Hillel/City Year Alternative Break

Day 5

2012-01-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

Today we started off our morning with a little pump up music and the promise of another rewarding day at Allapata Middle School and Dunbar Elementary School. I found myself thinking of how this was going to be our last full day of service on the trip. I began to wonder how the trip had gone by so quickly. But I didn’t really have time to continue my thoughts because we had arrived at Allapata Middle School. After dropping off the lunch in the correct classroom we began our daily “firing up” exercises on the basketball courts with the city year staff, where we learned a new exercise. This new move consisted of lunges, spirit, and a lot of weird clapping. Soon after our group began to take on our first task of the day: painting the courtyard area in off-white. Weused a combination of rollers and smaller paint brushes to cover every last inch of the walls. After an hour or two of painting, parts of our group started to paint some of the murals that had been stenciled onto the wall, while others began to stencil words such as: persevere, imagine, and create onto the pillars of the courtyard. As I was stenciling the word “persevere” onto the wall, I began to picture future students walking through the courtyard. I wondered if they would notice the words that had once been painted onto the pillars by a bunch of college students, or if these words would simply blend into the background like I imagine the previously cracked paint and faded messages once did. I then thought of how I used to feel inspired by a poster from my high school that read “perseverance is one of the biggest keys to success.” This poster used to make me feel motivated every time I passed it, no matter how bad a mood I was in.

After lunch, we watched a film called Waiting for Superman. This film taught us of the many flaws in America’s education system including: bad teachers, lack of funding, tenure, the lottery system for entry into certain schools, and the tangled web of the federal government’s ideas of a good educational system versus the state. When discussing the film with the group, I think a lot of us were shocked by how complicated the educational system of America had become. For instance, a child could fail a test in one state, but he/she could then drive down an hour to another state and take the same test, and their score would be considered a passing grade! Signals were clearly very mixed up between states concerning the fundamental standards of passing versus failing. Another idea that struck me was that a child could be stuck in a horrible public school, simply because they lived in a bad neighborhood. Furthermore, they could potentially have the chance to switch to a better public school or charter school; however, 1000 kids could be applying to a school like that when there are only 100 spots available! So these kids’ entire futures could be riding on one lottery number. I found this to be completely baffling.

Nonetheless, we continued to Dunbar Elementary School after the movie and were instructed to lead the class that we had been working with in a few field games. My group played a few basic games including toilet tag, the human knot, and leap frog. One moment that stood out to me was when we decided to join the kids in creating a human knot of arm and legs. The kids were able to free themselves of the knot in a matter of seconds, but once the bigger college kids got involved, the whole game got a lot trickier. It took us several minutes to untangle ourselves from the knot, and when we did, for some reason we ended up with two separate groups (which is not supposed to happen) and all the college kids were like “oops something must have gotten messed up.” But the kids had a completely different reaction; they thought they had done something extra special that had led us to make not only once circle but two. They were so pleased with themselves that they were high fiving each other and we just couldn’t bring ourselves to tell them that it was in fact a mistake, since they seemed to be so proud of themselves.

It was hard saying goodbye to the kids I had worked with at the end of the day, but despite my sadness, I feel pleased that I was able to connect with these kids on a pretty deep level, even if I had only known them for three days. I was reminded of how younger children are so willing to share things about themselves and how interested and curious they are to learn about others as well. All in all, it was another tiring, but mostly satisfying day in Miami.

Katie Shepard, University of Binghamton

Day 4 was a day to be Superman

2012-01-13T11:59:00.000-08:00

Originally posted: Thursday January 6, 2012

Today was our third day at Allapattah Middle School. Just as the other days, they had us doing manual labor in preparation to beautify the school. This would hopefully make the atmosphere of the school a better learning environment.

We worked on building benches, picnic tables, and shelves. Because of the nice weather, we were outside and it was really great. As we worked, we listened to music. Listening to music and laughing with friends, we really developed a sense of community. It was an enlightening experience because together we realized how much we were helping others while still having a great time. Although we did not finish these projects, we progressed at a good rate.

After lunch, we started to watch the movie, “Waiting For Superman”. It is a documentary about a few kids in different school systems throughout the country. These kids were all struggling with getting a proper education because the schools in their districts were failing. This means that the majority of the students in the school system were not getting a good education therefore failing the standardized tests necessary to pass each grade. The students in this movie were looking for a better place to attend school. Unfortunately, the different charter and prep schools they could attend with either no cost or very low cost only had a small number of spots for incoming students. The way that students to attend in the next year were chosen was through a lottery. Therefore these children were forced to leave their education to chance.

After the movie, we went to Dunbar Elementary School for the last time. We all truly loved the kids we were able to work with. These kids were hardworking and motivated, and they all seemed to enjoy the time we were able to spend with them. On this last day, we played different games with them outside. In the 45 minutes we had with them we were able to play three games: Sharks and Minnows, Baby I Love You, and Red Light Green Light. We all had a great time, however all too soon it was time to leave. As we were saying goodbye, many were asked if we were coming back tomorrow. It was heartbreaking to have to tell them that it was our last day. We all made a connection with the children we were working with and no one wanted to leave. It was truly amazing that we were able to get so close with these fifth graders in just a few hours.

After Dunbar, we took some time to debrief with the City Year people. In a circle we talked about the different things we learned from the experience. Many different questions were asked including: when is it okay to give up on a kid, what ways do you think the school systems can be improved, and what can we do to make the level of learning improve in failing schools. The answers that everyone gave were very interesting, and we realized that there were many things that we could do for kids like these.

Samantha Susson ‘15, University of Delaware

Welcome To Miami

2012-01-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome To Miami
Posted by: Meredith Abel (originally) on: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:00am

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” On the first official day of not only 2012, but also of Miami Alternative Break, the president of Temple Israel of greater Miami offered this proverb. This quote truly has meaning to me especially considering I can still remember it at the end of the day. What it signifies is very simple, yet also very profound: together we can. One person may not have the resources to accomplish a goal, but when band together as a community of any size, anything is possible.

Aside from poverty and social justice, one core theme of this trip is community. What is it? How do we get it? Can we create it? If so, how? Even the term community service has the intrinsic value of “community” built in it. Among the myriad of activities we participated in today, we began with community service in one of Miami’s prominent graveyards. I personally contributed by raking leaves around the graves and disposing them in garbage bags. When looking back on the morning, however, I don’t necessarily think about the physical work, but rather the symbolism behind it. I worked with people I hadn’t previously spoken to, and by fusing two rakers together and two bag holders together, this service in itself helped to create a small community for myself. It wouldn’t have been as significant if we hadn’t worked together to accomplish the task. By starting the trip facing death, I am more encouraged to enhance life.

Later in the day, after basking in the sun for a little while, we were confronted with a speech by Doreen, a speaker from the organization faces of the homeless. To keep things brief and light, her story basically resembled the reality of an episode of Law and Order: SVU, except that her story took place over thirty years rather than a single hour. After hearing the horrific story, and asking many questions, my immediate thought was what am I going to do about this? There were so many deeper concerns, thoughts, and frustrations that overwhelmed me. No one should ever go through what this woman went through. Although, I am glad I heard this story, because it was just the piece I needed to inspire me for the rest of this week. Her story helped explain the reason why I am here.

Beyond all of the ice breakers, beautiful weather, and delicious meals, this trip is about making a difference to both those we are helping and also to ourselves. How can we help them and how can helping them help us individually? This day was full of questions, full of sun, and full of fun. It was a fantastic beginning to what I believe will be a very meaningful week.

Day 3

2012-01-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

Another early morning and chilly weather had our energy level low as we boarded the bus to head back to Allapattah Middle School. While we were all excited to be continuing our work, we needed a serious enthusiasm infusion. Upon our arrival at the school, the CityYear staff greeted us with the spark of energy we needed. Our morning warmup, though we were reluctant to get moving, was fast-paced and got us active. In an odd twist, the “Peel the Banana” exercise got us laughing and smiling. They had us go through motions of peeling, chopping, smashing and eating bananas, and had us ending off dancing around “going bananas.” It gave us the drive to get out and work, as silly as it sounds.

We got engaged in a large variety of jobs, helping to beautify all areas of the school. While some groups painted the walls of the school, started to reorganize a storage room, the Montreal and Delaware group got busy repainting the basketball court. The old and faded court lines were making for a rather somber athletic environment. We used some bright colors, blue and banana yellow to be specific, to give the court some new character. As the morning went on, we had the good fortune of watching our hard work culminate into a visible change in the school. The colors kept our spirits high, and kept us motivated to work harder and harder to make the school increasingly beautiful.

After lunch, half of the group went to Dunbar Elementary School to have a field day with the students. We organized three stations; math bingo, educational jeopardy, and some outdoor games to keep them active. The outdoor games got not only the kids, but also the Hillel students, running around the field, and ended with us being out of breath. Getting engaged with the elementary students on that competitive and entertaining level created a personal connection between the groups. The educational games allowed the Hillel students to watch the elementary students engage with their studies, and allowed us to get an inside look at the educational system.

Our students left the day’s activities with a new connection with the community they are volunteering in. We got the chance to see a real change at Allapattah and forge concrete links with students. This real change created powerful discussion over dinner and among the student campuses, who also managed to create meaningful relationships between each other. We ended the days feeling empowered and prepared for another day of work, though exhausted from the work we have already done.

Daniel Etcovitch, Hillel Montreal

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

After waking up ridiculously early, we were on the road by 8:00 a.m. Our destination: Allapattah Middle School, where we will spend the rest of the week with City Year, dividing our time between the aesthetics of the campus/building, and tutoring the students. In the morning, the Hopkins crew was teamed up with Broward, and we were assigned the task of repainting the basketball court. It was cold, with the wind dragging down the temperature even more, but it was cool to see our project come together into a noticeably nicer court.
After lunch, we had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Leonid Feldman, the first Russian to be ordained as a rabbi in the United States. He spoke about the question asked and answered by the book of Genesis: Am I my brother’s keeper? He related it to the Jewish quest for social justice, and the fact that it took generations of familial betrayal – Noah and his contemporaries, Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, Jacob and Esau, Jacobs twelve sons – before Joseph finally forgives his brothers and answers the question in the affirmative; as a people, we have an obligation to fight for our brothers and sisters. Rabbi Feldman linked the Biblical story to his own background; as a dissident to the USSR, he was imprisoned and was released thanks to the persistence of the worldwide Jewish population to support the “illegal” Jews of the Soviet Union.
When his speech was over, a panel of City Year workers answered questions we might have about the program, and it seems like a valuable and interesting approach to improving the American educational system. When that was over, we were put into small groups, which were each assigned a class to assist. In my case, I was paired up with a sixth grader named Chastity, and was told to teach her about proportions in fractions – the planned lesson for tomorrow. It was rewarding to work with her and accomplish my goal, but at the same time it was disheartening to see people with such fewer educational advantages that I had and continue to have. It makes me respect City Year even more.
We were rewarded at the end of the day with a night out on Lincoln Road, a cute shopping area in Miami Beach. So far, this trip has been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see it through!

AWB 2012 Miami Begins

2012-01-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

After a long day of planes and bus rides, we finally arrived at the hotel by the University of Miami Hillel. We were so excited to finally get to meet all of the wonderful people that we are going to spent the next week with.

Once we were all settled in at the hotel, we headed over to the UMiami Hillel for a pasta and meatballs dinner. Personally, the rugelach was my favorite part! Everyone started talking and doing “Jewish Geography”, and it turns out that we really are all connected in one way or another.

After dinner, we went outside to do some icebreakers. This led to a lot of laughs and getting to know each other, and the group became more comfortable around each other. As much as we wanted to stay and learn more, it was time to go back to the hotel to rest up for the busy day ahead of us.

