The Yoni Jesner Award Scheme

The Yoni Jesner Award Scheme recognises and celebrates the work of young people who do at least 20 hours of volunteering. It is run through the JLGB evolve programme and supported by JVN, with input from the Yoni Jesner Foundation. The programme is aimed at Years 7 and 8 as the early years of secondary school are when young people are inspired and their personalities moulded as they transform into young adults. The Yoni Jesner Award Scheme ensures that volunteering is firmly in their minds during this transformation. Yoni Jesner, a passionate volunteer from Glasgow, who was tragically killed in a bus bombing in Tel Aviv in 2002 at just 19 years of age, is seen as the perfect role model for young people to follow, and the aim of the Award Scheme is to honour his memory and encourage other young people to follow his example.

Students are supported in their volunteering in many ways: a launch presentation at the beginning of the year explaining who Yoni was, the value of volunteering and how to engage in the Award Scheme, plus follow-up sessions throughout the year; a dedicated Yoni Jesner Co-ordinator for each participating institution, who acts as the participants’ first port of call; the evolve system, alowing young people, parents and teachers to track and updated their progress; and the work of the evolve team in researching and providing information on suitable volunteering activities for this age group in the form of periodical updates of regular and one-off opportunities. The year is rounded off with a prolific ceremony where students receive their Awards from the Chief Rabbi and other Guests of Honour. Participants who complete 50 hours of volunteering or more over one or two years are also rewarded with the Yoni Jesner Award Plus.

To find out more about the Yoni Jesner Award Scheme, including how to involve your school or youth group, email the evolve team at evolve@jlgb.org.

Here is what some people said about the Yoni Jesner Award Scheme:

“Volunteering for my Yoni Jesner Award has made me realise that caring for others is just as important as caring for yourself.”

Harsha Addada, Year 8 student, King Solomon High School

“We are so proud of the Yoni Jesner Award Scheme; in its efforts to involve our youth and inculcate in them a community responsibility, it embodies those values Yoni lived by and held so dear.”

Marsha Gladstone, Director, Yoni Jesner Foundation

“The Yoni Jesner Awards Ceremony is always an inspiring evening and I wish kol hakavod to all those who have taken part... In particular, I want to congratulate the Jewish Volunteering Network for all the time and effort put in throughout the year to ensure volunteering is at the heart of Anglo-Jewry.”

Lord Sacks, Emeritus Chief Rabbi and Guest of Honour at the 2013 Yoni Jesner Award Ceremony

“It has been such a great project for our young people to be involved in, it really has had a great impact on them.”

Sonia Muscovitch, Youth Leader, Langdon Community