At a time when most colleges have stopped giving in-person campus tours, JumpSpark Atlanta and 10 other Jewish communities have created a brilliant way for teens to visit colleges virtually. Starting on June 1st, all through the month of June, teens can #JumpOntheBus and join a free virtual college road trip. It’s a full month of student-led virtual college tours, with information sessions led by college administrators and onsite Hillel reps. Students will get real insights into Jewish campus life, plus Q&A discussions, workshops, relevant articles about the admissions process, and more!
#JumpOntheBus will make virtual visits to some of the most popular colleges in the south. As part of the College Road Trip series, JumpSpark will also be featuring webinars on the following topics: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together, Essay Writing, Creating Your College List, Admissions Testing Policy Updates in response to COVID-19, Parents’ Role in the Admissions Process, and College Admissions from the High School Counselors Prospective.
Reserve your spot on the bus! Follow the college road trip on social media @jumpsparkatl, and on YouTube.
Teens are missing out on visiting colleges so we want to bring colleges, as best we can, into their homes,” says Kelly Cohen, head of JumpSpark, an innovation initiative of Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta that drives innovative teen programming in Atlanta. “We’re connecting teens to college students, admissions professionals and Hillel leaders across the country to foster those personal interactions that really help students learn about campus life from the students’ point of view.”
Teens are invited to #JumpOnTheBus and follow college student “bus drivers” on Instagram Stories @jumpsparkatl to get insider guides to their campus and college towns—what they love, what makes the place special, and what Jewish life is like there. Virtual College Road Trip also offers formal information sessions on each of the 32 colleges. Sessions will be led by administrators, Hillel on Campus representatives, and college counselors. Additional webinars are offered for teens and parents together, covering everything from financial aid to what college classes might look like in the age of COVID-19.
“For many teens, visiting colleges is viewed as a rite of passage, often something they do with their parents,” adds Cohen. “JumpSpark is here as a support system for teens right now, to help navigate all kinds of challenges and uncertainties in this moment. We’re pleased to offer this and hope it will be valuable to both teens and their parents.”
For more information, visit roadtriptocollege.org.
JumpSpark is one of ten communities comprising the Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative, a network of national and local funders working together to develop, nurture and scale new approaches to teen engagement. Inspired by Springboard Chicago, another Collaborative communities, Virtual College Road Trip is run in partnership with JCC Camp Chi. JumpSpark is partnering with other communities to bring its first-ever road trip nationwide for all college-bound teens and their parents.
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