be given to candidates with long-term vision and aspirations for their community project and their personal community involvement. While projects must be implemented within the the program year, the Fellowship should be viewed as a launching pad for on-going endeavors.

Preference will be given to community project proposals in the following areas:

• New mediums for informal Jewish education among RSJ (e.g. games, multimedia, animation, etc.)
• Israel engagement
• Russian-Israeli community
• Volunteering, Philanthropy & Fundraising
• Family & Children educational workshops

Application Deadline: August 31st, 2017

For additional information please visit the COJECO website. Questions? Contact Alina Bitel, Assistant Executive Director, COJECO alinab@cojeco.org

COJECO BluePrint Fellowship is generously supported by Genesis Philanthropy Group.