SAN FRANCISCO (Press Release)- BlueStar, a San Francisco-based Israel Advocacy organization, has scheduled College Stay three-day retreats for high school students. The weekend-long program was developed to help transform Jewish teens into powerful pro-Israel advocates, spokespeople and opinion leaders – before they encounter anti-Israel challenges at college. Teens will spend the weekend with current college students and get an inside look at Jewish life on campus at San Diego State University (October 12-14, 2012), and Stanford University (October 26-28, 2012). The program cost is $99 including all meals and lodging. Current BBYO members are eligible to receive a $50 discount.
Participants in the College Stay weekends will become more confident and vocal advocates for Israel, especially as they prepare to leave home and enter college, while gaining a better understanding of Jewish life on campus. Seminar topics throughout the weekend, led by BlueStar’s educators, will include “Silence is Not Golden: Successes and Challenges for pro-Israel students on campus” and “What do Americans Think About Israel?.”
“Each year, nearly 80,000 Jewish high school graduates enter college mostly unprepared to deal with the anti-Israel environment on many campuses. Our goal is to change that,” explains BlueStar’s Executive Director Jonathan Carey. “The experiences and skills students will acquire through the College Stay Program will help young Jews start their college education ready to engage in individual and group activities with pro-Israel students.”
Students will also have the opportunity to take part in campus tours from University Admissions professionals and hear presentations from on-campus and community organizations. Participants will be hosted by Jewish students on each campus in their dorm rooms for the weekend, allowing students to gain a true understanding of what life would be like were they to choose SDSU or Stanford. BlueStar will work very closely with BBYO, Hillel, Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC), AEPi to ensure the success of these weekend retreats.
BlueStar’s goal is to offer College Stay three-day training retreats for up to 1,000 Jewish high school students at universities over the next two years. BlueStar will work with synagogues and BBYO to recruit teens for the retreats, and partner with Hillel professionals to host the students, provide meals from Shabbat through Sunday lunch, and recruit 15-20 active college students to host the visiting high school students for the weekend. Hillel also will present campus opportunities and behind-the- scenes campus tours, and present to parents. BlueStar’s long-term goal is to expand and replicate the program to serve thousands of teens each year across the U.S.
Registration is currently open online for College Stay. For more information, please contact Kerri Podlas, BlueStar Program Manager, at (415) 543-6300 or kp@bluestar.us.com. BlueStar is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of Israel advocates and leaders. The organization disseminates free resources for campus and community activists and teaches three other Israel education programs: Write On For Israel/San Francisco for teenagers and adults, as well as BlueStar Fellows, a program for college students. Additional information about BlueStar and its programs can be found at www.bluestar.us.com.
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Preceding provied by BlueStar