MISSION

JUMP (Jewish Unity Mentoring Program) is the NCSY National Leadership Program that trains and empowers high school students from all over the United States to become leaders. Participants are given the tools and training to make positive changes in their schools and communities, while broadening their understanding of local and global issues facing the Jewish people today.

 

1. What is JUMP?

JUMP begins with a two day leadership conference where JUMP teams, consisting of 6 students from high schools across the country, are given training to develop critical leadership skills. Every JUMP team has a JUMP mentor who serves an as a facilitator, guide and role model.
Following the conference, JUMP teams will utilize these learned skills to implement programming in their schools and local communities. Each team is given a five month period to create, plan and execute four JUMP Challenges in the following areas: Jewish Values, Israel Advocacy, Social Action and a Fundraiser. Upon completion of all the events, the four most successful teams are invited to attend the JUMP Boardroom where the JUMP winner is selected

 

2. What are some schools that have participated in the past?

COLUMBUS TORAH ACADEMY, Ohio
DAVID POSNACK JEWISH DAY SCHOOK, Florida
DAVIS RENOV STAHLER HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS (DRS), New York
DONNA KLEIN JEWISH ACADEMY, Florida
HEBREW ACADEMY OF THE FIVE TOWNS (HAFTR), New York
HEBREW ACADEMY OF NASSAU COUNTY (HANC), New York
HYMAN BRAND HEBREW ACADEMY (HBHA), Kansas
KOHELET YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL, PA
MAGEN DAVID YESHIVA, New York
MELVIN J BERMAN HEBREW ACADEMY, MD
MIDRESHET SHALHEVET, New York
PORTLAND NCSY, Washington
RASG HEBREW ACADEMY, Florida
RAMBAM MESIVTA, New York
SAR ACADEMY, New York
SAVANNAH NCSY, Georgia
SCHECK HILLEL COMMUNITY SCHOOL, Florida
SEATTLE NCSY, Washington
STELLA K. ABRAHAM HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (SKA), New York
WEINBAUM YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL, Florida
YESHIVA ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOL, Georgia
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS (MTA), New York
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (CENTRAL) New York

3. What is expected of a JUMP mentor?
The JUMP mentor may be a teacher/Rabbi/staff member that will accompany the JUMP team at the conference and will meet with the team once a week in school during the five months of the program. The mentor serves as a facilitator for their team, playing the role of a sounding board for their team. Mentors listen to their team’s ideas and can help present to them the pros and cons. As JUMP is a teen driven program, JUMP mentors do not make decisions for the team, but serve to guide and empower their team.

 

4. What is expected of a JUMP team?
The members of a JUMP team should possess the desire and passion to become leaders. The team should be prepared to fully participate in the JUMP leadership initiative that begins at the conference in the fall and throughout the next five months. The team is expected to commit to complete the four challenges launched at the conference by the deadline mid-February.

 

5. What are some past JUMP winning challenges?

• INSECURI-T’s: A t-shirt campaign to encourage and empower people to embrace their unique qualities
• The creation of a Holocaust memorial quilt reflecting the story of a Holocaust survivor that is no hanging in the Glen Cove holocaust Museum in Glen Cove, NY.
• Taking the BET (Bullying Ends Today), an educational campaign event addressing the halachic and societal obligation to end bullying in schools and communities.
• Creating a “New Mother’s Drive” for new mothers who cannot afford basic needs such as diapers, toys and clothing.
• Creating an Israel Advocacy educational program by teaching the authentic history of Israel, and debunking the myths created by the media. Participants were empowered with the ability to become successful Israel Advocates.
• Design and implementation of an advertisement to change people’s false impressions about Israel and to highlight Israel’s innovations to the world. This ad ran on 25 Portland metro public buses for 5 weeks.
• Production of several creative and unique you tube videos and “commercials” depicting the Dangers of Texting and Driving that went viral and included “I will not Text and Drive” contracts that were signed by hundreds of drivers.

6. What are this year’s JUMP Challenges?

You will have to come to the conference to find out!

7. What is the JUMP Boardroom?

JUMP culminates in March with the four most successful finalist JUMP teams presenting their executive summaries to a panel of prestigious and influential judges in a Boardroom in Manhattan. The JUMP teams have the opportunity to showcase their events and receive inspirational and promising feedback from the judges resulting in the selection of a JUMP champion.

8. What is the cost to participate?
The cost for each JUMP participant is $150. Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the conference. In the past some schools have subsidized travel expenses for their students.

9. How do I sign up?
Each school has their own method of selecting students for the JUMP team.
Please speak with your JUMP mentor and/or school liaison. Once you are
selected, you can sign up HERE on our website.

For more information please contact Carol Rhine at jump@ncsy.org or 516-569-6279.

Winning JUMP Teams

2011 Rambam Mesivta, New York
2012 HANC, New York
YESHIVA ATLANTA, Georgia
2013 PORTLAND NCSY, Washington
SKA, New York
2014 RASG Hebrew Academy, Florida
SEATTLE NCSY, Washington
2015 MIDRESHET SHALHEVET, New York
SKA, New York