The Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF) partners with many individuals and institutions globally to select candidates for Camp Rising Sun. Last month we highlighted the hard work of our alumni volunteers who coordinate selection in several regions, including Hungary, Norway, and the USA (Minnesota). This week, we highlight a few of our school partners, who work both independently, and in conjunction, with our alumni volunteers to support Camp Rising Sun camper selection each year.

For decades, our school partners have been supporting Camp Rising Sun in a variety of ways by nominating campers, providing classroom space for information sessions and interviews, and even guiding students through the application and visa process. We value the time and energy that our school partners dedicate to identifying prospective students and giving them the push they need to take advantage of this opportunity. Read about some of our partners below and hear why our partners continue to recommend Camp Rising Sun (CRS) to their students year after year.

American Farm School

American Farm School is located in Thessaloniki, Greece. The high school was founded in 1904 and serves the rural population of Greece and the Balkans. The mission of the School is "to educate men and women, especially those from Greece and the Balkans, to become professionally accomplished in the latest aspects of agriculture and the life sciences."

Charlotte Bailey, an American Farm School College Counselor, recommends the Rising Sun program because

"Camp Rising Sun provides our students with the opportunity to spend their summer becoming a better student, leader, and person. The immersive nature of the four-week program, the exposure to students around the world, and the opportunity to discuss real challenges ensure our students return as leaders ready to effect change. Each student comes home having undergone their own unique journey, but all come away with a broader understanding of our world and their role in changing it. I couldn't recommend the program more."

Christ Church Foundation School

The Christ Church Foundation School is considered one of the oldest schools in Barbados. It is a public secondary school catering to students ages 11 to 18. Donald Padmore, who is a member of our selection panel in Barbados, writes:

“I support Camp Rising Sun because it is an excellent program for training young leaders.  It offers young persons between the age of fourteen and sixteen an opportunity to be exposed to positive situations that can aid greatly in the development of their leadership and coping skills. Barbadian students who have attended the program have demonstrated significant all-round growth. They have gone on to hold senior school positions such as Senior Prefect or Head Boy/Head Girl. Those who have left school are doing well in their further studies or chosen careers. They are grateful for the exposure to international peers and have credited Camp Rising Sun with contributing significantly to their success.”  

Harvest Collegiate High School

Harvest Collegiate High School (Harvest) is located in New York City, USA. The high school, which opened in 2012, “offers a rich and challenging intellectual education that engages students in the natural process of experience, questioning, the pursuit of precision, and reflection-how people really learn.” They also “believe in cultivating students’ power to produce and reflect, rather than simply consume, as the fundamental way of being in the world.”

Math teacher John McCrann writes that he recommends Harvest students to the CRS program because both organizations have similar values.

“Both institutions are committed to promoting leadership and deep growth. Both leverage diversity to meet our lofty goals. We are also all committed to the project of helping young people be producers instead of passive consumers. CRS gives our students a chance to immerse themselves in these values and connect with other young leaders who seek to promote them in our world.”
 

Tianjin Foreign Language School

One of our partners in China is the Tianjin Foreign Language School (TFLS). TFLS was established in 1964 and is affiliated to Tianjin Foreign Studies University. TFLS has been nominating campers to Camp Rising Sun for over two decades. Jia Xu, one of Tianjin FLS’ faculty, writes that

"We have nominated campers to CRS since 1995. The reason for nominating campers to CRS is that we share similar educational philosophies like developing campers’ leadership, cooperation, communication skills, etc. We would like to nominate more excellent students to CRS as always to promote cultural exchanges and dialogues between the world youth. Hope we can work closely together with you to achieve the goal!"

Thank you to all our school partners who support the mission of our program and see the value in the opportunities Camp Rising Sun provides for their students. We are so grateful for your ongoing support in recommending and selecting such gifted students who are able to thrive in the Rising Sun program.

If you’d like to share a story about your Camp Rising Sun experience, send us an email or consider posting it on GreatNonprofits, a yelp-like website for nonprofit organizations.