Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel (ECYP)

Leadership Program: each year we select approximately 12-13 fellows who either live or go to school in Maryland's 7th congressional district to participate in our two-year Program in the middle of which is a three-week trip to Israel. Fellows participate in twice-monthly seminars and workshops led by experts on diversity, leadership skills, conflict resolutions and politics. The intended outcome of these workshops is to increase cultural awareness, refine leadership skills, provide exposure to influential community leaders, and encourage dialogue around important topics. They travel alongside, live with, and befriend israeli teens from the village. These teens are largely refugees, orphans, or new immigrants of ethiopian or eastern european descent. The students visit cultural sites or attend Youth development workshops during the day to pursue higher education and additional leadership opportunities. Upon returning from Israel fellows are engaged in speaking engagements in order to increase their advocacy skills. Venues include synagogues, churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations. During the second year of Ecyp, Ecyp fellows participate in a year-long social justice Program where they continue to build relationships between teens of various faiths and ethnic backgrounds to prepare them to serve as community ambassadors on diversity and inclusion. At the end of a fellow's second year in the Program, they will be able to facilitate conversations among their peer groups on racism, anti-semitism, diversity, and social justice. All graduates from the Ecyp class of 2023 matriculated to a four-year college or university. Additionally, 2023 Ecyp fellows reported being "highly likely" to pursue leadership positions in college.