If you wish to extend your volunteer period, talk it over with your center director well in advance of the end of your program, so you can explore your options together.

The food at our Centers is kosher-style and vegetarian, but is not under the certification of any kashrut organization (except possibly in future centers in Israel; details TBA). When traveling in countries such as Ethiopia or India, people who keep kosher find a way to make it work, and you are welcome to speak with our staff ahead of time to make a plan. In Israel, kosher food is widely available both in supermarkets and in restaurants.

We realize that participation in Project TEN will cost the volunteers money, such as  for flights and participation fees. As a volunteering program, we cannot cover these costs, and we believe that a Tikkun Olam program should help those in desperate need in our target countries, and not the volunteers who are coming to help them. However, we want to ensure that no eligible participant will be turned away on account of being unable to pay the participation fee.
 
We have, therefore, established a Pay it Forward Fund that will provide some assistance to those volunteers who find it hard to pay for all of their expenses.

Each and every candidate will be required to participate in his or her own costs to some extent, and the scholarships will fund only up to 50% of the entire costs.

The Project TEN scholarship fund will be based on a “pay it forward” model in which scholarship recipients will be asked to sign an honor code, pledging to return 50% of the scholarship within 3 years, and the full amount within 5.  This arrangement will not be legally binding, but will be actively encouraged, and will help other participants, in turn, to volunteer where they are needed.

We believe that a person who has had an amazing and life-changing experience in one of our centers will want to help others to have the same experience.

To apply, the volunteer should send a letter to ten@jafi.org which details as much as possible his or her need and the sum he or she requires. Each application will be reviewed by a committee, and the applicant will receive a reply within two weeks from the receipt of the application.

Volunteering in Kiryat Shmona, Israel?

Masa Israel Journey works to make it as easy as possible for young adults to go to Israel. We offer grants and scholarships to help make the experience more affordable. All Masa Israel participants are eligible to apply for universal grants and need-based scholarships towards the cost of your program. Your grant/scholarship will be deducted from the total cost of your program. The amount available depends on your country of origin, age, and the length of your program.

Take a look at our Grant and Scholarship Policy to find out more about eligibility criteria and for information about what you’ll need to apply.

Masa Israel Journey is funded jointly by The Jewish Agency for Israel and by the Government of Israel.

We chose those cities because they are places where The Jewish Agency could best and most quickly leverage its existing resources to create a volunteer center. We are privileged to have a wide network of Shlichim (emissaries) and other staff around the world; these cities are the places where we most immediately could offer a structured program for volunteers with appropriate accommodations, and where we already have security measures in place that will ensure your safety. We will be adding more centers as we build more partnerships and can add the necessary infrastructure.

Meanwhile, we can introduce you to Rabbi Jamie Cowland, who is working with us to set up a new Center in Chiang Rai, Thailand:

Rabbi Jamie Cowland

Head of upcoming Project TEN-Justifi Program in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Rabbi Jamie Cowland has spent the last 16 years running destination trips for Jewish students, lecturing in Jewish Philosophy, and trying to bring up 6 kids together with his wife, Ilana. Jamie spent the first 13 years of his career as a rabbi with Aish UK and Aish Jerusalem, and worked as a consultant and guest speaker for many other organizations. Jamie has a life-long passion for helping others to access and reach their human potential. After visiting Thailand, interacting with the amazing organizations working there and meeting so many children in need of help, Jamie and Ilana founded Justifi, a social activism program for idealistic Jews, to give Jewish students life-transforming trips during which they could experience the struggle for basic human rights, idealism, leadership, and the Jewish approach to Tikkun Olam.

Jamie is a visionary leader with groundbreaking ideas for social justice and leadership development. As the original brain, heart, and soul behind Justifi, he has worked tirelessly to assemble a passionate team of talented individuals to help build the project into the "next big thing" in Jewish social activism. When he's not busy inventing new and better ways to grow Justifi, Jamie has an amazing interest in knowing and understanding the people he works with and is personally invested in the development of each of the Justifi participants. For the lucky participants who spend time in Israel after the program, this might include experiencing the biggest unofficial perk of the Justifi follow-up program – an absolutely delicious Shabbat meal with Jamie, Ilana, and their children.

