The Louis August Jonas Foundation

The Louis August Jonas Foundation ("LAJF") operates Camp Rising Sun ("CRS") an international scholarship program for teenagers selected for their character, leadership potential and promise. We bring together a highly diverse group of gifted, highly motivated young people from all over the world to participate in a summer program carefully designed to promote personal growth, leadership skills, a service ethic, and intercultural understanding. Attendees are given full scholarships and come from over 30 different countries around the world. Funded and operated by the Louis August Jonas Foundation, Inc., CRS/Red Hook, and CRS/Clinton, is for young men and young women, respectively. Although each shares a similar program structure, each is distinct, and staff members are contracted for one or the other campus. The program is based on experiential learning. Students are given leadership and other responsibilities in running the program. They are challenged to explore areas in our program that are unfamiliar to them and develop their outlook. Staff plays a major role in challenging students and making them reflect on their experiences in order to develop in promising young people from diverse backgrounds a lifelong commitment to sensitive and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and the world.