AJWS Sends 8th Cohort of World Partners Fellows to India

New York, NY; September 15, 2010—American Jewish World Service (AJWS), an international development and human rights organization, has sent 12 young adults to India to participate in its World Partners Fellowship. AJWS annually awards the competitive year-long fellowship to recent Jewish college graduates and young professionals seeking an intensive international volunteer service experience. While in India, selected fellows live independently and volunteer with AJWS grantees and other grassroots NGOs (non-governmental organizations).

Since the fellowship’s inception in 2004, AJWS has sent nearly 100 exceptional young people to India and Central America to work with grassroots NGOs on projects concerning sustainable livelihoods, health, education, and civic engagement. The fellowship is a service-learning experience, integrating the volunteer component with Jewish study and skills building. Fellows convene throughout the year to learn about global justice and international development and to explore Jewish texts and traditions that inspire this work.

This year, AJWS is piloting a new service-learning curriculum for the World Partners Fellowship that aims to prepare fellows to be effective volunteers, while encouraging them to become leaders for social change. The curriculum allows fellows to engage in discussions about the various ethical questions surrounding and approaches to international development and volunteer service. The curriculum also uses Jewish and secular texts, mixed media, experiential education, reflective practice and chavruta study (the practice of studying Jewish texts with a partner) to give fellows the knowledge and tools to be thoughtful leaders and effective change-makers in their volunteer placements and beyond.

“This remarkable program offers extraordinary young leaders the opportunity to learn about human rights, make valuable contributions to a grassroots organization and study the Jewish values that motivate social justice work,” said AJWS’s vice president of programs, Aaron Dorfman. “Fellows return to their communities inspired by what they have seen and accomplished, and prepared to advocate for community building and social change at home and abroad.”

For information on this year’s cohort that includes young adults from across the U.S. (and one fellow from Canada), visit: www.ajws.org/wpf2010fellows

For More Information

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