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BERKLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Building Bridges
PeerCorps Detroit earns grant
to grow teen volunteer program.
etroit resident Nora
working on an urban farm, at a maker
Feldhusen has been named space, with those living in temporary
a Joshua Venture Group
housing while seeking political
(JVG) 2014-2016 Dual
asylum, at the Isaac Agree Downtown
Investment Program fellow for PeerCorps Synagogue and its community garden, at
Detroit, a yearlong mentorship program
a recreation center and at a new charter
that allows Jewish teens and b'nai
school.
mitzvah students from all Jewish streams
Student volunteers come twice a
and areas of Metro Detroit to serve and
month for more than three months
build relationships with Detroit through
each cycle, and they stay with each
partnerships with grassroots initiatives.
location the whole time in order to build
The program builds bridges between
meaningful relationships.
teens and tweens, Jews and non-
"PeerCorps offers a different entry
Jews, city and suburbs in a way that is
point for young people into Judaism,"
intentional, respectful and fun.
Feldhusen said. "It's exciting to activate
Feldhusen is among six social
kids who didn't know that a way to
entrepreneurs with visions for creating
express Judaism is to care and create
a more dynamic, just and
community."
inclusive Jewish community.
The idea also is to engage
Each fellow will receive
Jewish students during and
more than $100,000 in
post-b'nai mitzvah, a time when
funding and skill-building
interest and involvement usually
support over two years.
drops.
JVG, a New York-based
Feldhusen plans to use some
nonprofit organization
of the $100,000 grant given
dedicated to reinvigorating Nora Feldh
over two years to convert her
usen
and expanding the Jewish
coordinator job from part-time
community through building the capacity to full time. She also has big plans to
of young ventures and their leadership,
increase teen involvement.
chose Feldhusen and the exceptional
"I'm hoping by the end of the
group, including the first two Midwest
two-year grant cycle to start the
fellows, from a rigorous application
Gesher Institute (gesher is Hebrew for
process launched in spring 2014.
bridge)," she said. "We hope in the
This year, JVG called for projects that
summer of 2016 to have a four-week
aligned with specific areas of focus, one
institute where we get a new group of
of which was the city of Detroit. The
community leaders who are active in
fellowship program is generously
local Jewish youth groups.
funded by several national and regional
"By instilling curiosity, empathy, critical
organizations including Mandell L. and
thinking and self-awareness about
Madeleine H. Berman Foundation and
Detroit, they can plug their movements
William Davidson Foundation, both
into the work. It's a way to build bridges
based in Southfield.
between the Jewish community and
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan the city. We can reach more people by
Detroit played a key role in publicizing
having teen leaders trained so they can
the program and in the selection of a
build bridges between their groups and
fellow in its area.
the city."
PeerCorps was founded in 2013
Per the JVG grant, PeerCorps will
in partnership with Repair the World:
devote $7,000 each of the two years
Detroit and Jewish Federation of
for staff development for Feldhusen,
Metropolitan Detroit's Alliance for Jewish part-time coordinator Aj Aaron and the
Education. Feldhusen came on board
organization's educational consultant,
in April of last year, after the program
Blair Nosan, a founder of PeerCorps,
had received a grant from the Hermelin
who now is working on a master's
Davidson Fund for Congregational
degree in Jewish education at the Jewish
Excellence.
Theological Seminary in New York.
During its first year, PeerCorps
"We will seek training for us in
involvement included 10 mentors (ages
Jewish rituals and youth leadership,"
15-18) and 44 b'nai mitzvah students
she said. "We are excited to be able to
(11-13). This year's first-cycle cohort
invest in ourselves as leaders of a youth
includes 14 mentors and 22 tweens,
program."
one-third of them returning from last
For information, go to
year. Participants work with six partners
peercorpsdetroit.tumblr.com .
in Detroit, doing activities that include
❑
67 October 2 • 2014
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67