Today, the first official day of the trip, has been quite eventful so far. At 9 A.M., we loaded the buses and headed over to a local synagogue, Temple Israel of Greater Miami. We played some games (ninja, anyone?), and then headed over to a cemetery. We learned a little bit about the history of the cemetery and about Miami, and then were split into groups. We grabbed shovels, gloves, rakes, rags, and buckets of water and split up around different areas of the cemetery. It was interesting to learn different things about the people who were buried there, and to see the different areas. We weeded, raked, and cleaned, and we felt a true sense of accomplishment once we were done.

After cleaning up at the cemetery and washing our hands, we went back to the synagogue and enjoyed some lunch. Well it’s time to get back to the program! Thanks for following the blog!

With love,

UDelaware Participants

Reflections by Hillel at Binghamton

2011-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Update to Parents

Posted by: Rabbi Shalom Kantor on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 9:22:07 am | Comments (0)

It has been an amazing week from the hours of service that we preformed in the morning recreating the Northwest Boys and Girls Club with paint, new benches, murals, tables to the special afternoons we spent with the children of the Kendall Boys and Girls club in the afternoon. Each and every student on this trip made such a difference and added immeasurable amounts to our community. We ended the week with a beautiful Shabbat with some much needed and deserved relaxation and reflection on all that we had accomplished.

As our students return home we asked them all to make some sort of commitment to continuing some of the work or incorporating the lessons of the week into their lives and their insights into how they wanted to do this were beautiful and moving.

I (Rabbi Shalom) look forward to many more adventures with our students as we continue to build our own community, our connection to our heritage, and work together to make the world a better place for all of humanity.

We will be up loading pictures to our web site within the next week and hope you will check back to see the actual work that we all did.

Until then blessings and L'chaim

Rabbi Shalom Kantor

Our Last Day

Posted by: Michael Weinberg on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 8:48:16 pm

Yesterday was our last day working with the kids at the Boys and Girls Club in Coral Gables, and honestly even though we are going to the beach today, I would rather go back to the Boys and Girls Club and work with the kids I’ve interacted with. No one wanted to leave, and everyone I talked to agreed they wanted to come back. Probably the hardest part was saying goodbye to the kids that I didn’t have time to help that day that I helped in the past few days, since I was with other kids that I had been helping; as I was leaving, a kid I worked with the day before named Sebastian looked at me and asked me if I could help, and I had to say I was leaving. This was like a recurring theme for me; each day before we left, groups of kids would come up to me and ask for help with all their work, and when each day I had to leave knowing that there were dozens of kids that I could easily help with just a few more minutes, I would pretty much wait until the last minute to go outside to the debriefing.

A few things I really liked: the smiles on my kids’ faces when they figured something out on their own or when I taught them tricks to make homework go faster, when Caroline told me she wanted to run an animal shelter and work at the Vet’s office when she grows up, when Daniel (a kid) beat Daniel (an adult) in pool, and when I saw much of the completed work we’ve done. Some of my kids live lives of relative privilege, however not all of them do, and in both cases, I feel I can make a difference in their futures by sharing insight and experience from my life, as well as helping them understand the relevance of their homework. But for now, it’s 86 degrees outside, and I have no choice but go to the beach; I suppose I could stand to hang out in Miami beach for a few hours!

Day 3: Reading with kids

Posted by: Nicole Richards on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 8:55:03 pm

Today was our third day of service and our second day working with the children at the Kline Boys and Girl’s club. While I was excited to continue my service work, I couldn’t help feeling very uneasy walking into the club. On Tuesday I’d been paired with a seven year old named Gabriel. My first impression of him was that he is a sweet faced young blonde with a bit of a trouble-making streak in him. However, as the afternoon progressed, I realized that of all the children I’d interacted with, this child closest fit the definition of “at risk youth.” He spoke of fights and other things that are highly inappropriate for a seven year old. His way of showing off to his friends was by insulting them. It was pretty clear that his ideas of fun will warp towards drugs and fighting as he gets older. Today I learned that he is a year behind in school because, as he nonchalantly told me, “I get bad grades”. Additionally, he “loves violence.”

Most troubling was the way he sensed that adults do not have a lot of confidence in his abilities. I think he has just as much potential as any other child there.

I left today feeling even more mixed then I had the day before. When reading with Gabriel, I found myself getting frustrated with his lack of enthusiasm to the point where I couldn’t help but wish that I could just read the story to him. This thought, and deciding to work against that thought, reminded me why I am here, on this trip, in the first place. Other adults have not been giving Gabriel a chance, and probably would have given up and read him the rest of the story in order to get it over with. But I know what it’s like to have the academic adults looking down on you; it’s an awful feeling. I believe in Gabriel’s potential, and I also believe he does not believe in his own potential, and I refuse to be yet another adult letting him give up on himself.

Reflections looking back

Posted by: Jeff Steinberg on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 9:19:28 am

Over the past few days I have had the opportunity to spend time with a young boy at the Boys and Girls Club of Miami. A typical visit has consisted of reading with him, playing games, and generally trying to learn more about his origin. Even though I shared three afternoons with him, it still was not enough to reach out to him in a way I had hoped.

Today, however, I read a book to him that related very well to this entire trip as a whole. The story was about an impoverished fisherman who had saved a fish, who had in turn granted him a wish. The fisherman asked the fish to provide him with a bigger house. Ultimately, the wish was granted, but the fisherman was not pleased, as he asked the fish to keep improving his lifestyle. A few wishes later, the fisherman had a large enough house and plenty of food for him and others, but could not become satisfied. Eventually, the fish became so insulted that he took everything away from the fisherman, even the worn down hut he had originally lived in. The fisherman realized that after all of that, he just wanted his old lifestyle back.

Basically, this story reminds me of our society today. Many privileged people take what they have for granted and get carried away with materialism. The societal norm, unfortunately, is to always one-up the people around them, whether it’s driving the fanciest car on the block or being the best dressed out of a group of friends. It bothers me that people tend to lose sight of community and selfishly think only about themselves. This book is a great example of someone who wants more without even needing more.

On this trip, I have realized that everything I have is a privilege that I should feel lucky for, while many of these kids at the Club do not have the same opportunities that I had growing up. Instead of being selfish and always asking for luxury items, we should focus more on the necessities. The fact of the matter is, there are underprivileged people in the world, and I bet the homeless out on the street do not appreciate those individuals driving around Mercedes Benz’ while being left coughing in the dust. Even though I feel that I didn’t really impact the boy I had mentored, I feel that I learned so much more than I thought I would through this experience. With privilege comes choices, and it is up to us to decide the right choices.

Day 2: Building our souls and making a difference

Posted by: Alysia Siegel on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:57:43 pm

March 22, 2011 – Miami ASB

Today was one of those days that was good for the soul; the kind that just fills you up. We started the morning with some old fashioned manual labor. I really liked what we were doing (stretching canvases) because I had learned how to do that in the painting class I took back in Binghamton, so I felt like I was able to share some of my first hand experience with the rest of the group. I enjoyed the second half of the day even more. We went to another Boys and Girls Club to actually work with kids. I helped a 12 year old boy named Adrian with his homework. At first when one of the teachers assigned me to help him he said, “I don’t know why she thinks I need help. I can do my homework on my own and I don’t need anyone else”. In response to this apparently difficult attitude I said, “I know you can do it but why don’t you explain your homework to me”. In this way I was able to bring him to realize maybe I could help him out a little bit. It felt nice to see him let me in this small way. Adrian seems like one of those kids who are a bit of challenge but only need a little extra time with things for them to come around. He seemed surprised that a bunch of college students from New York would come to spend any amount of time with them. He even said to me, “I wouldn’t do that”. I just tried my best to share some things about myself with him as I was helping him with his spelling and math homework. Maybe I did have some impact on his day as he asked if we were coming back tomorrow and quietly said perhaps he would see me then. I wonder about the impact we will have long term on these kids but I take comfort in the fact that they also will have an impact on us which we will always have. I’m excited for another day like today and I hope I get to work Adrian again in the afternoon so we can continue learning from each other.

Day 1: Welcome to Miami

Posted by: Nathan Shapiro on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:56:37 pm

Tonight, we listened to a Faces of Homelessness Panel. We listened to several speakers who had experienced poverty and homelessness and how they were able to recover from these experiences. One of these speakers discussed how she had run away from home as a youth and had never been motivated to succeed in life. She said that if “one person had told her to go to college, she probably would never have gone to jail.” I realized that sometimes all it takes it the words of one person to make a difference in someone’s life. I think that it is this fact that makes my experience here meaningful.

Nathan Shapiro

Day 1: Welcome to Miami

Posted by: Lauren Nevidomsky on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:55:51 pm

Monday, March 21, 2011:

The experiences I had today really opened up my eyes. The day before I left on this trip my mom and I dropped hundreds of dollars on shoes. Then, on the way to the airport, I complained to my parents how some people don’t even have $5 on them when we are at school. I never dealt with poverty before this. Today I met with senior citizens who might only be eating one meal a day, a meal that they aren’t even providing for themselves. It’s just a weird experience. I can’t wait to see what situations I will be thrust into next.

Day 1: Welcome to Miami

Posted by: Jacob Schwartz on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:50:22 pm

Monday, March 21, 2011:

Our 72 person group walked into a JCS meal for the elderly and began to mingle with the 60+ year olds who were there. Some of them were poor, this being their only meal of the day, but some were not; they were just there for the company. I walked up to a table with three men who were probably in their 70s or 80s. “Do you speak Hebrew?” one of them asked, in hebrew. “A little,” I answered, also in hebrew. He was of medium build with blonde hair and a mustache. He then proceeded to tell a bunch of risqué jokes involving Israeli soldiers and American girls, along with some serious advice about volunteering in Israel. He was funny and charismatic, making my experience at JCS fun and memorable. I got up to serve the food and by the time I was done, the man had left.

Jacob Schwartz

Our Boots Are On Fire!

2011-03-25T05:39:00.001-07:00

We learn from the Torah numerous values and guidelines we should live our life by. We are taught especially in Pirkei Avot to acquire yourself a teacher, make for yourself a great friend and judge people favorably. The other day working at the Boys & Girl's club I was blessed to witness all three. Everyday we acquired ourselves a teacher, learning from the students we worked one on one with and from each person on our trip. I am grateful to have spent time with one specific scholar who told me that we were similar than I thought. When I asked him to explain further he pointed to my Israel bracelet and said, "I am Jewish, too. I've been to Israel." My face lit up as the child continued to finish his homework and I was impressed by the connection a young eight year old could make to a faith he perhaps did not practice continuously at home. Although I do not belong to a specific University on this trip, I've made for myself some wonderful friends. This trip brought people together from all over the country forcing people to leave their comfort zones. As the days progress our stereotypes and preconceived notions of the children and ourselves have started to diminish. So as we continue to help improve a small part of Miami, we learn that we cannot do it all. however, there is no better place to being to improve the world than with ourselves.

ASB Miami Thursday March 24, 2011 Kent+ Group :]

2011-03-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today we continued working at the NW Boys and Girls Club. The Kent Plus group finally got to work outside under the beautiful Miami sun. Some of us painted cubbies and book shelves while others worked on their carpentry skills building benches. Today's work was a clear indicator of the tremendous strides our entire ASB Miami group has made working along side City Year for just three days. It truly staggers the mind when we came to the realization of how much people can accomplish in their charity efforts. Especially when their diligent organization and overwhelming sense of group dedication and motivation is as evident as it is in this group of volunteers.

