LAJTI Teen Innovation Award Application

Welcome to the Teen Innovation Awards application!

The Teen Innovation Awards Program is a program of the Los Angeles Jewish Teen Initiative (LAJTI), co-funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jim Joseph Foundation, with seed funding from the Jewish Community Foundation, and with support provided by BBYO.

Thank you for your interest in the Teen Innovation Awards! These awards gift Jewish teens like you in Los Angeles prizes up to $1,500 in order to encourage you to play an active role in your own Jewish involvement. The prizes will allow you to create programming, projects and more. If you are selected as an award recipient, you will receive mentoring from professional adults in the community, a connection to other Jewish teens, and the opportunity to work to make your visions into a reality. This opportunity is designed to provide teens with awards for creating, starting, and actualizing projects they want to make happen. Making this even more unique, the people reading your application and awarding the prizes are also teens. Recipients must abide by all project deadlines and guidelines to be eligible to receive prize money. This is a unique and fun experience and we look forward to sharing it with you!

Please review the following information before submitting your application:

We intend these awards to support the visions and ideas of teen entrepreneurship and innovation by awarding monetary prizes to teens who exhibit excellence in their innovative ideas. The maximum award amount is $1,500.

Examples of how awards can be used:
1. Equipment for project
2. Transportation for an event
3. Supplies for project or event
4. Consulting or marketing for project
5. And much more!

In order to qualify for a LAJTI Teen Innovation Award, applicants must:
*Identify as Jewish.
*If applying as a team (more than one person), at least one applicant must identify as Jewish. One person should fill out the application, and all other teens in the group must email Rebecca (rzarrabi@jewishla.org) to confirm their participation in this project.
*Live in Los Angeles
*Submit completed application by Friday, October 28, 2016 at 3:00pm.
*Be between the age of 13 and 18 years and not yet a high school graduate.
*Include as much information about your project as possible, including the Jewish values that are present within it. If you are unsure about the Jewish value component, LAJTI will provide guidance. Some examples of core Jewish values include: giving back, education, community and leadership.
*Include a budget spreadsheet detailing the anticipated spending for your project.
*Provide contact information for at least one reference who is not a family member.

If awarded, recipients must:
*Understand that they are not agents or employees of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles or BBYO (the organization that will administer payments to recipients).
*Provide Jewish Federation with W-9.
*Have or open a bank account in own name.
*Attend an orientation for all recipients on January 29, 2017.
*Communicate with their mentor at least once a month throughout the process.
*Submit receipts to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for all purchases made with the award money.
*Use award money between February and August, 2017. All unused award money must be returned to BBYO by August 2017.
*Attend and participate in the Innovation Showcase, which will take place on April 23 OR April 30, 2017 (date TBD). The Innovation Showcase will be a community-wide event giving each award recipient the opportunity to present their projects to their peers and other community members.

1. Last Name *This question is required.

2. First Name *This question is required.

3. What grade are you in? *This question is required.

4. What school do you attend? *This question is required.

5. Your Email *This question is required. This question requires a valid email address.

6. Your Cell Phone Number *This question is required.

7. Best way to contact you? *This question is required.

Please enter an 'other' value for this selection.

8. Parent/Guardian 1 Name *This question is required.

9. Parent/Guardian 1 Email *This question is required.

10. Parent/Guardian 2 Name

11. Parent/Guardian 2 Email

12. Are there additional teens involved in the creation of this project? *This question is required.

13. If the answer to question #12 is yes, please indicate the number of additional teens who will be working on this project (not including yourself)

14. If the answer to question #12 is yes, please provide their names and grades below

15. Name of your project

16. Award amount requested (up to $1,500) *This question is required.

17. If you have one, please provide the mission statement/purpose of your project.

18. In 1-3 paragraphs (500 words max), please summarize the plans/intent for your project. Please include the following:
1. Brief description of your project.
2. Description of the area of interest your project fits
3. Description of the desired audience for your project
4. The number of people your project will impact
5. The Jewish values present within your project
6. Resources needed for your project
7. Desired end result of your project *This question is required.

19. Please describe the following (bullet points are OK):
1. How did you get the idea for your project?
2. How does your project connect to your interests?
3. What motivated you to apply for this award? *This question is required.

20. How much time do you plan to devote to this project? (i.e. hours per week, total amount of months, etc) *This question is required.

21. Please provide a timeline for your project, detailing personal deadlines as well as the final product/event. *This question is required.

22. In one paragraph, please describe (250 words max) how Jewish values will be incorporated into your project. If you are unsure, the LA Jewish Teen Initiative will be available to you for consulting on this topic. Please note in the space below if you would like to connect with us about this. *This question is required.

23. Please provide contact information for at least one reference (examples include: teacher, coach, rabbi, youth adviser, supervisor- NOT a relative). Upon receipt of your application, Rebecca Zarrabi, LAJTI Assistant Director, will provide your reference with a form to fill out. *This question is required.

Name:
Relationship:
Phone:
Email:

24. Reference #2 (Optional)

Name:
Relationship:
Phone:
Email:

25. You are almost finished with your application! In order for your application to be considered complete, you must provide the Teen Leadership Council with one more piece of paperwork: a budget worksheet. Once your application is submitted, you will receive an email from Rebecca Zarrabi (rzarrabi@jewishla.org) with the attachment for this document. You will have one week from receipt of the budget worksheet to send it back, completed, to Rebecca via email. The worksheet should detail the anticipated spending for your project. *This question is required.

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