SCoJeC has been awarded funding from the Pears Foundation to deliver a new course for volunteers who want to help school pupils, youth groups, and social clubs to learn about Judaism and the Scottish Jewish community. The course will be suitable both for people who would like to do this for the first time, and for people who already have a lot of experience. It will be delivered by SCoJeC's former Education and Community Development Worker Zoe Jacobs, and will include supported visits to schools around Scotland which will be combined with social events supported by the Clarkston and Netherlee Charitable Trust to bring together Jewish people in the area with those interested to find out more about Judaism.

Since our first volunteer training course in 2015, SCoJeC volunteer ambassadors have been delivering “positive, memorable, and educational” activities in schools the length and breadth of Scotland. They have done a fantastic job, and the response has been very enthusiastic.

“The community ambassador took the time to answer pupil questions in depth.  They also motivated the class to get involved and interact with Jewish artifacts.  They shared first hand knowledge and experience of their own life as a Jew, giving value and meaning to the learning.” 
Teacher, Fraserburgh Academy

“The pupils were given the opportunity to ask questions and these were both insightful and responded to with clarity. A number of our pupils engaged in one to one questions with Joe at the end of the session and he was personable and engaging throughout the session"  
Teacher, Easton High School

“The activities and discussion fitted in perfectly with work we were doing around Passover.  I liked that the session was very practical with opportunities for reinforcement of facts learned during the session.” 
Teacher, Maddiston Primary

"This was the first time anyone, including leaders, had visited a synagogue.  Beaver Scouts are 6-8 years old, but were enthused with the visit and bursting with questions!  Interactive sessions always work best with this age and they enjoyed matching the photographs to areas of the synagogue. They also enjoyed seeing various resources such as the Torah.”
Scout leader, Blantyre Beaver Scouts

“It was very nice to have a friendly, positive ambassador especially being in the highlands where the children may have very limited experiences of meeting Jewish people and discussing Judaism.” 
Teacher, Spean Bridge Primary

Pears Foundation Director Amy Braier said: “We are delighted to support this project and give more children the opportunity to meet Jewish people, ask questions, and develop their understanding of what it means to be Jewish in Britain today.”

Fiona Frank, SCoJeC's Projects and Outreach Manager, said "I wish I'd had the chance to go on this course many years ago when my daughter's school asked me to go in and talk about Jewish festivals! You don't need to have lots of Jewish knowledge or any teaching experience. Zoe's a great trainer and the course will fill any gaps in your Jewish knowledge, give you ideas for activities to bring Jewish learning alive with groups of all ages, and ensure that you're representing all strands of Judaism."