Later in the day, we spent our last afternoon with the children at the Kline Unit of the Boys and Girls Club. It was a very bittersweet goodbye but many of the volunteers developed meaningful relationships with some of the children. We may even have the opportunity to continue communication through a Pen Pal system! Whether we helped/talked to a kid for 5 minutes or an hour, we truly believe we've made a difference in their lives and each of us has learned something from interacting with every child.

Group discussion for tonight was particularly touching for the people in our group because we talked about privilege and the ladder of charity. We took a survey that evaluated the level of privilege in our lives. We also discussed varying definitions of privilege and how accurate they were for specific contexts in addition to how they can be applied to our everyday lives after this trip. It was a good time for personal reflection about gratitude and realizing how people who are more privileged in life should always pay it forward.

Illini Take on Miami - Day 3 :)

2011-03-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

When we were seven years old, we were taught to give Tzedakah, the Jewish value of giving charity. At the time, we may not have fully understood it, maybe even taken it for granted, but every Sunday we would show up at our various religious schools with our change.

As the years went on we learned more and more about ways we can help the world through "tikkun olam" and always connected it to our Jewish roots.

As we find ourselves in a community of fewer resources than many of us are used to, we feel pride in being surrounded by so many amazing people who grew up with the same Jewish values.

Today, as well as the last few days, have been filled with numerous moments, both touching and enlightening. In the mornings, we've been working at the Northwest Boys and Girls Club. We've talked about how it takes a community to raise a child and here we see first-hand a community coming together to makes things better for hundreds of children.

Our group continued a project that a different group had started yesterday. We traced inspirational quotes as well as motivational signs on about 20 canvases. the quotes included, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress" by Frederick Douglass and "Reach for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land amongst the stars."

These quotes will be something that children can look at everyday for years to come and hopefully, can encourage them to continue their love of learning and always keep a positive attitude when it comes to school.

Before dinner, we were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to listen to Rabbi Feldman, a Rabbi from Palm Springs, come to speak to us about how our week relates to Judaism. Among the amazing concepts he spoke to us about, one that stood out to us was the fact that word Hebrew translates to mean the word alternative (as in alternative spring break).

This connected us back to our Jewish values that we learned when we were little and really helped us connect the work we're doing and relive the lesson we've been learning all along -- Tzedakah!

Ashley Abramowicz and Rachel Segal

Hillel at Davis and Sacramento - Reflection from Tuesday, March 22

2011-03-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite moments of the day was visiting the Holocaust memorials in Miami. After the physical part of our day was over, before we went out to enjoy our night, we went to see the memorial. It was really moving. Many of the members of the group have been to Holocaust memorials in other parts of the world, but the one in Miami was impacting in a different way. It was a visual representation of the 6 million Jews who perished in ghettos and camps during World War II. The visual representation of the people truly invoked strong emotions. It almost seemed as if the statues were going to move. They were extremely realistic. And to see so many names on the wall was just insane.
The rest of our trip so far has been about creating a positive environment and keeping a good energy and the visiting. So far, we have enjoyed everything, but our favorite part has been working with the children. Getting to actually meet the people in the community that we were working for was motivating and a lot of fun. Even in such a short time, a lot of the kids bonded with the Hillel students.

Miami, Day 1

2011-03-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

We started our day by having breakfast as a group downstairs in the hotel. Then we loaded up the buses and went on a forty- minute drive to the Senior Care Program, where we spent the morning with senior citizens. When i say 40 minutes I mean it was supposed to be 40 minutes... But after a medical glitches and quick pit stop at the local family clinic we were finally on our way. Once we got to the Senior Center the students and clients got an instrument and we all introduced ourselves through a name game. A lady who was 104 years old even sang to us. Then we sang karaoke for them including songs like "I Will Survive" which in hindsight may have been a bit off-color for the centogenarians in the audience. We also had time to share our stories with the elderly, despite the language barrier of Spanish and English. Then we went to a local park and ate lunch with a side of tanning! Then we drove to visit an after-school program in Liberty City. There, we heard Alison Austin, the CEO, talk about The Freedom School and the importance of giving back to society and helping the impoverished communities. Then we learned a little "harambee" and the"good job" cheer that we sang with the students. If nothing else, the afternoon offered further proof that white jewish kids got no rhythm but a lot of chutzpah. After a fun afternoon, we got on the bus to University of Miami Hillel and had some excellent Kosher pizza for dinner. We heard stories from the "Faces of the Homeless" program, a branch of AmeriCorps. Three people shared their personal accounts of being homeless and how they rose above it to become strong members of society. Then we separated into our respective schools to reflect on our day and what we thought about poverty, giving back, and volunteering. It was overall an emotional and inspiring day full of fun and laughter!

Aimee Epstein

Pictures!

2011-03-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

Reflections

2011-03-22T06:13:00.003-07:00

Yesterday we started off the day by going to Nora Sterry Elementary School in inner city Los Angeles. We split up into small groups and began our projects for the week as we tried to better the schools playground area. Within these groups some painted, sandpapered wood, or knocked down an old wood fence. My group, The VanGoughs, started painting the word "Welcome" in many different languages as an entrance mural for the school.
After eating a brief lunch we moved to Palms Elementary School to assist them in their after school program. We enjoyed helping students with their homework, playing outside sports and talking with them and learning about their backgrounds. I connected with a young girl who wanted to play a different game. We got a huge group of students and volunteers together and played a big game of kickball. The students were so enthusiastic about the game and were commenting on how they have never played so long because it was never this fun. They all were so positive and happy to be playing. What I loved was the fact that they all had really great attitudes even though the team I was on was losing badly.
Other volunteers learned things from the elementary school students such as step dance moves and new games. After spending a few hours at the school we went to have another great dinner at Hillel where we had some yummy tacos. We also had a guest speaker who talked about public education in the state of California. We then broke into campus groups and the Michigan State students had a great discussion reflecting on our great experiences so far. We had a great time working with the kids and doing service and we cannot wait to finish our projects and play with the kids more this week!
-Taylor Lederman

Day 3 Reflections

2011-03-22T06:13:00.001-07:00

After a night of reflection our team of volunteers came back to the schools with more enthusiasm, lingering questions, and excitement to start another great day of service. We arrived at the work sites determined to integrate our freshly defined knowledge of what kind of impact we’d like to make and better ways to accomplish our goals.
The day began with our now ritual physical training, surplus water, and sunscreen. The biggest obstacle of our day could have easily been the harsh California heat, rising to around 75 degrees. Although, there was some physical and mental exhaustion the team was able to overcome it with positive attitudes, teamwork, and great conversation. Many of us were able to become a little closer to the city year staff and got a really great inside look on the great organization that planned our trip. As we came closer to finishing the second half of our day we finally able to see some finished products of our hard work. It’s only our second day working on our projects, but they already look great and we feel so proud of our hard work.
The afternoon spent with the kids in the after school program gave us a really fun break. Many of the kids remembered our names and faces and couldn’t wait for us to start playing games with them. It’s really exciting to see all of the relationships that have already formed between the kids and the volunteers, but also scary to think of only having one more day together.
As we filled on the bus to head back there was a lot of excitement for the upcoming night in Santa Monica. We all enjoyed shopping, good meals, and some therapeutic beach time. As a group we all had a great time star gazing, feeling the ocean, and getting to know each other better. To wrap the night up, a few of us grabbed some food at IN IN OUT, the most popular fast food chain in Cali, and made aware of the seriousness of Jay- walking. It’s been an amazing time with a nice mix of service and sightseeing, and I look forward to another great day tomorrow.
-Emily Berlin

What's Next?

2011-03-22T06:12:00.003-07:00

Terrified…Lost…Enthusiastic…Motivated...These are only a few emotions that can begin to describe how some of us ASB’ers are feeling. This trip has been taken to a whole new level, and it’s safe to say I think some of us are even at a loss of words. As I’m sitting here reflecting upon this overall experience, and our last day with the children at Palms Elementary school, I really am having trouble…It’s difficult to verbalize all of the thoughts and emotions encompassing my brain. I have never, since the day I’ve wanted to be an educator, experienced the emotions I felt yesterday. Some often say that “goodbye” isn’t forever, and with these children I’d like to say it isn’t for me. But as we hugged our kids, turned our backs from names being screamed, and wiped the streaming tears off of our cheek, one can’t help but feel that forever, is forever. I know, along with each and every person on this trip, that the service we have done for these children, and this community the past week, has left an imprint. Some of those kids did not want to say bye to us, and probably couldn’t fathom the fact that we would never be back again. But the question is, what do we do now? We’ve volunteered with these inner-city schools for 4 days, and made a world of a difference. Now, the future is in our hands. We’ve seen how poorly run these schools are, and the lacking beauty of the school’s appearance. From the picnic tables we worked our butts off to create, to the beautiful murals we painted on the walls, these schools have already been transformed. As we sat there on Thursday saying goodbye to the kids, and stood there Friday looking out to all of the beautiful work we created, there were no words. That final day of service almost made me feel like I was hit by a truck; I was lost and confused, yet extremely motivated and FIRED UP! It’s our job as not only future educators, but humans in this world, to create what’s next to come. Together, we need to do something that will make a difference for forever. After all, ASBers, haven’t we learned that together is better than alone?
-Lucy Keller

Final Touches

2011-03-22T06:12:00.001-07:00

Today started out just like every other workday of our trip. Unfortunately it was our last day at Nora Sterry elementary school. We started off with PT with our amazing city year crew. We then split up into our work groups and began to finish all of the projects we started at the beginning of the week. My group was fortunate enough to work on the project we started on our first day. We finished putting together the reading benches, re-stained the picnic tables and painted checkerboards onto them for the kids. We then were able to walk around and see all of the amazing projects that we as a group were able to accomplish in such a little amount of time.
Then, during lunch we had a closing ceremony that wrapped up the entire week. City year and Hillel leaders spoke and thanked the entire 100 college students for the work they put in this week. Also, the principal of Nora Sterry spoke to us about how appreciative she, her staff and all of her kids were for what we did to improve their school. We then were apart of the kid’s fire drill towards the end lunch. There, some of the kids came up to the microphone and spoke to us and thank us for the work that we did. It was great to see how their smiles and hear how happy they were that we did this for them.
At the end of the day we headed back to the hotel to get ready for Shabbat. We met up in the lobby of the hotel and headed to Hillel with everyone for services and dinner. We were able to choose between services or discussions that were being held over topics that related to our work this week. During dinner, we were able to meet tons of Jewish students from UCLA and talk to them about our experiences over the past week. After dinner we split up into different groups and had a boundary breaking activity where we learned a lot about other people on the trip. This was a very good way to end the night and close off the week as we entered into Shabbat.
-Jenna Pickman

Slideshow- City Year LA

2011-03-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSIHbZVC69U&feature=player_embedded

Lasting Thoughts

2011-03-22T06:08:00.001-07:00

Wow. After going into the week with curbed expectations, having never participated in an Alternative Break trip as a staff member nor a student, I cannot begin to explain what an eye-opening experience our trip to L.A. was. The week was filled with motivational speakers, countless group discussions (probably too many if you were to ask a student), hours of service work in the scorching L.A. sun, and of course, endless amounts of fun.

Our first speaker, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, talked about the trip, and asked whether students thought it was a service trip or a learning trip. A majority of students were quick to shout that it was strictly a service trip, but I'm sure if you asked those same students today, their answers would be different.

What is the goal of 4 days of service work in a new environment?
Is the goal to improve the schools and leave a lasting impression on the students we've helped?
Are we doing more harm then help in becoming role models for young kids and then disappearing on a whim?
Is it more beneficial to donate the trips cost to LA schools, which would allow them to afford many more tangible supplies than we created in a weeks worth of time?

