Call for nominations open for Jewish teens with a commitment to social change

The Helen Diller Family Foundation Will Award up to 15 Teens Nationwide with $36,000 Each for Visionary Leadership and Demonstrated Commitment to Strengthening Local and Global Communities

The Helen Diller Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, is currently accepting nominations for the 2018 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards. Now entering its 12th year, the national award annually recognizes up to 15 Jewish teens with $36,000 each for extraordinary leadership in repairing the world. Up to five teens from California and ten from communities across the United States will be recognized for their humanitarian efforts.

Teachers, Civic Leaders, Rabbis—anyone interested in nominating a teen, or any teen interested in applying—can visitwww.dillerteenawards.org to begin the nomination/application process. The deadline for nominations is December 18, 2017 and the deadline for applications is January 8, 2018. Self-identified Jewish teens who are 13 to 19 years old on January 8, 2018 are eligibleTeens who have applied in the past are also eligible to reapply. 

Bay Area philanthropist Helen Diller launched the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards in 2007 to recognize and encourage the next generation of social changemakers embodying the spirit of tikkun olam, a Jewish precept meaning to repair the world. Since then, the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards have granted a total of more than $3 million to 99 teens.

“Nominating a teen for the Tikkun Olam Awards is a wonderful opportunity for educators, civic leaders, and teen mentors across the country to recognize young Jewish leaders who are creating meaningful change at home and across the globe,” says Jackie Safier, Helen Diller’s daughter and President of the Helen Diller Family Foundation. “We hope the Awards encourage and catalyze a generation of Jewish teens in their ambitious work to repair the world.”

A documentary-style video showcasing the accomplishments of all 15 of the 2017 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipients is available here. A shareable call for nominations video featuring recipients from previous years is also available here.

Beyond bolstering national recognition of the teens and their projects, the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards foster a growing network of award recipient alumni collaborating on leadership, innovation, and volunteer service across the nation. Previous award recipients from all over the country have taken on issues as diverse as homelessness, gun violence, rare diseases, social and economic inequality, and education gaps. They have been recognized by some of the world’s foremost institutions and leaders, including the United Nations Foundation, the White House, the Clinton Global Initiative, Forbes 30 Under 30, the Jefferson Awards, CNN Heroes and the Nickelodeon HALO Awards.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards is one of many projects funded by the Helen Diller Family Foundation. Now in its 17th year of giving, the Helen Diller Family Foundation has granted more than $700 million to charitable projects that support education, the arts, medical research, and leadership training for teens.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR NOMINATION:

  • Teens may be nominated by any community member who knows the value of their project — except a family member— or may apply directly.
  • Each candidate must be a U.S. resident aged 13-19 on January 8, 2018 and must self-identify as Jewish.
  • Community service projects may benefit the general or Jewish community, with impact locally, nationally, or worldwide.
  • Teens’ work must be as volunteers, without compensation for their services.

TO NOMINATE OR APPLY: Complete the online form at www.dillerteenawards.org.
For more information, email dillerteenaward@sfjcf.org or call (415) 512-6432.

Author: Amanda Jones
Author: Amanda Jones

Amanda Jones specializes in social media marketing. She holds a Master's degree in Social Media Management from the University of Florida and a Social Media Professional Certificate from the University of Miami.

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