Building Jewish Leadership- Outside the Box

Who We Are

At the Outdoor Education Institute, we believe in the profound impact of nature, the outdoors and experiential education on personal growth and leadership

Our focus is to expand the exposure teens have to experiences that focus on Resilience and Leadership combined with Jewish Values.

We strive to build a community that is based on the common values of Responsibility, Camaraderie, Curiosity, Honesty.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide teens with unique educational experiences that harness the power of the natural world, guided by our Jewish values.

OUR PROGRAMS

  • Leadership Workshops

    Our single-day program provides learners with a unique opportunity to leave their comfort zone, grow as individuals and as a group in a short period of time. Learners will enhance their outdoor skills, work on teams building, and be provided with a glimpse of the type of leader they can be.

    Learn more

  • Weekend Seminar (Shabbaton)

    Our Weekend Seminars aim to connect learners to Jewish values through outdoor experiences and group challenges. Throughout the seminar learners will discover their personal leadership style, and the group will grow as a stronger unit.

  • Hikes and Adventures

    Our hikes offer an immersive outdoor experience that seamlessly blends hiking with educational content that focuses on leadership, mental and physical resilience and Jewish values. A journey where every step is a lesson.

  • Krav Maga and Fitness Session

    Our Krav Maga and Fitness Sessions are meant to increase confidence on the street, teach students methods that boost awareness, and give them practical self defense tools to deal with a situation if one may arise.

    Israel’s academies for leadership combine Krav Maga with military fitness to being out the best results in developing mental and physical toughness.

Who is this for?

Our specialized program is for anyone looking to help their community deepen their understanding of themselves.

For educators or parents who want to bond a group closer together, or have their teens learn how to become leaders in their community.

We work with schools, private groups, community centers, synagogues and more.

At the Outdoor Education Institute we believe in an inclusive program that is not bound together by structure, but by the will of the learners.

About me…

My name is Zev Chissick and I am an Israeli Educator deeply engaged in leadership development.
For the past 4 years I have been creating and leading unique leadership development activities for Jewish high schoolers in NYC.

Prior to that I was a combat medic and Krav Maga instructor in the IDF’s elite paratrooper reconnaissance platoon, and spent a year as a mentor at the “Neve Amiel At Risk Youth Village” in Israel in the Jezreal Valley.

My educational approach is rooted in 3 principles:

  1. 99% of the time we are inside our comfort zone, while our greatest memories and experiences take place in the 1% of times we are outside our comfort zones. We should always strive to expand that 1%.

  2. Nature, the outdoors and our Jewish values provide us with an immense toolbox of methodologies and ways to go about educating the next generation.

  3. It is our job as educators to constantly challenge ourselves to put ourselves outside of our own comfort zone (expand the 1%) to find new ways to engage with our learners.

Zev Chissick
Founder

 Contact

  • zev@outdooredinstitute.com
    +1(347)-761-1103