These are all questions that we struggled with and discussed throughout the week. Questions that left us overwhelmed, exhausted, inspired, open-minded, and FIRED UP (as the City Year members would say). While I can't speak for anyone but myself, I'd say that after a week of service, it is clear that the service City Year puts together has little to do with the direct effect our work has on the LA community or its students, but to the participants themselves.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU GET HOME?

The afterschool program we participated in at Palms Elementary, stationed in West LA doesn't seem like such an impoverish neighborhood. But when you hear from their principal, who tells you that 84% of their students families live below the poverty line, and 99% of their students live in apartments, some with more than 6 siblings, it brings everything into perspective. The program we worked with, funded by the city of LA for families that can't afford after-school care, employs ONE WOMAN for 60 STUDENTS. 60!

First grade Brandon, whom I helped with his math homework, and couldn't quite grasp the idea of counting by ones, is an anomaly for inner city students across the country. He told me "the police took away his Mom's car," and has to ride 2 buses to pick him up from school. With over-sized classrooms, 3 hours round-trip travel time to and from school, and no after school homework help, how is Brandon supposed to learn?

For kids like Brandon who may never receive one-on-one attention, the effects of our time at Palms Elementary may be insurmountable. As we stood outside during a fire drill on Friday afternoon, Principal Smith had students come to the microphone and explain which of our projects they were most thankful for. As the kids showed their gratitude one by one, it became more difficult for many that spent their Spring Break doing service to refrain from tears (maybe myself included). It is not only the students that we worked to make a difference for last week, but the idea that their are kids like this no matter what community you live in.

The message that I took from this week is that their is hope, but not without us. A week of service cannot end when we step onto the plane to Detroit, because there are thousands of Brandon's across the country, in every community, of every state. After spending the week with an amazing group of motivating, thought-provoking individuals, privileged with the power to make a difference in the world,it left me with one closing thought that a teacher from an LA Charter School told us earlier in the week, "The happiest people are doing the things they love the most."

Follow what you are most passionate about, whether it's health-care, human rights, or education, and we can all make a difference.

So, what are you going to do next?

-Josh Fishman
MSU Hillel Program Associate

Taking a break to make a difference

2011-03-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Published in The State News on March 13, 2011

For a long time I’ve considered myself a pessimist or cynic — capable of seeing the problems in life and providing negative criticism, but struggling with finding real solutions.

When it comes to educational reform and providing effective education for all public school students in the U.S. — specifically low-income students in poor schools — it’s easy to point out what’s wrong, but difficult to figure out exactly how to fix it.

Even when solutions are proposed, it’s much easier to doubt their effectiveness and question results than actually try them out.

During spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles with MSU Hillel (alongside Hillel groups from other universities across Michigan and the U.S.) to volunteer in low-income elementary schools in a partnership with City Year’s Los Angeles Service Corps and Care Force.

During the program, I was able to get first-hand experience with a few potential solutions to education problems. My pessimistic ideology began to crack.

My fellow volunteers and I spent our mornings working on construction and painting projects to improve and beautify the schools. We spent our afternoons hanging out with at-risk students at another elementary school.

We organized pickup games of soccer, kickball and four square.

We tutored them in math and spelling while giving them someone to talk to as well as encouraged them to believe in both themselves and education.

Group discussions and guest speakers were interspersed throughout the week to keep us thinking about the effectiveness of our work as well as various perspectives on the problems facing American public schools.

A quick glance at the issue of effective public education allows us to conclude there usually isn’t enough money for each student, that their lives at home might be unstable and their parents or social environments are unsupportive of educational achievement.

The solutions to these problems usually either are unrealistic or unproven, and as one of the speakers during our program was keen to point out, there is no “silver bullet” to cure all education ills.

At the beginning of the trip, I doubted our work truly had value. However, the more I interacted with the kids, the more I came to see what I was doing really did have an effect.

The kids at the first school always enthusiastically ran up to us, asking what we were doing. They were excited to have us there, building colorful picnic tables, painting murals on the walls and simply chatting about what was going on in their lives. At our afternoon sessions, things ran deeper than just a kickball game — we came to know and care for the kids in just three days’ time.

After our first day working on the playground, I had met three amazing students whom I couldn’t wait to come back to see the next day.

One wanted to be a veterinarian; one a soccer player and another simply said he wanted to be smart like us.

When our time with them ended each day, they would breathlessly ask us if we were coming back the next day to play and talk again. They loved having us there, and we loved being there.

It was heartbreaking to tell them on our final day that we weren’t coming back. It was in their sadness at seeing us go that I truly understood how much of an effect our short time had on them.

Our brief sessions of individual interaction and encouragement had made some kind of positive impression on these kids and it could be seen in their eyes.

I don’t think this kind of personal investment by well-intentioned volunteers is the one and only solution to solving the issue of underachievement in low-income schools.

But my amazing trip showed me I am very capable of making even the slightest difference if only I am willing to sacrifice some of my time and donate it to helping those who are less fortunate than me.

It was a positive lesson that I will not soon forget.

-Matt Korovesis

Michigan State University

What's next?

2011-03-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

Written Friday, March 10, 2011

Terrified…Lost…Enthusiastic…Motivated...These are only a few emotions that can begin to describe how some of us ASB’ers are feeling. This trip has been taken to a whole new level, and it’s safe to say I think some of us are even at a loss of words. As I’m sitting here reflecting upon this overall experience, and our last day with the children at Palms Elementary school, I really am having trouble…It’s difficult to verbalize all of the thoughts and emotions encompassing my brain. I have never, since the day I’ve wanted to be an educator, experienced the emotions I felt yesterday. Some often say that “goodbye” isn’t forever, and with these children I’d like to say it isn’t for me. But as we hugged our kids, turned our backs from names being screamed, and wiped the streaming tears off of our cheek, one can’t help but feel that forever, is forever. I know, along with each and every person on this trip, that the service we have done for these children, and this community the past week, has left an imprint. Some of those kids did not want to say bye to us, and probably couldn’t fathom the fact that we would never be back again. But the question is, what do we do now? We’ve volunteered with these inner-city schools for 4 days, and made a world of a difference. Now, the future is in our hands. We’ve seen how poorly run these schools are, and the lacking beauty of the school’s appearance. From the picnic tables we worked our butts off to create, to the beautiful murals we painted on the walls, these schools have already been transformed. As we sat there on Thursday saying goodbye to the kids, and stood there Friday looking out to all of the beautiful work we created, there were no words. That final day of service almost made me feel like I was hit by a truck; I was lost and confused, yet extremely motivated and FIRED UP! It’s our job as not only future educators, but humans in this world, to create what’s next to come. Together, we need to do something that will make a difference for forever. After all, ASBers, haven’t we learned that together is better than alone?

-Lucy Keller
Grand Valley State University

Alt. Break to Miami - 2011

2011-01-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Jan 6

2011-01-10T08:09:00.001-08:00

Today was productive and meaningful. Our morning began with a nutritious breakfast, followed by our routine bus ride to Lenora B. Smith Elementary. As the Miami sun beat down on our backs, the eighty-seven of us assembled with our City Year staff members for our daily PT (Physical Training), followed by a group meeting where we receive information and inspiration

Today was our last day working at Lenora B. Smith, so morale was high and faces were determined. Music was energizing the atmosphere, while water was being dispensed frequently. Children walked by smiling as they saw the work that had been accomplished throughout our week here. Hammers banged, paint splashed, spirits soared.

Team Others and Texas was assigned to build potting beds using wood that had been measured and cut by previous groups. Beginning with piles of wood, hammers, and a bucket of nails, we turned these resources into beautiful additions to the garden. Working together proved efficient and fun, strengthening bonds (and muscles!) We were proud to see our finished products as the day ended on a sadder note - saying goodbye to Lenora B. Smith Elementary and our great friends at City Year. We look forward to received pictures and updates from City Year, so that we can follow the progress of the garden.

Last night, we congregated in groups to discuss the ideas of Power and Privilege. We touched upon bigger social issues as well as individual differences which lead to varying degrees of social power. Individual group members incorporated past experiences while relating these ideas to our volunteer work here in Miami.

We will be celebrating Shabbat this evening, and are looking forward to having time to reflect on all of our experiences from the day and from the last week.

Shabbat Shalom everyone!

Kate M. Torpey (NYU '12)
Alex M. Simson (Cornell '12)
Oren R. Lavie (UPenn '11)

Day 3

2011-01-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

So today was long but really fun. First some of us used stencils to draw on canvases while others worked in the garden tearing up grass. I worked in the garden and it was really hot outside and at times work was hard, but that made seeing all of our work even more rewarding.

After all of our work the guys played football with some of the kids from the school. Then we all had lunch and played team building games. The first time, we had to make it across a “sea” by only walking on paper towels…we weren't very good at this game, we ended up tearing a paper towel to one of our shoes and hopping across the “sea”. I didn't get a paper towel so my team had to carry me across on their backs.

The second game was “bird on a perch,” and we partnered up and we had to jump on our partner’s backs when the music stopped or we would be out. Both games were really fun and really brought us together even more.

From there we went to an after school program, called the Overtown Youth Center, to help the kids with their homework. The building was really nice; it had a gym, a dance studio, computer room, and flat screen TVs. The kids were all really cute and excited to see us. What I found very interesting was that the program keeps track of their students until they are 25. They help them pick a college and go on college visits with them as well. Even cooler than that, this whole program is free! When I left the after school program I was in such a good mood because I kept picturing the girl's face I helped when she finally understood what I was trying to explain the difference between a native and a narrator and I tried everything I can think of. She finally got it and we were both so excited.

This program is so good for the kids because not all of the parents can help their kids with their homework like they have at this program and the kids are encouraged to continue their education to college where if they didn't come to this program, they wouldn't go to college, or even finish high school. The kids at this program were friendly and funny, one of them asked me if I had a sinus problem and that is why I sound like I do.

From there, we went to dinner (and had Indian food), reflected on or day and listened to a Rabbi’s sermon. His sermon really tied the day together and showed us how what we are doing during the day is really a holy Jewish thing. How the goal of Judaism is to touch lives, and that is what we are trying to do.

My City Year Journey

2011-01-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Students visiting residents at the Miami Jewish Health System

Written by Sydney Gross
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

At first, I was slightly apprehensive about coming to Miami for the City Year trip because I had no idea what City Year was and the idea of using winter break to relax at home sounded incredible! I came after talking about the trip with Sheila Katz, Hillel staff. She explained that City Year is an organization commited to serving in low-income cities and that this opportunity was not to be missed. We are now in the afternoon of the second full day here, and the lack of regret is overwhelming. This is an amazing experience. We are interacting with others all the time - with our fellow Hillel members from across North America, with local Jews, with local non-Jews, and the feeling that we made a difference at the end of the day is priceless.

Not only have we been volunteering, but we get to hear about the experiences of others directly from them. For instance, last night after dinner three formerly homeless community members each spoke to us about his or her experience being homeless and, more importantly, what led them to it. Kenneth, Angie, and Anita were so honest and open to questions, and the three of them calmly relayed to us countless life experiences which, quite honestly, were beyond imagination for me. After the Faces of Homelessness panel, I became much more aware of how fickle opportunity is and how, had I been put in any of their shoes, I may have died trying to get to where they are now (they almost did.)

This trip is quickly bringing to the forefront the idea that Judaism advocates for helping everybody, not only Jews. We care that others suffer, and we want to hear about it and learn how to fix it. We want to feel some of what others feel, if only for a little bit, in order to understand why we are all different and why that is special and beautiful. Mostly, I am learning that vounteer work may be the most efficient way to teach these values. Volunteering is doing good simply for the sake of doing good. This is the second full day! We'll see what the rest of the week holds.

Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Miami Heart Rehab Center, Belafonte Tacolcy Center, Panel: Faces of Homelessness

2011-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

The morning started with a trip to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, where we met with Jeff Levin (Chief Financial Resource Officer) and Michelle Labgold (Chief Planning Officer). We discussed the Jewish community as a whole (one tribe) and Jewish philanthropic work. It is interesting that the money donated to the Jewish Federation is distributed within the Jewish community as well as the around the whole world, regardless of faith.
We continued our day by visiting the Miami HEART Rehabilitation Center. There, we met Rabbi Fred Klein (Director of the Chaplaincy Program at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation) who gave us an overview on what HEART Rehab does for its community. We split up into smaller groups and visited patients that were currently participating in the rehabilitation program there. This was also interesting because us, as strangers, really could see how a simple act of kindness could go a long way and touch a lot of hearts.
After enjoying our lunches at Morningside Park, we went to the Belafonte Tacolcy Center, where we were introduced to Alison Austin (CEO), about her work and the Freedom School fundamentals. We learned about the backgrounds of the children in the area and how the Tacolcy Center, as well as other groups, work to help the community and the children. We were moved to see the amount of energy exerted by the staff to show the local children that learning is fun. It was incredible to meet the children and see their energy. It left us hopeful that in our volunteer experiences, we would be able to excite children and help them learn the way the Tacolcy Center does.
This evening, after dinner we had an incredible experience; something that I think it is safe to say none of us have ever experienced. A group called VISTA came to speak to us about homelessness. We had three speakers who told us stories of their lives. Every person in the room was memorized by what they had to say. It was incredible for them to open up to us and tell us of their lives and where they were born, the immense hardships they went through, and how they overcame everything and got to where they are today. The stories brought some of the speakers to tears, as well as many of the listeners. It was an experience that im sure none of us will forget any time soon. We all learned that everyone has some good in them and can make something of their lives even if they have gone through a lot.
After everything we went through today, we are excited for all that tomorrow holds for us. Let the adventures begin!

Holli Epstein '13 (University of Delaware)
Samantha Friedman '13 (University of Delaware)
Rina Binder-Macleod '12 (University of Delaware)
Alli Chojnacki '13 (Temple University)

Bienvenido a Miami!

2011-01-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon we all met up in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport, and from there set out to our hotel. Our hotel is right on the edge of University of Miami, which is absolutely gorgeous. There are palm trees everywhere, and everything is so green. The weather was wonderful, and walking and sitting outside was very pleasant.

After checking in at the hotel and getting our room assignments, we headed over to the University of Miami Hillel's Kutcher Auditorium for a delicious dinner! We sat in groups and got to know each other, and then it was time for ICE BREAKERS!!! Standing in a circle of 100 strangers is awkward at first, but......

....in the end turned out to be a very rewarding and beneficial part of the trip!

More to come later tonight (plus pictures!)

Becky Dreifuss '12
Mara Markinson ' 12
Becca Cohen '11
University of Delaware

2011-01-02T09:00:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all of the participants, staff, community partners and community members for a great year of 2010 Alternative Breaks.

New York - Mid Week

2010-03-23T12:02:00.002-07:00

It’s the morning of Wednesday March 17, St. Patricks Day. However, that’s not what is important. The past couple of days we have been helping out at a Boy’s and Girl’s Club in Harlem. I was able to paint a couple of murals’ for them. I felt great about putting a new touch on their gym. After walking through or taking a bus through Harlem, we have gone to PS 50. It has been great to help with kids with their homework and playing with them. As well as doing work during the days, we have gotten to go out at night. Monday night we ventured to Midtown around Times Square to find Magnolias to get some cupcakes. It was a lot of fun trying to find it and seeing all the things along the way. Last night we were able to go to Chinatown to eat, and then walked around Battery Park. We were able to see ground zero, which was interesting for me, since the last time I was in that part of town was July of 2001. It was incredible to see. So far, the trip has been very enjoyable and I hope it continues.

Daniel Smith

University of Oklahoma

NYC as Part of the Alternative Break Experience

2010-03-23T12:02:00.001-07:00

This is the third morning that we have eaten breakfast at the hostel. Last night people had the option of going to a Matisyahu concert or having free time. My friends and I chose the option of free time and we wandered around New York City. We were walking to find the seaport, and we ran into Ground Zero. A million thoughts ran through my head immediately. I thought of the families that lost loved ones, of the people in the building at the time, and even the people on the streets or in the skyscrapers in close proximity to the World Trade Center. It was very depressing to think that someone could do such a thing to such a large amount of people. To know that there are people in the world who hate us just because we are Americans is excruciatingly upsetting. I wish people could coexist peacefully.

Megan Godwin

University of Oklahoma

Dylan's Thoughts on Impact (NY)

2010-03-23T12:01:00.002-07:00

Being our second day here at Hostel International, our group is feeling rejuvenated from a much needed night of sleep. After our day of service yesterday, we reconvened as a group and reflected upon our experiences. This gave us each a chance to listen to the opinions of our group members, many of whom come from different phases of life than our own, and respond knowing that our own opinions were thought provoking and welcomed. There was somewhat of a feeling that our work was just “a drop in the ocean” and that although what we were doing was admirable, the end goal is not always in sight. Our work with students will not directly translate into college scholarships and better opportunities. Yet, our group pushed-backed on this; they felt that even one smile, or assistance with one page of homework, would be more important than we know to these impressionable students. This sense of pride that we all felt at the end of our group meeting, will carry over to our new and exciting work today!

Scott's New York Reflections

2010-03-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

This alternative spring break has been an enjoyable and worthwhile experience. Today, we worked together to paint a gymnasium at the “Boys and Girls Club” and worked at the elementary school P.S 57, helping kids with their homework. The experience thus far has been enlightening and enjoyable. Being submerged in a different culture than I am familiar of is interesting and there is much to be learned not only from the students from other schools but the kids we’re tutoring and working with. It is great to have a sense of worth by helping the community and giving back. I feel that going on this trip was important because it allows me to see from a different lens and immerse myself in an unfamiliar setting.

-Scott Bratt

University of Kansas

Zach New York After a Day of Service

2010-03-23T12:00:00.002-07:00

This is my second time to go on an alternative spring break, and I can say after my first day of service I know it is going to be just as fun! Waking up early is a drag, having to wait in line for the 2 showers at the hostel that serve an entire floor. After that the day took off, starting out at the Children’s Aid Society, painting murals in the new gymnasium. With over 30 workers, the paining went quickly so we had time to walk across Harlem to PS 50. Zach and I (the Zax) chose to volunteer with the middle school kids from Tuesday to Friday. There is no middle school afterschool program on Monday, so we instructed 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders in basketball and football.

The crazy unplanned day is actually very fulfilling. Since we didn’t know what we were going to be doing, and didn’t know who we will be volunteering for, the work we are doing became more selfless, according to Mimonedes (sp?). I look forward to the rest of the week.

Zach Moorhead

U. of Oklahoma

Sarah's New York Day 1

2010-03-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

After spending 10 hours in airports waiting on planes, luggage, and people I am so relieved to have finally made it to New York for the Hillel/City Year Alternative Spring Break. I have been looking forward to this trip since I heard about it almost two months ago. Since this is my first time in New York I am really excited about seeing the city but at the same time am fairly anxious about how bustling this metropolis is. I am sure to have a good time with this group and I hope to learn from my experiences.

Sarah Gordon, Hillel of Northeast Oklahoma

New York Day 1

2010-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

As I sit here updating the world on our travels, I look around at my new friends, the 620 other people here at Hostelling International at 103rd and Amsterdam, and of course, the rest of the beautiful city of New York. Following our occupying of “The Ballroom”, our affectionate new home base here at Hillel/City Year Spring Break 2010, we have all set out on the quest to do our week in service, to attempt to learn eachother’s names, and to gain perspective on what It means to be a small group of volunteers in every sense of the word(s). For many American college students, community service, and particularly issues of social justice, are often thought of as being exclusive to the international context. The recent tragedy in Haiti for example sheds light upon this reality, as our neighbors in the Bayou of New Orleans faced large-scale hardship of their own less than two years ago. Nonetheless, we will be setting out this week to area schools to do what we can to address the needs of the schools and organizations whom we have set out to help. On this beautiful, alright rainy Monday morning, we will be working with the Boys and Girls Club of New York City-the details of what we will be doing will follow as they unfold. Stay tuned for more as we familiarize ourselves with our exciting peers, Hostelling roommates, and fellow street-goers in this cornucopia of culture and humanity. Yours truly, Colgate, F&M, Beautiful Hillel Employees of America, Hamilton, Worcester, OK, OU, and COLGATE.

Thursday Speaker in Miami- Rabbi Feldman

2010-03-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Feldman carried an amazing personal story as well a sincere message to be heeded by all. He spoke about the importance of Jewish pride, how it has been the stimulus behind overcoming centuries of personal and cultural challenges. He spoke about the importance of altruism, specifically the significance of our role here, taking time off as volunteers in Miami and how it is the very core of our beloved religion. Lastly, he concluded with a Zionist challenge: to embody the previous message yet translate it into a devotion our hearts towards caring for our brothers and sisters that dwell in our beloved homeland Israel. He humbly added that he was the direct cause of a countrywide revolution in cold-war USSR. No biggie… However, the overall message was clear: We have a moral obligation to uphold the human rights of our fellow beings. Our volunteering as well as those of others who are dedicated to various causes is a practical application of the righteous and humanity that is omnipresent in the history of our people. God bless that dude, he is a true inspiration to us all.

Thursday and Week in Review- Miami

2010-03-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Heyo!
I bear the sad burden of reporting the official end of Hillel asb ’10’s stay at ‘Goo Pah’ (Gould’s Park). However, as with all negatives remain the positives; experiences and indelible memories that will stay with us for years to come. In short today kicked. Majorly. From our intense game of G-H-O-S-T on the bus ride in to our heartfelt goodbyes at days end, we soaked in the literal and metaphorical light of success. Lets fill in the details. We disembarked off the bus, walked into the gym to find the waiting arms of our boy Junior, who was equally as happy to see us as we were to see him. After reiterating his love for UMD, the ‘terps and their high-percentage chance in the tourney, we grabbed our brushes, canvases, neon-colored paints and hurried outside to commence the days work activity.

Back to the fun! We picked up our kids and headed out for the second round of starfish field day. The kids competed in different forms of track events and had the privilege to watch the fastest 3rd grader we’ve ever witnessed. Then we got serious, it was dodgeball time. We ran with ferocity towards the court with the famous mantra echoing through our heads: “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball” Well, maybe just me, and Felder, but for real it was game time. Maybe Taahhmmmy from Bahhhstonnnn did… after he gave his usual intro he requested that we put a rock hard soccer ball into play. What a typical Sox fan. But in the end, as always, everyone had a great time.

