The COJECO BluePrint Fellowship
The BluePrint Fellowship is a year-long program for Russian-speaking Jewish adults ages 25-40 to explore personal and collective identity through the creation of Jewish community projects, supported by group workshops, one-on-one guidance, and a mini-grant.
Please Stay Tuned for Information about Upcoming BluePrint Cohort
Cohort 2019-2021The BluePrint Fellowship brings together a select group of Russian-speaking Jewish innovators, artists, and intellectuals, to explore the link between personal identity and creativity.
What does it mean to be Jewish for someone born in the Former Soviet Union and living in the United States today? The BluePrint Fellowship offers participants the opportunity to examine and explore this question on their own terms. Chosen through a competitive application and interview process, fellows are able to bring their ideas to life and engaged in this community-wide conversation.
BluePrint Community Projects
BluePrint projects from years past have been innovative initiatives that impact the Russian-speaking Jewish community and Jewish community at large in areas such as: arts & culture * media & technology * gender & sexuality * literature * education * environment * children and family life * social justice * philanthropy
View AllGUIDING PRINCIPLES OF BLUEPRINT
Knowledge:
Offering fellows a deeper historical and cultural perspective on the Jewish people and contemporary issues of the Jewish world today, with a unique focus on post-Soviet Jewry through a series of informal educational experiences.
Inspiration:
Motivating participants to become more active members of the Jewish community through a personal connection to and familiarity with an array of projects, organizations, and approaches to Jewish community life.
Skills:
Providing fellows with the tools to develop successful community projects through hands-on professional workshops and peer-to-peer review.
Mentoring:
One-on-one mentoring guides Fellows in setting clear goals for project objectives, offers options for achieving desired goals and outcomes, and identifies possible resources that go beyond traditional methods.
Russian Jewish community projects created since 2008
140Projects continuing beyond their Fellowship year
55New Jewish non-profit organizations resulting from BluePrint projects
6Fellows who became Jewish professionals or lay leaders
47People engaged by BluePrint Fellowship community projects
13,000+BLUEPRINT FELLOWSHIP REQUIREMENTS
- Fellows must be Russian-speaking Jews between the ages of 25 and 40, residing in the NYC area.
- Fellows must have an original concept for a community project with an explicitly Jewish theme and an anticipated impact on at least 50 people.
- Fellows must participate in the program fully, including a three-day weekend retreat and 8 evening workshops, which take place monthly on weeknights.
- Fellows must implement their community projects within the Fellowship year, including a public launch event.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The BluePrint Fellowship begins with a weekend retreat and is followed by monthly educational workshops, where fellows meet other talented thinkers and social activists, gain a new perspective on the community’s historical context, and hone their project management skills. BluePrint sessions are designed to inspire and support participants through the development of their projects, while exploring new ways of looking at personal history and identity.
Future Fellowship Sessions: TBA
Location: TBA
Day & Time: TBA
Dates: TBA
Through a guided grant application and reporting process over the course of the program, each fellow is awarded a mini-grant of up to $5,000 for the implementation of their community project. The average grant awarded is $3,000.
Each fellow is paired with a BluePrint alumnus mentor who can offer guidance, support, and advice to a new fellow, having had firsthand experience of participating in this process.
Selection Criteria
Preference will be given to candidates with long-term vision and aspirations for their community project and their personal community involvement. While projects must be implemented within the the program year, the Fellowship should be viewed as a launching pad for on-going endeavors.
Preference will be given to community project proposals in the following areas:
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New mediums for informal Jewish education among RSJ (e.g. games, multimedia, animation, etc.)
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Israel engagement
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Russian-Israeli community
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Volunteering, Philanthropy & Fundraising
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Family & Children educational workshops
Blueprint fellows
Anya Fidelia Roots: The Classics
Karina Akimenko Jewish and Connected
Victoria Drob Rus Jews Views
Olga Monastyrskaya Reflecting on History or What Became of My Red Star
Olga says, “My story is not in any way different… Being such, I am convinced that through the form of visual expression, it will spark a beautiful dialogue with other artists who have their unique stories to tell as well as with the audience, who I hope will recognize their internal and external world in the works on view.”
Yuri Kruman The Egypt In My Looking Glass: A Novella
Blueprint Fellowship Alumni
“Collective Effort” Documentary Film by COJECO BluePrint Fellow, Leonid Gurevich
Save the Date: To be Announced
“The Collective Effort” is a captivating exploration of immigrant identity, Jewish identity, and the artistic identity of a creative mindset. This documentary, skillfully crafted by designer, editorial stylist, fashion photographer, and educator Leonid Gurevich takes viewers on a journey through the creation of a Dress made from fabric hand-painted by Jewish immigrants of various ages and social backgrounds.
From conception to the runway, the film weaves a narrative of unity, teamwork, and extraordinary results achieved through collaboration, while providing an insider’s look into the enigmatic world of fashion design.
The COLLECTIVE EFFORT Documentary features actress Sophie Van Haselberg, Lauren Ezersky – VOGUE’s iconic journalist, model-actress Marlen Fjeldstad, model and radio host Marina Novikova, Rabbi and author Tobi Rubinstein, and other prominent figures.
Click HERE for more information
The film is created with the support of COJECO as part of the BluePrint Fellowship Program.
Alumni Projects
View AllThe Mountain Jews Cuisine: a cookbook
Songs of Our Journey
The Mountain Jews Cuisine: a cookbook
The BluePrint Fellowship is generously sponsored by
The Genesis Philanthropy Group.
