UJIA Israel Experience holds summer tour price

UJIA Israel Experience together with participating Youth Movements has taken the decision to hold prices for all this year's summer tours to Israel, at the same level as last year.

The programme partners are committed to maintaining the educational quality and integrity of the programmes whilst at the same time ensuring that they remain as accessible as possible to the widest number of people in the community. They are sensitive to the economic pressures which families are likely to face over the coming months and have therefore taken the bold and responsible decision to cap the price of Tours for this summer.

UJIA Israel Experience has worked closely and intensively with the Youth Movements and with suppliers both in the UK and Israel to find cost savings to offset the pressure to increase costs in light of the fall in the value of Sterling.

Both UJIA Israel Experience and the Youth Movements recognise the paramount importance of maintaining the record levels of participation and have come together in a collaborative effort and in the spirit of true partnership to keep the costs as low as possible.

UJIA, itself, has demonstrated its central leadership role for youth provision in the community in providing support for the UJIA Israel Experience and the Youth Movements through a potentially very difficult set of circumstances.

Douglas Krikler, UJIA Chief Executive comments, "This has not been an easy process but we are absolutely convinced that it is the right thing to do. Working together the programme partners have been able to bring significant pressure to bear on suppliers to ensure the most cost effective package possible and I strongly urge parents and the community in general once again to get behind these life changing experiences. UJIA remains committed to the principle that no young person should be denied the opportunity to participate because they are unable to afford it. Through a combination of helping to freeze prices and increasing our bursary fund, UJIA is determined to do whatever we can to maintain the high levels of participation that has made the UK the world leader in these educational programmes."

Richard Goldstein, UJIA Israel Experience Director comments, "This is a phenomenal programme with a rich educational content, exploring the culture, history and modern life of Israel. Through our participation in this programme we want to avoid a situation whereby we lose a generation of young adults who are not able to enjoy this rite of passage, hence the decision to keep the price the same as last year."

AJ6 / 020 8203 7379 / www.aj6.org

Bnei Akiva / 020 8209 1319 / www.bauk.org

BBYO / 020 8202 6698 / www.bbyo.org.uk

EZRA / 0161 740 2864

FZY / 020 8201 6661 / www.fzy.org.uk

Habonim Dror / 020 8209 2111 / www.habodror.org.uk

Hanoar Hatzioni / 020 8905 5643 / www.hanoar.co.uk

JLGB / 020 8989 8990 / www.jlgb.org

LJY Netzer / 020 7631 9827 / www.ljynetzer.org

Maccabi GB / 020 8457 2330 / www.maccabigb.org

NOAM / 020 8349 6652 / www.noam.org.uk

RSY Netzer / 020 8349 5659 / www.rsy-netzer.org.uk

Notes:

1. The UJIA Israel Experience is a programme of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) designed to enable young people from the UK to participate in a range of educational visits to Israel and within Europe. The Summer Tours are a key part of this programme.
2. The Summer Tours are organised by JAFI. Participants (young people aged 16) apply to join a Tour through participating Jewish Youth Movements (see note 3) and, for those whose parents are unable to meet the costs of the Tour, UJIA provides bursaries. UJIA also provides grant funding and in-kind support to the JAFI to enable it to run programmes within the UJIA Israel Experience.
3. In 2008 the participating, peer led Youth Movements are AJ6, BBYO, Bnei Akiva, Ezra, FZY, Habonim Dror, Hanoar Hatzioni, JLGB, LJY-Netzer, Maccabi GB, Noam and RSY-Netzer.
4. For more information about the UJIA and its work please visit www.ujia.org
5. The Summer Tours means that Jewish young people learn about Jewish life, culture and history on a trip of a lifetime. This year, an estimated 50% of Jewish 16 years old in the UK youth will benefit from this enriching experience.