The day ended with our bittersweet goodbyes, pictures, smiles and even a few tears. We all walked a little higher today, each of understanding the impact of our work the importance of our presence, knowing full well that we had effectively made a difference in each of our kids’ lives

Blake's Article About City Year Miami Alternative Break

2010-03-22T07:37:00.003-07:00

Check it out: http://www.thetowerlight.com/spring-break-service-1.2196920

Spring Break in Miami was filled with the sun, the beach and community service. Last week I participated in an alternative Spring Break trip to Miami with 45 students, 15 of which were from Towson. The rest were from the University of Maryland, George Washington University and Wayne State University in Michigan.
The trip was sponsored through Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, who partnered with City Year, a group of volunteers that devote a year of their life to community service.For our week of service we did volunteer community work in the morning and in the afternoon. We also mentored students at an elementary school.
We woke up bright and early each day and headed out to the community center where we built benches, painted a gym, painted/drew murals, painted four square courts and visited two senior citizen homes. We helped serve food to the elderly who either could not make food for themselves or were homeless. The people were so thankful for the food and our company.
Every afternoon we were partnered with a buddy from an afterschool program. I was matched with a nine-year-old that was funny, outgoing and in love with computers, he owns a Mac. I helped him with his homework and helped prepare him for his test. We played games, wrote poems, had two field days and played kickball. I also made sure he was thinking about his future. My buddy and I really connected. Everybody thought that he was just like me. We plan to keep in touch.
We also heard various speakers. Some talked about homelessness in Miami, another speaker discussed Haitian immigrants. Finally a Rabbi talked about our impact on the community. It was amazing that we could make such a difference in only a short amount of time.
We did get a bit of free time. Some of us went to the Heat vs. Spurs game. We also got to go to go to the beach for about three hours on Friday.
It really touched me to realize one person, with the help of many individuals, could make a huge and powerful difference in not only a community, but in the world, since the organization we were partnered with has volunteers all throughout the world.
Spring Break in Miami was filled with sunny days, rewarding work and meaningful connections to the community that we helped. You should try an alternative break. I think that you will find it to be a week well spent.

More Pictures from New York!

2010-03-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Pictures from New York Service Week!

2010-03-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday Pictures- Miami

2010-03-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Miami-Wednesday

2010-03-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

Towson University helped paint silohuettes in the fitness room. Also some of us sketched canvases in the game room. In the afternoon we played pictionary and charades with our kids. Also we helped the kids write poetry about serious and funny topics. One of my kids wrote about segregation and Martin Luther King Jr. My other kid wrote a funny poem about his belly button. I really enjoy every aspect of the days that we have spent here in Miami. The afterschool program helps put into perspective how these kids really need do look up to us. Also based on yesterday discussion, "we realized that we underestimated our kids intelligence."(Scott Miller)
I cant wait for another great exciting day..WOOHOOO

--By Michelle Bershad

Bright and sunny

2010-03-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning.
Enjoying the weather. Even the rain. Yesterday activities were inside. We built planter benches. Lots of hammering. Everyone is still sore. Time flies when your productive. We finish today. Looking forward to Shabbos. Chao.

Danny - Wayne State University
Detroit, MI

2010-03-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Day 3

Yesterday was my buddy's 10th birthday. I brought her some little things like chapstick, candy bars, and bubble gum. She said it was her first birthday gift and was so grateful--she gave me a huge hug and said, "Thank you!"

Sarah - GWU

Wednesday in Miami

2010-03-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Good morning sunshines,
Welcome to Miami...Shlomo. Yesterday morning I painted silouettes in the fitness room with friends, we blasted music and had lots of fun while making the room extremely pretty! When we were finished then we started drawing on canvases; we drew motivational sayings and popular children's books. I hope today we get to paint the canvases but we haven't been told our activity in the morning. Yesterday was Alison's 50th birthday (don't forget to wish her a happy birthday), we went to TGIF to celebrate and were really lous and obnoxious! Have a fabulous day world!

Kori Snair
Towson University

Wednesday Pictures- Miami

2010-03-18T04:40:00.001-07:00

Video Links- Tuesday in Miami Building Bookcases

2010-03-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNLDHod5W44&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6FZkaygQhQ&feature=player_embedded

Enjoy!

Tuesday- Miami

2010-03-17T09:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was an amazing experience. When we got to Gould’s park we were put with a city year staff member named Jr. He brought us outside and informed us that we would be building bookshelves. With little instruction, we were on our way. Needless to say, building is not a typical hobby of mine. It felt incredible to finally finish hammering, sanding and staining the bookshelf. Looking at these pieces of wood all put together was not only an accomplishment but gave me a sense of meaning. They will be used to hold the many books that Gould’s park for various age groups. It felt so great to be able to help foster learning for younger children and help some people escape from their reality through books.After lunch and break time, where our guys beat some kids from the high school at basketball (go Jews), we were on our way to the elementary school for some after school fun. The kids wrote poems and really were able to express themselves. It was so great to see such young children being so enthusiastic about poetry. We played some charades and unfortunately, it was time to go. I wish we could spend more time with the kids. They are honestly great and seem to just be a little misunderstood.Later, we went to Lincoln road: a BEAUTIFUL area. We split up into two groups for dinner and my group went to a Mediterranean place called Pasha (that is my Pasha plug for the day) It was really great and relaxing to just get out for dinner and walk around at night. We came back by 10 and immediately went to Coconut Groves, a really nice area that all of the U Miami kids go to. There weren’t an extreme amount of people out because of Spring Break but we went to a place called The Oasis. We got the hook up because the guy that worked their was Jewish (We love to stick together!)KBye!!Jamie

Tuesday In Miami: School, Sports, Shopping- Zach Ament

2010-03-17T05:46:00.001-07:00

Tuesday March 16th: In the morning after a fun personal training session we all did our own special service projects. Towson University made and painted hopscotch and four square boxes.
While Metro Detroit painted the school gym red. The University of Maryland built and stained bookshelves. Lastly, George Washington University painted a mural in the game room of the community center.
After a really great morning of helping the local community, we moved on to our afternoon at our respective elementary schools with our fantastic children. My school, Towson University had a Field Day including sack races, three-legged races, around the world, tennis ball toss, and puzzle contests as . Whereas, played games and celebrated a birthday with cake and ice cream. University of Maryland and George Washington University wrote and read poems.
We had a wonderful day with City Year and were excited to enjoy our night out on the town. Many of us ventured to a basketball game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs which the Spurs won (GO SPURS GO), The game was Latin Night so the jerseys said El Heat, and Los Spurs and they had Latin Music all day. While the rest of us traveled to Lincoln Road to have a night of shopping and fun. We had a super amazing day and look forward to our third day in Miami and St. Patrick's Day. It has been a great time so far and we are all really happy we went.

Miami Day 2

2010-03-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

March 16:

Towson University... Made and painted hopscotch and four square boxes.
Metro Detroit... Painted the school gym red.
University of Maryland... Built and stained bookshelves.
George Washington University... Painted a mural in the game room of the community center

After our amazing morning of projects, we moved on to our afternoon at our respective elementary schools.

Towson University... Had a Field Day including sack races, three-legged races, around the world, tennis ball toss, and puzzle contests.
Metro Detroit... Played games and celebrated a birthday with cake and ice cream.
University of Maryland... Wrote and read poems.
George Washington University... Wrote and read poems.

We had a wonderful day with City Year and were excited to enjoy our night out on the town. Many of us ventured to a basketball game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, while the rest of us traveled to Lincoln Road to have a night of shopping and fun. We had a wonderful day and look forward to our third day in Miami!

Tuesday Service Pictures- Miami

2010-03-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

Miami - Day 2

2010-03-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first FULL day of the trip. In the AM we painted over a gym for local members of the community. We got piant everywhere. On the walls, ourselves, and a bit on the floor. After painting part of the room and the mural of a famous basketball player (that I have never heard of Wade?), we helped paint benches outside. The sun it hot and amazing. Some of us (including me) need to wear sunscreen tomorrow because even though we were only out for a little but, we got some color.

In the PM we walked to a nearby school and just played with the kids. We got paired up, and I got matched up with the LOUD FUN one (shocker!). We had to paint (seems to be the theme for today) and decorate the flowerpots. We then had to make pictures, both us and our kids, about out future. Although I am graduating in haha 2 months, I don't really know what I am doing. But, it was important to discuss with my boy Willie what he wants to be when he grows up and to always be striving to change and grow!

That's it for now I need to eat breakfast.....
peace and mashiyach in our days
Ilana Frankel
UMD Hillel

Miami - Day 1

2010-03-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we began painting a mural in one of the classrooms. We teamed up with some of the Maryland students to work against the clock, but we still weren't able to finish the entire thing. The students were so sweet and eager to work with us. All of us agree that the kids were the most meaningful part of our first day. We look forward to working with them again today.

G dubbb!

Sarah - GWU

Miami-Day 1

2010-03-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

March 15:
Towson University helped build and paint benches to be placed in Gould's Park.
University of Maryland-Collegepark helped paint a mural inside of a basketball player with an inspirational quote.
Metro Detroit (Wayne State and Oakland University) helped paint the lines for the gym.

In the afternoon we were all split up into 3 or 4 schools. We were kept within our university groups and we were matched up with 1, 2, or 3 kids in the afterschool program. We played name games with them in our school as well as painted/planted flowerpots. (Towson University)

Metro Detroit: They went to Naranja school and played outside and different games with the kids. They also helped the kids with their homework.

University of Maryland-CP: They helped plant and paint flowerports with the kids at the school.

Monday Miami

2010-03-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was a lot of fun. My campus built a bunch of benches. It was a lot of fun because it was me and one other girl working on our bench. It felt really empowering to see the finish product and know that we built something pretty amazing and will be used for people to sit on in the near future. I also like the homelessness panel. Their stories were really moving and their stories opened my eyes and really changed my perception about people who have been homeless. Can't wait to have another great day.

Alyssa Schwartz
-Towson University

Monday Service Pictures- Miami

2010-03-15T18:56:00.001-07:00

Another Week in Miami!

2010-03-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Another group of participants kicked off a great week of service upon arriving on Sunday here to sunny Miami!

Check back in for their thoughts and impressions on their week.

Reflections on the Week

2010-03-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

Shabbat is just around the corner, but I have to say I'm not in the calm state of mind I usually am in right now. Yesterday was a range of emotions; for the first time, one of the little girls I've been playing with broke out of her shell and hugged me, her voice choking out, "I ain't letting you go." It was one of those deep, heartfelt hugs you don't get to enjoy often, especially from a kid you met less than a week ago. Her and Lareisha, my other mentoree, have really opened up in the past week; unfortunately, the day when I felt the breakthroughs in our relationships was my last day, and it will probably the last day I'll ever see them. If I've learned anything on this trip however, it's not to obsess on those societal injustices that just corrode your soul; it's much better to observe and convert it into simple motivation and nothing more. That was one of many lessons I learned from our speaker last night, Rabbi Leonid Feldman. A Soviet Jew from Kishinev who escaped from the communist regime in the 1970s by the protests of American Jews and his own 11-day hunger strike, he anchored the trip in Judaism in a way that was engaging, as well as original. I won't go into much detail; I plan on inviting him to UVa to speak, so that my community can hear his story, and his unique message towards the Jewish tradition. Surprisingly, the most brilliant part of the trip so far for me (in addition to the kids themselves) was the discussion our UVa group had after Rabbi Feldman's talk. As with the Rabbi, I won't go into much detail, but it's only because I don't think I can capture the brilliance, the compassion, and the heartfelt empathy and analysis I saw my peers engage in. If I could, I'd write down every sentence to keep and motivate myself in my middle-aged years (G-d willing). Despite the intense poverty and the personal guilt I feel, I feel so blessed that I have a group of 12 shining models to develop my doubts and frustrations in a conducive, and frankly, beautiful way. Thanks, guys. You all have meant a lot to me.

Ben Bissel
UVA

Fun with Senior Citizens

2010-03-12T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we volunteered with Jewish Senior Citizens which was really fun because we got to do something different. We sang Karaoke and danced with the elderly which was great, because I love doing those things already and it made it so much better to be doing them for a good cause.

I met a woman who is 104 years old, Isabelita which was inspiring, becuase even after such a long life she is still up and dancing.

Jackie Schwartz

Michigan State

Thursday Goodbyes

2010-03-12T05:36:00.000-08:00

Seeing the kids faces on another day was very impactful, but it was really hard to say goodbye to them.

We had some nice hugs and they did a dance. Antwon and Lamot are the best third graders ever.

