Washington, DC Wants You! Join Jewish teens from around the country in a city that has it all for a teen leader – Washington, DC. At Panim el Panim seminars teens see the city’s most famous tourist sites while gaining insider access to locations like the U.S. Capitol! Teens have the opportunity to meet and advocate with members of Congress, learn from experts on Israel, healthcare, the environment and today’s hottest topics, and do service projects that provide direct aid to those in need in the city.
Teens participating in Panim el Panim seminars walk away with enhanced skills as a community leader and a greater understanding of civic engagement. In addition, these skills will help strengthen your individual or regional Stand UP campaigns!
Registration is available for the 2015-2016 school year!
Panim el Panim integrates Jewish values with political action and community service during a 3-day seminar in Washington, DC. On Panim el Panim, teens interact with today’s hottest issues, leading experts, Congressional Offices, and outstanding Jewish educators.
Ready to Register?
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.
- Early Bird Registration: For each participant that the agency puts down a $100 non-refundable deposit by the deadline, the agency will receive a $50 discount on tuition.. These deposits are only refundable until this date, after this date they are fully non-refundable.
- Scholarship: Individual student forms are due by this date. Scholarship awards will be announced within a week and participants will have 1 week to accept, request additional funds, or withdraw from the program. If a student requests additional funds and we cannot meet their need, we will refund their deposit amount. This is the only reason we will refund a deposit. We will work very hard to meet all reasonable requests.
Scholarship applications received after this date will be processed as quickly as possible with whatever funds remain after the first batch. Those students will not be eligible for the deposit refun - Student & VF Forms: All student & staff forms are due by this date. At this date we may have to release rooms back to the hotel and we cannot guarantee space for any teens (or staff) who have not sent in their forms.
- Every group is eligible for the early bird discount (if deposits are received by that deadline) and either the group discount OR the individual scholarships.
Tell Me More! / Frequently Asked Questions
What will we do?
- Download a sample intinerary for a Panim el Panim seminar
Who can attend?
- These programs are open to all Jewish teens in 10th - 12th grade. Teens can sign up for seminars as individual participants or as part of a larger delegation. Feel free to bring a friend and share the experience together!
Are Scholarships Available?
- Scholarship funding is available for a life-changing Panim el Panim experience!
Scholarship forms.
Individuals may apply for need-based scholarship; funds are limited and based on availability. We will preference those participants who are able to leverage scholarship from other sources and strongly encourage everyone to seek outside funding aswell. When issuing scholarship awards, BBYO looks at the following criteria: Family income, Loss of job, Number of dependent children, Single parent household, Number of children in private school/college, Elderly care, Medical expenses, Unusual expenses or financial circumstances, Location. All applicants are expected to submit a personal statement as to why they wish to attend Panim el Panim and how they will “pay it forward” upon return.
Agency: In lieu of the individual scholarships, an agency may opt to distribute funding on its own. We can award you a bulk amount against the total tuition due, based on the number of teens you bring. Please see the “Dates and Numbers” section above.
I’m bringing a group in from quite a distance and we want to visit the US Holocaust Museum / The National Zoo / Smithsonian Museums / other tourist sites - will we still be able to do that?
- We have arranged with our new hotel to extend our room rate for a third night for any groups that wish to stay longer in DC. This will enable you to customize your group’s extended stay experience. Please speak directly to your Panim coordinator to discuss options for extending your stay – we are happy to recommend Kosher restaurants, pinpoint museums to visit, and more.
What is this hotel like?
- The Holiday Inn Capitol's location cannot be beat – it’s 2 blocks from the Capitol, there’s a metro entrance across the street, and the Smithsonian mall is 1 block away. The building is shared with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – which certainly ups the “DC feel” of the location!
Will the program provide Kosher food? Which caterer will we be using?
- We are happy to have Shalom’s Kosher Catering – our provider for many years. They are under the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington. You can find more information on them here: http://www.theshalomgroup.com/. If you have allergies or are vegetarian/vegan, please be sure to tell us on your registration form and we will follow-up with you and with the catering staff.
I’m new to all this – and I still have a lot of questions…
- Not to worry – we have a lot of answers! The best thing to do is email panim@bbyo.org. If we can’t answer your questions by email, we’re happy to arrange a time to talk by phone. We can also connect you with other agency professionals who have brought groups in the past.
Panim el Panim Forms and Documents
Parent / Guardian Waiver Form
Packing List for Panim el Panim
PEP Scholarship Form - coming soon!
Service site Waivers
Waiver for Capital Area Food Bank
Waiver for Washington Parks & People - Minors
Waiver for Washington Parks & People - Adults
Panim el Panim is Hebrew for “face to face.” Since 1988, 16,000 teens from more than 200 communities have traveled to Washington to participate in Panim el Panim. About 1,000 participants each year meet with Members of Congress and their staff, hear from policy experts, enjoy Washington's national monuments and historic sites and return home knowing that they have the power to make a difference!