Each year, nearly 80,000 Jewish high school graduates enter college mostly unprepared to deal with potential anti-Israel challenges from peers and faculty. Our goal is to change that.
Write On For Israel/San Francisco is a unique, challenging, and exciting 1-year Israel education program, open to ALL high school students. Starting in December 2012, you can attend eight monthly Sunday-seminars in the San Francisco area, where you will learn from professional journalists, communication experts, Israel educators, political leaders and people with fascinating stories.
There are many Israel-related programs for teens, however WOFI/SF is unique in its use of journalism to explore the Jewish narrative in Israel and the right of Jewish freedom of expression in America. The skills students can acquire through WOFI/SF will help prepare teens for college and beyond. In addition to the monthly Sunday-seminars, a weekend retreat and Israel trip are available options to connect you even further with Israel.
Come prepared to ask challenging questions. WOFI/SF is a safe laboratory where you can deepen your understanding of Israel's complexity while you sharpen your effectiveness as a communicator. Even if you already know it all, you will learn new ways to build support for your ideas and positions.
A summary of WOFI/SF benefits for participants includes:
- Explore the Story of the Jewish People in Israel
- Interview Israeli Politicians, Journalists and Newsmakers
- Build a Portfolio for College Admissions
- Improve Your Writing, Critical Thinking and Speaking Skills
- Understand Israel’s Strategic Predicament
- Get Published and Learn how to Analyze the Media
- Create Friendships with Teens from the Bay-Area & Israel
- Up to $3000 in Merit Scholarships for 25 Students Available
A WOFI/SF education is often life changing for a teen. Participants who enter the program with little knowledge about Israel often graduate deeply connected and ready to engage in individual and group advocacy activities. Teens who enter the program already knowledgeable are able to boost their effectiveness and practice opinion leadership through WOFI/SF’s rigorous exploration of difficult and complex issues in the classroom sessions, in Israel and in community events.
WOFI/SF is a collaborative effort between J, the Jewish weekly magazine of the San Francisco Bay Area and BlueStar, a pro-Israel non-profit organization in San Francisco. Participation in Write On For Israel/San Francisco is highly subsidized for students thanks to generous funding from the Avi Chai Foundation, the Koret Foundation, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Foundation and the Dorothy and Harold Greenwald Foundation. In addition WOFI/SF is supported by the Jewish Community Federation (JCF) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. For more information, visit their website.
Program Costs:
$250: Bay-Area only program: 8-monthly Sunday-seminars including Kosher lunches and materials (Dec. ‘12-’13)
Optional Add-Ons:
A. $195: Bay-Area group weekend retreat for all Write On For Israel/San Francisco teen participants in January 2013
B. $3,995: Israel trip - Documentary track. 10 day fact-finding documentary filming and journalism-focused Israel trip in June 2013 (Cost includes airfare from SFO, all meals, and hotel).
1. If you are in the Class of 2014 and 2015, you are eligible to apply for up to $3,000 in BlueStar Merit-Based Scholarships for the Israel trip. Just fill out the Merit-Based Scholarship application to apply.
2. Additional needs-based Financial Aid may be available, please apply here.
3. Gift of Israel savings can be applied to the cost as well as the Jewish Community Federation's First time teen trips to Israel program. Also East Bay residents are eligible for the Jewish Federation and Foundation of the East Bay Summer Camp, Israel, and Collegiate Financial Aid. Application and additional information is available here.
See What the Students Say About Making A Documentary
You can can view the Write On For Israel/SF Documentaries.