Elliot

Michigan State

Thursday Pictures

2010-03-11T17:35:00.001-08:00

Flower Children

2010-03-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we decorated flower pots and wrote poetry with the kids in the afterschool program at Phyllis Wheatley Elementary Scho0ol. Most of the kids decided to write their name and the name of their Hillel buddy on the flower pot so that it could be a souvenir reminding them of this week. The best part of going to play with the kids in the afterschool program is seeing their smiles when we get there; every time we have to leave to go back to the hotel, the kids ask if we're going to come back the next day, showing how much they enjoy hanging out with us. And as much as they like playing and talking with us, I'm pretty sure we love it even more than they do, because these kids are so full of energy and personality! I feel really lucky to be on this trip, getting to know these amazing kids, and building things which will make their school a little brighter. Here's to an awesome experience and a great next few days!

underappreciative

2010-03-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Throughout the week we have been coming together to not only build things for Dunbar School in miami but we have also been given the opportunity to connect with the children of the Overtown Youth Center and get a deeper feeling of what their lives are like. This project has made me realize how fortunate I am; a lot of these children live under the poverty line and can not afford luxuries like a new toy or pair of shoes. Despite the hardships that they are facing, these children are the most well behaved children that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The smiles on their faces speak louder than words. Although they do not have much, they appreciate what they do have and revel in the fact that we are playing with them and making their day that much better. I am overhwhelmingly thankful for this experience that is changing the way that I look at life forever,

Arielle and Lindsay
University of Central Florida

Wednesday Service Pictures

2010-03-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Service Pictures

2010-03-10T06:34:00.001-08:00

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Adventures in Miami

2010-03-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better in the morning than waking up to a wide variety of cereals. We arrived at overton youth center and immediately began constructing benches. After hundreds of broken nails and twice as many blisters, multiple benches were finished. But the party didnt really get started until the students arrived. Working with many age groups gave us a diverse atmposhere. We finished the day at a shopping mall where bargains were found and wallets were emptied. Because this is a jewish trip, it was only natural that we needed another event to eat. Therefore, we went back to the jewish federation for a panel discussion. This was one of the most enlightening expierences being in a room full of prominant figures in the local and national and jewish community.

-Steve Schapiro
College of Charleston

UCF Girls!

2010-03-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, (3/9), we worked at the Overtown Youth Center in Miami all day. In the morning , we built benches for Dunbar Elementary and in the afternoon we worked with the children in the youth center. It was so much fun! However, it was also organized chaos- the children were excited and ready to play with us, and VERY expressive about it. We've all fallen in love with the kids though, and we had so much fun with them. As we reflect on the events of the day in the evening, we also reflect on what we look forward to each day. The consensus from our group is an overall feeling of joy and strength that allows us to continue to work (and play) each day.

Miami Day 2

2010-03-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

Today was a very circular experience. We began the day producing the fruits of our labor by making murals for the local children's center. During the day we saw the faces of donors who made our experience possible. We discussed with them our views on service and our reasons for doing so. The roots of this journey became fully exposed during our conference with a greater community of donors and a panel of speakers. The talk was provocative to the mind and made me realize the importance of the facilitation of service programs. Many of the older people said that they never had opportunities to do service in the way we are and I truly felt sorry for them. Today was a good reflection period and it made me realize that my time is important and should be spent in a constructive way.

Miami Day 2

2010-03-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

Don’t let the great blue skyscrapers, tropical breeze, or idyllic, pastel houses fool you; Miami is a city of blatant, sometimes upsetting dichotomies. It’s only been a day, but for every moment I’ve reveled in temperatures that are double digits above Charlottesville, I’ve seen bits of the sheltered life my parents carefully built over 18 years disintegrate. It started with a girl I helped in an after school program today, while we were painting flowerpots. I helped her mix colors, red and blue for purple, red and white for pink, watched her paint a bed of flowers, and listened as she rattled off her life story until the fourth grade, glancing up every now and again to make sure I was really listening. I learned that her favorite color is purple, that she knows her time tables by heart (when I asked her for proof, she told me 9 x 9 is 81, duh), that she loves to play football, and that her father is unemployed. She’s living with her mother now, she told me as she painted a heart-shaped flower, and shows no signs of bitterness at her fate, even though I could feel a visceral indignation welling up inside me. I didn’t have enough time to speak with her; the bus came, and she left quickly to make sure she would make it, clutching the flowerpot in her hands. Her classmates followed, 97% of which have free or reduced lunches, all shuffling out into the hot Miami heat, living another day in a life I’ve only read about in books.

We also heard two women speak later today; they both had been previously homeless, and were working with an organization to create lasting governmental change in the way homeless people are treated. I approach these things with a certain bit of skepticism, something built up over years of experiences with ragged, sometimes aggressive, homeless people clamoring for spare change. That was until one of the women spoke of her 8 children, her attempts to find soap and integrity on inner-city streets, her brutal beating by street youths with spray paint guns, and her battle with heroin addiction that underpinned everything. The other woman was no better off; her life, she told us, started in a brutal, alcoholic family, which led into her drug use and the prostitution she used to provide for it, and climaxed in the devastating news she was HIV positive. When her voice broke, and tears streamed down her face, I took solace in the fact that much of the audience grew misty-eyed in empathy, including yours truly.

Even with all the heavy gravitas, Miami has given me a real optimism; the kids are motivated and irrepressibly hilarious. Both of the women have recovered, and are living the life they’ve missed out on for decades. I’ve met Jews from all over the country, laughed, ate, and sung with people I barely know, and have already made lasting change in an elementary school that desperately needs it. If anything else, I’m going to bed tired, hopelessly sore, surrounded by intelligent, compassionate people, and cognizant of the chance I have in this amazing week all of us have just begun.

Ben Bissel
University of Virginia

Day 1 ASB Miami - Ilana Rosenbloom

2010-03-09T05:48:00.000-08:00

Dunbar Elementary school is a special place. Despite the difficulties - involving poverty, possibly abusive homes, broken families - that these children are faced with at home, they appear as joyful as any child I've encountered in the comfortable community I was raised in.

As my group and I painted their playground, the fresh colors were personified on the children's faces through looks of excitement and smiling faces. These deserving children seem so appreciative of the work we are doing.

My favorite portions of the day involved the Faces of the Homeless seminar, in which we met and heard the stories of two courageous, previously homeless women, and playing with children in an after-school program. Through both these activities, statistics of poverty and various hardships are given faces and their troubles seem more relateable.

It's hard to believe we have only been here for one day! The next six days are sure to be unpredictable and highly rewarding. I'll keep you posted!

Digging, Doing, Learning

2010-03-09T05:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an experience. There was a lot to do and a lot to learn. At Dunbar Elementary we had groups working on a stage that was going to be an outdoor classroom for the children, and their blacktop was being painted. One group had the task to built the stage, another group, which I was a part of, had the taks of digging the holes, another group painted the kids blacktop colors that the kids picked out themselves. From my side, I can say it was hard work! Harder than I thought. Digging into limestone isnt the best thing to do but it was worth it. I actually got to help paint some of the blaktop. All of us agreed that it was rewarding though hard and seeing the kids throughout the day wave and be curious to see what they were doing to the school was great too!

My group went to the OYC youth center. My group got to work with the elementary school kids who played dodge ball and then went to drama class. It was so rewarding seeing these kids have so much fun and to be so friendly. I had a little girl come up to me and claim me as her new friend immediately which I did not mind. They are so bright. At OYC they have 7 rules, which I cannot remember but the kids can remember. One of the staff tested them and had them recited a couple rules that were not even in the order of them. They got them perfectly! I was so happy to see a group that had a great place to go.

Lastly there was the Homeless panel. Two women were actually homeless at some point and the other women were people who now work with them on their message to spread the word. It was life changing to see what people can get into and get out of most importantly! They really opened our eyes and at least from my expereience, encouraged me to strive for my goals that I consider I should not be complaining about trying to achieve compared to what they have lived.

It was a hard working and rewarding day and I cant wait for the next one, especially with helping the kids!

Monday Service Pictures # 2

2010-03-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

- Posted using BlogPress

from my iPhone

Location:NW 20th St,Miami,United States

Monday Service Pictures

2010-03-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

Location:NW 2nd Ave,Miami,United States

Jewish teens from universities across the country come together to volunteer

2010-03-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

Most spring breaks consist of excess partying and tanning on the beach, however, myself along with about fifty other students decided that we wanted to give back to the community and make a difference during the week of our spring vacation. It is day two of the trip and we are just starting to learn about the activities that we will be participating in. I think it is really awesome that students from all over the country can meet and form friendships in as little as a duration as one day. Relationships were made, bonds were formed; memories are being created that will last a lifetime. I am eager to see what this trip has to offer and revel in this once in a lifetime experience! We are beginning our first work day in just a few minutes and the anticipation is mounting! Wish us luck! :)

Miami - Day 1

2010-03-08T05:31:00.000-08:00

It was difficult to understand how Miami could be one of the poorest social settings while at the same time holding such an attractive reputation in gathering tourists, vacationers, etc.

When I was initially tranferring to the US, University of Miami was one of my first choices since I assumed it would be most like my previous mediterranean campus in the heart of downtown and across the beach. However, my initial impression of the campus setting proved to be very different. This campus setting alone was able to highlight the social and touristic discrepancy in Miami. The Hillel gathering room was very humble in setting, which was very different from what I would have expected from a Miami Jewish organization. This is already a very mind-opening down to earth experience.

Everything is going very well and smoothly so far! People seem to be adapting well to their setting and getting along really well with each other. Our supervisors are very friendly with infectiously high spirits and liveliness! I look forward to our first day of community work!

Day 1 in Miami

2010-03-07T17:20:00.001-08:00

We've arrived in Miami, and our group had a great evening. After a long day of travel, everyone was excited to be together in the sunshine.

We had dinner and an orientation together at the University of Miami Hillel and everyone is excited for our first day of service tomorrow.

Check out the picture of us all "linking" together, sharing things that unite us and different ways we all have in common into one cohesive linked chain.

We'll report back tomorrow on our first full day!

Miami Here We Come!

2010-03-05T07:58:00.001-08:00

Our first City Year Alternative Break week in Miami kicks off in just a few days! We can't wait to arrive and soak up the sunshine and do service work in inner city schools and community centers.

Keep checking in for updates, stories and pictures from the group of 50 amazing students from campuses all over the country for our week of service March 7-14th.

Slideshow Video!

2010-01-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Samantha Zucker of Kent State Hillel for creating this video, which she uploaded to YouTube!

Trip of a Lifetime

2010-01-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

As one of three students on the trip representing Hofstra University, I think I was one of the luckiest people that were a part of it. I was completely on my own with over 50 other students and staff I didn’t know. But I never felt alone on the trip. From the first time I met my fellow students at the airport, I felt like we were a close unit.

A week ago, we were all strangers. It’s amazing to think that in only a week, such a large, diverse group of people can come together, work together, and come out as a family in the end. I’ve never felt so connected to a group of new friends.

Over the course of the week, I did so many things on the trip that I’d never done before, starting with traveling to the west coast for the first time. I painted walls, murals, weeded land, hoed land, dug holes, tutored high school students, spoke to junior high school students about college, and so much more. I visited places and attractions in California that I’d always wanted to go to. My experiences doing service taught me a lot, but I also learned so much about so many different things from my new friends and the staff we worked with.

Now that I’m home in New York, my biggest problem (besides readjusting to cold weather) is this: how do I describe what I did in Los Angeles to my friends and family here? It’s impossible. I can’t explain how I felt when I helped make the Boys & Girls Club in Santa Monica or the YMCA of Malibu & the Palisades better. I can’t express the sights I saw such as the Santa Monica pier, Venice Beach, or Hollywood.

