IMG_0219Don’t miss out on a $500 grant opportunity for your classroom!

Mikva Challenge has an exciting opportunity we’d like you to be part of! We are working in partnership with The Chicago Community Trust and the Chicago Public Schools Office of Civic Engagement and Service Learning to bring teachers to the On The Table conversation, which will take place around the week of Tuesday, May 12, 2015.  Teachers who choose to participate will be eligible for a $500 service grant to fund a classroom project.

What is On The Table?

On The Table is a philanthropic roundtable event where Chicagoland residents meet in small groups across the city to discuss problems and potential solutions to the challenges they face in their local communities.  Mikva and The Chicago Community Trust believe student insight is invaluable to improving the quality of Chicago’s schools, and that’s why we’re looking to recruit teachers to facilitate an On The Table event.  We are providing supporting curriculum to help teachers prepare for and debrief the On The Table experience.

We hope that the On The Table conversations spark a desire to take action.  Teachers who host an On The Tableevent are eligible to apply for a service learning grant to build on the ideas of the discussion.

How do you participate?

-You can participate by hosting an On The Table event within your school community.

-Use as much or as little of the attached five-lesson curriculum to structure an experience for students to gather and discuss the good that is already happening in their communities, as well as the challenges they want to address.

-Students and teachers interested in putting their ideas to action can apply for a Mikva Service Learning Project grant following their On The Table discussion to fund their proposed solution

Interested?  Here’s what you need to do:

1.) Commit to hosting an On The Table event with your students. To register, please complete our quick online survey by clicking on the following link: http://goo.gl/forms/g8NE2ImBPQ.

2.) OPTIONAL: Use the attached lesson plans to prepare for your On The Table event. The lessons are flexible and do not need to be taught in their entirety. You may adapt the curricula to best meet the needs of you and your students.

3.) Host an On The Table event at your school on or around Tuesday, May 12, 2015.

4.) OPTIONAL: Apply for a Mikva Service Learning Project grant to fund a solutions-oriented project with students. Grants of up to $500 will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis to teachers who want to facilitate a small-scale service learning project with their students to address specific challenges or highlight existing successes within their communities.

Download the lesson guide and grant application here. (The grant application is located on pages 24-28). Please send completed applications to Jill Bass at jill@mikvachallenge.org in an email titled “Mikva Service Learning Project” or fax to 312-863-6341.

Questions regarding this opportunity can be directed to Jill Bass at jill@mikvachallenge.org.