BECOME A LEADER AJSS cultivates leadership and responsibility. We encourage participants to... • Take an active role in their summer experience. • Plan educational, entertainment and cultural activities for evening programs and weekend getaways. • Embrace experiences outside of their comfort zones. WORK AS A TEAM & BUILD COMMUNITY AJSS provides a platform for participants to grow as individuals and as part of a team. Participants work together to... • Integrate diverse Jewish traditions into the summer program. • Work together in committees to plan meals, evening programming and Shabbat. • Create new traditions, making each AJSS program a unique experience. ENGAGE IN IMMERSIVE SERVICE There’s community service, and then there’s AJSS. Our immersive program means that... • A family whose house we help construct during the day could be our dinner companions at night. • We frequently invite other faith groups to our community, and happily accept their invitations. • By the end of the summer, participants have a new place to call home, and new friends to call family. THE AJSS DIFFERENCE WHO WE ARE American Jewish Society for Service (AJSS) is the premiere U.S.-based service-learning organization for Jewish high school students. Our programs empower participants to put their Jewish values into action. We began our journey in 1951, constructing homes alongside war veterans in Indianapolis. In the 60+ years since our founding, AJSS projects have served over 150 communities in 48 states. A DAY IN THE LIFE AJSS is not a typical, rigidly structured summer program. Any day can bring something remarkable. Here’s a glimpse at what a day with AJSS might look like... 7:30AM Wake up 8:00AM Prepare and eat breakfast, pack lunches 9:00AM Depart homebase for worksite 9:30AM Lay bricks for outdoor classroom construction 12:00PM Lunch 1:00PM Tend to community garden 4:00PM Unwind and shower at the JCC 5:00PM Head home to prepare dinner 6:00PM Eat dinner as a group 7:30PM Minor league baseball game 11:00PM Curfew CONTACT US American Jewish Society For Service 10319 Westlake Drive, Suite 193 Bethesda, MD 20817 301.664.6400 [email protected] www.ajss.org CHANGE LIVES Build homes • Tutor at-risk youth • Plant a community garden • Clear out storm debris • Paint murals No matter what the project, every day on AJSS is a day our participants help change lives. START WITH YOURS Challenge your worldview • Assume leadership roles • Forge bonds with friends you’d never otherwise meet • Effect change On AJSS, you not only make memories that last a lifetime, you spend your summer changing lives. Why not start with yours? An AJSS Summer of Service is a pluralistic program. We give our participants the chance to get out of their everyday environment and experience a different way of life.