4 Shluchos Create Program to Earn Credits for Education Degree

By Danit Schusterman

For years, Hindy Mintz, Chava Eidelman, Chaya Elishevitz and Nechama Farkash have been bringing young Lubavitch women who have just finished seminary out to their Chabad Houses to work in their schools and help run programs.

It is often a challenge to get young people to come out to work for them as many nowadays are pursuing a degree to further their own education. These four Shluchos got together to create a program where young women and men who are coming to work for them can now earn credits towards a degree in education.

“Twenty years ago, I got my Bachelors’s degree from TTI (Testing and Training International),” says Farkash. “I know many Shluchos who did the same thing which has helped them tremendously in having the right credentials to be a licensed preschool director and earn a respectable salary for teaching jobs that they would be doing, even without the degree.”

Farkash, Educational Director of Chabad of the Central Cascades in Issaquah, Washington, says that she and fellow Shlucha Chaya Elishevitz were discussing “how great it would be for these young men and women coming to work for us to be able to earn college credits while doing fieldwork in their shlichus work.”

After much research, Farkash discovered Trio Academy, a frum-owned company under the supervision of Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz. They are excited to be working with Chabad and opening up this great opportunity to both Shluchim, young women and soon to the bocherim who work for them.

They have created a program where those enrolled can earn 40-60 credits while doing shlichus work. Over 40 Chabad centers have signed up to join this program and there has been great feedback from parents, mechanchim and girls already enrolled in the program.

To ensure that young shluchim enrolling have a positive, meaningful experience and spend their year in an environment that will further their spiritual growth, a vaad of shluchos, mechanchos and a Rav are developing standards that will be adhered to and signed by Shluchim facilitating this program.

This vaad will manage the HR: Suggesting Contract formats where Clear work guidelines and expectations are laid out beforehand. Appropriate guidelines of conduct based on the teachings of Halacha and chassidus are upheld and the general wellbeing of the young shlucha is addressed.

These standards will provide participants and their parents with a sense of safety and assurance, knowing their children are in a healthy and positive environment while completing the program

Additionally, the vaad will assist Shluchim and their employees should the need for intervention or mediation arise.

“I am in touch with Mechanchos who are very excited about this opportunity and believe this can be a positive move to serve the needs of girls who may, for various reasons choose the shlichus route,” says Farkash. Their continuous guidance and input offered have been crucial in launching this program.

For young women who would like to teach on shlichus and earn credits toward a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, visit: https://trio.academy/trio-shlucha-program to see which Chabad Houses have signed up for this program and connect with them.

For Shluchim who would like to sign up for this program to facilitate this program to young women who will be working for them, visit https://trio.academy/contact