Camp Rising Sun Overview and Goals

The Louis August Jonas Foundation operates a full scholarship, international leadership summer program for teenagers selected for their character and leadership potential.  We bring together a diverse group of gifted, highly motivated young people from twenty countries around the world to participate in Camp Rising Sun - seven weeks of program carefully designed to promote personal growth, leadership skills, a service ethic, and intercultural understanding. 

The program is located at two full-service camps in Rhinebeck, New York.  Camp Rising Sun Red Hook is for young men, and Camp Rising Sun Clinton is for young women.  Although each shares a similar program structure, each is distinct, with separate Camp Directors and Staff.

Camper selection is overseen by a Committee of alumni who collaborate with local alumni selectors around the world.  In the New York City area, many schools and school staff members have relationships with the Louis August Jonas Foundation and nominate student candidates.  In other areas in the US and around the world, alumni selectors maintain close relationships with target schools.  Candidates may learn about the program from local alumni, our website, education journals, and many other resources.

The international scholarship program at Camp Rising Sun is defined by four key goals:

1. To foster an appreciation of both diversity and common humanity of the participants and encourage lasting friendships across boundaries of color, religion, gender, culture and nationality.
2. To expand the participant's intellectual horizons through serious discussion of personal and world issues and by encouraging introspection; to heighten artistic sensibilities through guided exploration.
3. To develop leadership abilities and self-reliance by encouraging each participant to take on significant projects and responsibilities for the program and to gain experience in motivating others.
4. To offer and demonstrate by action a strong working philosophy of living characterized by the belief that personal fulfillment flows from making lifelong commitments to serving society through the pursuit of humanitarian goals.