Federation Announces First Recipients of Inspiring Inclusion Grants

More than 100 children and their families will benefit from the five Inspiring Inclusion Grants recently awarded by Jewish Federation and funded by the Federation Annual Campaign. They will have a greater opportunity to connect with and fully participate in our Jewish community as a result of the programs these grants will fund.

Designed to facilitate inclusion for children and youth who may face barriers to participating in certain aspects of community life, these grants provide funding for community organizations and grassroots groups to implement innovative ideas or remove physical barriers to participation.

The goals of the grant program are to:

• Increase social, spiritual and cultural connections for children, youth and young adults with a range of challenges;
• Create and expand academic and/or employment opportunities for young adults;
• Increase the accessibility of existing programs, services or community events to children, youth and young adults facing a range of challenges; and
• Facilitate meaningful relationships for children, youth and young adults with disabilities who do not currently have adequate pathways to develop peer relationships in the Jewish community.

The following grant recipients were announced during Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month:

Beth Israel Synagogue: to hire a tutor to enable children with learning challenges to learn to read Torah, so they can fully participate with the other Hebrew School students.

Beth Tikvah: to hire the appropriate professionals (educational assistants, psychologists) to enable children and youth with invisible disabilities to participate fully alongside their peers in a range of programs offered by the synagogue.

Jewish Community Centre: to offer a new program called Family Yoga Fundamentals to all families, regardless of abilities, and to involve recreation aids to maximize participation.

Richmond Jewish Day School: to offer a fully inclusive music program using Orff percussion instruments, which are ideally suited to different levels of engagement that match students’ abilities.

Vancouver Hebrew Academy: to install a wheelchair ramp to enable all students to access new playground equipment that has been specially designed for children of all abilities.

The Inspiring Inclusion Grant program is an example of the flexible funding models Jewish Federation is developing as part of our 2020 Strategic Priorities to help our partners address emerging issues and to support innovation in the community. Click here to learn more about how our 2020 Strategic Priorities are guiding the work of our Federation.