M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education is thrilled to welcome 58 new cohort members to the Senior Educators Cohort and the Relational Engagement Circle. Participants hail from Jewish communities in six different countries and from a variety of organization types, including synagogues, federations, Hillels, Melton School, JQ International, Chabad and more. They represent diverse roles, including development officer, senior Jewish educator, chief program officer, and rabbi, among others.

Supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation, M²’s Relational Engagement Circle, the first year-long program of its kind, will explore what it means to view relationships as a pedagogy rather than a strategy. Participants will focus on qualitative implications of relationships and explore how they can yield deeper and more profound impacts on personal and communal conceptions and experiences of meaning.

In addition, Senior Educators Cohort 3 participants recently completed the first seminar of its 10-month program, with cohort members already actively applying what they learned. As one person shared:

“This was exceptional. From the first moment to the last, everything was done with intention and with the highest level of professionalism. I was thrilled with the cohort, the faculty and the staff. I hoped to gain a new community and network, and gained so much more. Looking forward to the next one!” – Ira Miller, Director of Informal Education, Washington Hebrew Congregation & SEC 3 participant

The Senior Educators Cohort is supported by the Maimonides Fund. In its first two cohorts, it trained over 65 educators from around the world, representing a broad range of educational settings and positions.

M² continues to propel the field of experiential Jewish education forward by conducting research and developing new areas of content and training for educators from across the Jewish communal field. We are thrilled to announce two exciting new initiatives:

Supported by the AVICHAI Foundation, M² Camp Educators Cohort (CEC) exposes participants to the core theories and pedagogies that frame the choreography, architecture and design of experiential Jewish education at camp. Building on the vast knowledge and expertise participants already come with, CEC explores the best and most cutting-edge theories from a broad range of fields, such as neuroscience, developmental psychology, social work and experiential design, and helps participants consider how these fields can impact and inspire the camp experience.

CEC is composed of one cohort with two distinct yet overlapping tracks: one for camp directors/senior staff who set the vision and culture of camp and the other for professionals directly responsible for educational implementation. As such, application for CEC is for camps that are able to sponsor two professionals – one for each track. Launching in December 2018, CEC takes place over the course of three, four-day convenings across 10 months.

Design of Immersive Experiences Circle, supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation, will offer immersive experience designers, implementers and visionaries the opportunity to learn the pedagogy behind creating these experiences that have such power for growth and change of participants and form a deeply generative environment for creativity and identity. M² Design of Immersive Experiences Circle is composed of three independent, lab-like boutique experiences. Limited to 20 educators per gathering, participants may apply for one, two or all three experiences; registration by application. Learn more today – M²’s IE Circle informational webinar: Wednesday, September 5, 12:30pm – 1:30pm EST.

M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education is dedicated to advancing the field of experiential Jewish education through a broad range of training and consulting services. M² draws from Jewish wisdom and academic research to model innovative methodologies and practical applications, while cultivating collaborative learning experiences.

For more information and to register for the webinars, contact michelle@ieje.org.