Etgar 36 is an educational program that takes teenagers on summer bus trips across America, to learn about the role of Jews in American social movements. Students visit many places during the bus trip. “The goal is to let kids ask questions about Jews and Americans,” said director Billy Planer. “We’re all connected, and discussing big ideas should be the norm, not the exception.”
The bus trip is popular to the kids. “The trip was life-changing for me,” said Ben Chasan, who joined the program three years ago. “I was never interested in public service and politics, but going on Etgar and talking to the people we met and seeing the country really turned me on to public service and politics.” Today, he is president of his school. “Etgar not only gave me the passion for politics, but also the confidence,” he said.
Planer started Etgar in 2003 when he was running youth programs. “We took the youth group to Disney World every year, and I really started to think we could do better,” he said. “And I sat down with a map and realized, ‘OK, I’m interested in history, politics, travel and American Jewish identity.’ So, I put them all together on the map. I wanted kids to know about them.”
Experiential education is very hot right now. Many educators today think that different people learn in different ways. When everyone is sharing their experiences, we are all guides for each other. Everyone is a teacher.
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