We’re so glad you asked! The Jewish Agency runs a variety of programs all over the world that bring Jews to Israel, and Israel to Jews, and that improve the world by building more just societies with equal opportunities for all. There are several ways you can work with us in a volunteer framework. Go to www.jewishagency.org for more information about all these programs, or contact us at socialactivism@jafi.org.

If you live in Israel:

• Form a "Young Community." Form a group of young adults who will commit to living and volunteering in under-served areas such as the Negev, Galil, or disadvantaged neighborhoods in an Israeli city, and The Jewish Agency will provide program grants to help you launch your volunteer work. In 2012, 65 Young Communities, made up of 2,000 Israeli "young pioneers," transformed the lives of 20,000 vulnerable Israeli youth.
  
  
  
• Join Choosing Tomorrow, a program for Israeli university students in the Galilee, Negev, and Jerusalem, to support you in local volunteer work, form a group of like-minded peers who support each other through the volunteer experience, and help you find employment after you graduate.
  
  
  
• Volunteer for La'ad, a Jewish Agency program that assists Israel's approximately 200,000 Holocaust survivors. We will train you to visit survivors in their homes or to help operate our Call Center, where volunteers help the survivors apply for financial support and welfare services.
  
  
  
• Assist new immigrants. Through Babayit Beyachad (At Home Together), Israelis throughout the country reach out to new immigrants and help them manage the challenges of acculturation ("klitah").
  
  
  
• Go on Shlichut. One of The Jewish Agency's flagship programs is its worldwide network of (paid, not volunteer) Israeli Shlichim who go abroad for a summer, a year, or two years to strengthen Jewish identity, promote Israel experiences, and facilitate Jewish social activism. There are many different kinds of Shlichut, for example, to university campuses, to youth movements, to Jewish summer camps, and to community organizations. Check out the Shlichut website (in Hebrew) for information: www.shlichut.org.il. Or send an email to shlichut@jafi.org for instructions on how to apply to become a Shaliach.

If you live outside Israel:

• Volunteer with a Masa Israel Journey program. Masa Israel Journey comprises over 200 programs – including 25 volunteer programs – that last from 5 to 12 months in Israel, for Diaspora Jews ages 18-30. The program provides grants and need-based scholarships to participants. In 2012, Masa brought approximately 10,000 young men and women to Israel for transformative, immersive experiences. Check out www.masaisrael.org to find the volunteer (or study, or internship, or combination) program that is right for you.

• Connect your community with Israel. Talk with your local Jewish Federation about how you can get involved in connecting Jews in your hometown with peers in Israel, through The Jewish Agency's flagship Partnership2Gether program (p2g.jewishagency.org).
  
  
  
• Empower Russian-speaking Jews. The Jewish Agency has a variety of programs that serve Russian-speaking Jews in the FSU, Israel, Europe, and North America. If you want to get involved – especially if you speak Russian – let us know. Contact your local Jewish Agency shaliach (www.jewishagency.org/FindShaliach) to inquire about programs near you.

We're so glad you asked! In addition to Project TEN, The Jewish Agency and its partners provide a continuum of Israel Experience programs. Whether you've never been to Israel before (yet!) or have been there countless times, you can find a travel framework that is right for you.

Taglit-Birthright Israel provides 10-day educational Israel experiences to thousands of Jews ages 18 to 26 from around the world, completely free of charge. (www.birthrightisrael.com)

Onward Israel is a new initiative providing 6-8 week, high-quality experiences in Israel for 18-30 year olds.  Onward Israel offers exciting résumé-building opportunities -- internships, service-learning, academic study, and fellowships -- providing a global, cross-cultural experience in Israel and direct contact with Israeli peers. To learn more about Onward visit www.onwardisrael.com.

Masa Israel Journey comprises over 200 gap year, study abroad, post-college, and volunteer programs that last from five to 12 months in Israel for Diaspora Jews ages 18 to 30. Masa provides grants and need-based scholarships to participants. (www.masaisrael.org)