ILead is a five week summer program in Israel designed for High School students entering their Senior year. The participants are selected for the program based on positive references,followed by a series of interviews from the ILead team. The ILead Pioneers will take away life long lessons from the program. The physical challenges, exposure to critical thinking, and group dynamic exercises, are among the many lessons that the Pioneers experience. Now in its fifth year, ILead hopes to fine tune skills in future leaders of the Jewish community, by emphasizing each Pioneer’s individual talents and weaknesses. By encouraging self awareness ILead strives to ultimately strengthen the group as a whole.

ILEAD identifies candidates at the end of their junior year in High School, who are interested in identifying their personal strengths, and working through their challenges and weaknesses.

The selection process is rigorous, and candidates are required to provide recommendations and descriptive essays during the application phase.

Once the application is submitted and reviewed each perspective Pioneer will be invited to an interview before final selections to ILEAD are made.

The ILEAD program is five weeks long in Israel over the summer. The program focuses on physical aptitude and stamina. The Pioneers climb mountains, engage in extreme hiking, and spend a fair amount of time in natural surroundings. There is tremendous emphasis on the group dynamic. Most candidates have expressed their devotion and camaraderie to their fellow Pioneers whom they did not know before the trip. Intellectually, the Pioneers are exposed to diverse ideas and opinions, and asked to push their limits and open their minds to new thought processes that they might have never encountered.

Upon return from Israel the Pioneers sign up for the next phase on the program know as ILEAD Fellowship. The program builds on the lessons of ILEAD in Israel, and continues to foster the bonds developed over the summer among the candidates. The Fellowship program applies the knowledge and skills learnt in Israel, and gives Pioneers the opportunity to engage in activities that will develop leadership skills for the future. The goal is to build self confidence in the participants, mentor them personally, and develop skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.