Everyone has been asking, and will continue to ask, how the trip went. And every time, I have trouble answering. There’s so much to say and it’s so hard to articulate everything. But once I get started, it’s hard to stop talking. It’s just one of those things where “you had to be there.”

The one thing I do know is that this trip and opportunity I had was of immeasurable value. I’m so grateful that I was fortunate enough to be a part of this trip and this particular group. Thanks to Hillel, City Year, the staff on the trip, and all of my new friends from other colleges around the east coast.

-Lili Sajecki

Thursday Pictures

2010-01-08T15:31:00.001-08:00

New Friends

2010-01-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

Meeting everyone over the past few days has been a really amazing experience. Sunday afternoon, when we arrived, we didn’t know anyone…by Sunday night, we were all friends.

Arielle Starkman

Week in Review

2010-01-08T15:06:00.002-08:00

Through the past few days it has been a pleasure sharing such a wonderful experience and working in solidarity. It has been great to look around and see every body get along well with one another and tolerate one another. A memorable experience was when Wayne Firestone, the president of Hillel talked about how to give back, and if we do not do it now, when then. Altogether, this experience has aloud me to self-reflect over the course of the trip from all the group service that was performed and momentous feeling which came to heart. I believe, now, I can go home knowing what I can do for my community. In recent events, I went to In-and-Out Burger and tasted the best burger have ever consumed, and I was able to share that experience with great new friends I met over the trip. I has been such a great experience altogether and I thank everybody for making this peregrination unforgettable.
Evan Oppenheim

Thank you Wayne Firestone

2010-01-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

Over the past few days we have had many speakers and although they were all meaningful in their own ways, Wayne Firestone inspired me. He didn’t inspire me because he is father of three daughters (just like my father) or because he is the president of Hillel. Although it is admirable that he is such a successful man, what is more admirable is the lesson he portrayed through his words. Furthermore, he inspired me to realize that it is a mitzvah to give back, but in order to give back successfully we must understand ourselves as not only Jewish people, but as individuals. In short, he underscored an important lesson being that personal reflection is essential to not only help others, but ourselves as well. In the long run, if we establish values that reflect not only Jewish tradition but our personal beliefs as well, the world will one day become a better place. Thanks, Mr. Firestone.

– Amanda Dryer

My Hillel Journey

2010-01-08T07:49:00.000-08:00

It is Friday already and I cant believe where the week has gone. A week filled with emotions, new friendships, life altering experiences and of course, a test of our physical endurance. Throughout these past few days I have come to fully understand how blessed and how fortunate I truly am. Things that I have always taken for granted, opportunities I never thought twice about, are now more apparent than ever before. Being able to lend a helping hand for those who need me the most, have helped to change me in a way that I have never expected. To others lookingt in, I may be just another set of hands, but to me, to my Hillel group, I was a part of something, something big, something great; something that will change a child's life forever.

Liatt Sachi

Transformation

2010-01-07T18:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we finished up our work at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica. When we first walked in there on Monday it was clear that the appearance of the place could be improved. We worked for three days painting the walls inside, drawing and painting murals, building cubbies and benches and painting the basketball court. It was so awesome to watch the transformation of the place unfold before our eyes throughout the time we were there. As we stood on the basketball court before our final departure form the Boys and Girls Club, I looked around and took in the beautiful atmosphere we created for these children. The murals we worked hard drawing and painting lit up the basketball court with their bright colors and inspirational words. The benches with the plants gave the area more life. These observations of our final product made it clear that all our hard work was beneficial to the Club and children that attend it everyday.

Jamie Melnick

Wednesday Recap

2010-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

“Oooh, we’re halfway there!” Literally.
As we’re sitting on the bus this morning on our way to the YMCA with Bon Jovi blaring through the speakers, we are taking the time to reflect on the presentation Janice Kaminir-Reznick gave us last night. She is a representative of Jewish World Watch, an organization designed to educate, advocate, and provide relief for genocides occurring around the world. She taught us a lot about the conflict minerals and the horrible situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We were shocked to hear the extensive crimes, particularly the brutal gang raping of Congonese females as young as five years old. It was especially moving and touching to hear one woman’s personal story about how she was raped by five different men in front of her children and then had to escape from her burning home.
The presentation was last night after three days of strenuous service and volunteer work. It’s remarkable that after three days’ hard work, we saw the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica transformed. Yet later that night, we heard about problems and situations that desperately need our attention. It just goes to show you that no matter how much time and effort you put in at one place, there is still so much more to be done. Ms. Kaminir-Reznick provided us pamphlets and fliers with information about where to go next and what we can do. Anyone can contribute their time to help make the world a better place.

Jennie Brill and Lili Sajecki

Hillel Helps in LA

2010-01-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day here in the beautiful LA! We worked extremely hard making planter benches, painting the basketball court and repainting the skate park. In the afternoon we were able to interact with some of the kids from the Boys and Girls Club. There was a huge game of basketball going on outside, and even City Year volunteers were helping with the girls basketball team that was practicing in the gym.
After the Boys and Girls club we went straight to Hillel for an amazing speaker, that I think touched every single person that listened. I think everyone is going to go out and try and raise money and make a difference because of her. She deffinitly made an impact on our group.
The Kent State group was not ready to go to bed after all the festivites that were planned for today. We decided to take a trip to Hollywood and see the Stars, Kodak Theater, and the Chineese Theater. It was a site to see.
We are all having such a great time and can't wait for another great day!

Wednesday Service Pictures

2010-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Good Memories

2010-01-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

Alyson and Alison are writing this blog write now, and before this trip we had never known each others existence. Now we're really good friends and we're one of the hundreds of friendships that have been made on this alternative winter break trip:). People came to help the community from all over the world and it's amazing to see all the cooperation and connectedness from people all over the country.
After painting the murals yesterday, we were so happy to know that these would be hung up around the whole building and they'd be there forever. Some of the words on the murals were traits that we, and the Jewish community find important. For example- friendship, togetherness, respect, and responsibility. We have made a lasting impression on the kids!! WE LOVE IT HERE HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIFE

Day 3 in LA!

2010-01-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

So far this trip has been even better than I had expected. The speakers have really made me think about everyday problems in society that people do not think they have control over. The work that we have done at the Boys & Girls club of Santa Monica has not only brought us together as a peer group, but has also helped us see that we can personally make a difference, and influence the world around us. Although at the end of the day we are exhausted, we know that it was all very worth it. Personally, I know that I feel great going to sleep knowing that I am part of a larger group, bettering the world. The best feeling is knowing that once we do these great things for people in need, they might just pay it forward.

In addition to the work we have been doing during the day, we have been able to explore the city of LA. Last night we went to the Santa Monica pier and enjoyed that scenery. We walked around, made new friends, heard great music and got to taste a new part of LA. Everyday this great city has something new to offer, and I cannot wait to see what it has in store for us today!

Hillel Helps in LA

2010-01-06T07:59:00.001-08:00

I've been in Los Angeles now for 3 days of service and it's the most amazing experience! We are working at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica and helping City Year, a non-profit organization, re-build the club. As a college student you don't often see the extreme poverty many people in the USA live in and being able to help young students and be a mentor is beyond fufilling. This trip is a great balance of community service and social interaction. Yesterday we built cubbies for the Boys and Girls Club so every student that goes to their after school program has a place for their stuff. At the end of the day we all boarded the bus, got ready and went out to Santa Monica for dinner on Pico Street, a well known Jewish community in LA and to shop and experience the Santa Monica Pier. The trip so far has been a great way to meet Jewish students my age and connect on a deeper level of service and friendship.
-Ally Kruzansky, University of Connecticut

Creativity At It's Finest

2010-01-06T07:46:00.000-08:00

This trip to Los Angeles has definitely been an adventure for me. I had no idea what to expect so I came in with an open mind. I love to be creative so when I found out we were making murals for the skate park I was excited. Skating is a great way for the kids in the boys and girls club to express themselves so I felt that drawing and painting these murals was a way of expressing myself. Through the use of inspirational pictures and paints of all colors, I was able to create something that will last forever...plus something to make the area just a little more lively. I hope that through my creativity and artistic skills I will be able to show kids that there are many things that one could do to inspire others to just be themselves and have fun!

Cari Covell
University of Delaware
Class of 2013

Give me a lever and a place to stand and I will move the world...

2010-01-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Just Jewish?

2010-01-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, working with the Boys and Girls Club of America was great; however what really caused me to think was the guest speaker. Ms. Jackie Goldberg told us about education throughout California. To my surprise per student spending in California is only 8,000. That is close to four times less than per student spending on the East coast. All and all, these facts are important and further underscore how our education system is going down hill. Yet, what caught attention was not the statics, because I have taken many education courses. What caught my attention was the fact that Jewish people have valued education for so long. Even though it is proven through the teaching of Torah and the amount of Jewish students in post secondary education that Jewish people care deeply about education, why is that we not more active in fighting for an equal education for all. In summary, working in the Boys and Girls Club of America and hearing Jackie Goldberg speak taught me not only to appreciate the education I received, but also fight for the leaders of tomorrow to receive the same.

Great Beginning

2010-01-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

You always here of LA in the movies, in the news, on TV - more or less, everywhere. So, naturally, I had some predispositions about the trip and what it was going to be like. I wasn't expecting this.
Before this trip, I had never been to California, and I think it is safe to say, that I would stay here for much much much much much longer than a week. The weather is beyond gorgeous, the locals, as well as all the students on this trip, are more than amazing, and the community work is completely and utterly rewarding.
Yesterday, we went out to the Boys and Girls club of Santa Monica and repainted the main room, cut, and stapled wood for new cubbies for the children, and began to sketch new murals for beautification. And when we actually met the kids, and got to interact with them, I realized that it was all completely worth the hard work.
Tomorrow, we will continue the efforts, and I look forward to every moment of it.

-Kenny Wallach, University of Delaware, Class of 2013

Day one

2010-01-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

I thouroughly enjoyed painting the boys and girls club of santa monica as well as playing aliens. wizards and tall people with the children as well as my trip mates yesterday...GO OWLS!
p.s. If we can paint the whole place in a day, imagine what we can do in a week...

1st day

2010-01-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

Today our project was to paint all the walls of the Boys and Girls Club. It was amazing to see how much a little paint can do. It looks great! We also got to play with the kids, they seem like a great group so far. Can't wait to see what else is in store. :)
Lexi Aronson FAU

Day 1 Boys and Girls Club

2010-01-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

Volunteering is in my blood and it's something I love to do, and yesterday was no exception. As I am sitting here finishing my breakfast I anxiously waiting for Day two to start. I can't wait to go back to the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica and improve the vicinity these kids play in everyday. For a large majority of the day my group which is the College of Staten Island and Hunter students spent creating murals and painting. Even though a large majority of us were still exhausted from our flight we were all still energetic and willing to help no matter what we were asked to do. The highlight of the day is when the kids arrived at around 3:00. The smile on these kids displayed while playing games with us was priceless. Day two will soon begin....

It was a great day in LA!

2010-01-04T23:35:00.000-08:00

Monday at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica...

Day 2 Boys & Girls Club

2010-01-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today was our first day of work. When we first arrived at the Young Boys and Girls Club, we were split into groups by campus and learned "PT" which is a warm up activity that we do before we start the day. After warm up our groups partook in various activities such as stripping the walls, sanding peices of wood to be posted on the gates outside, and painting the stripped walls. Our group was responsible for sanding wood, stripping wood, and painting. It was a long and fun day where we interacted with the youth of the Boys and Girls Club and we are looking foward towards tomorrow.

Doron Roth
Stefanie Schechter
CUNY College of Staten Island