It has been only a week and a half working at the Ethiopian National Project and I already feel like I have accomplished a lot. I have decided to write down everything concrete that I have produced as I go in the back of my notebook. That way anytime that I'm not sure I've done enough, I will have written evidence of goals accomplished.

What helps is that I feel very enthusiastic about the work that I am doing. The organization is a mixture of a lot of different types of people and many of their main staff are Ethiopian. While my task manager is not Ethiopian, my field instructor was born in Ethiopia and came to Israel on Operation Moses when he was 20 years old. So far I have had one meeting with him, with another tomorrow but he really is a fascinating person. Born in Ethiopia, his grandfather who was the head of his village saw the importance in education. He built the first school in his village in Ethiopia and made my field instructor and his eight brothers and sisters attend. When he was 20 years old he traveled through Ethiopia and Sudan in order to make it to Israel. He served in the army as a social worker and went on to get his bachelors in social work and a masters in public administration. There are several other staff I have met who are Ethiopian that also traveled to Israel as a child in order to escape from persecution in Ethiopia.

This is the first time that I've had this opportunity to take a part in a marketing initiative that I know if effective, can make a large difference in the lives of a lot of Ethiopian teens in the coming fall. My work with Solomon's Mosaic is already in full swing and I am really proud of what I have accomplished. On my first day of working at ENP, with the help of my task manager we came up with the idea of marketing the mosaic using tangible marketing materials. The thought was that if we could create something that we could pass out to volunteer groups and hand out on trips to the United States we would be able to spark interest in Solomon's Mosaic. With the idea at hand, I went right to work creating a card, similar to a greeting card. What is really amazing to me is that I was given the opportunity to take an idea that I visualized and make it concrete.

Today I was handed my very first printed Solomon's Mosaic card to be used for marketing. With the card in hand, I was very happy to have already contributed something that I think could really make an impact in marketing the mosaic. Later on in the day the cards were handed out to a visiting group at one of the Youth Centers. It is really just amazing to me that something I created will be handed out to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people not just in Israel but in the United States too.

Along with this I have been working on making the website for Solomon's Mosaic a place that people don't just buy tiles but finds resources to educate themselves and others on Ethiopian Jewry and Operation Solomon. If you go to the website (www.solomonsmosaic.org) and check out the resources, activities and several other sections you will see what I have been doing. It is important to not just market Solomon's Mosaic in order to get people to buy tiles, but to encourage them to educate their friends, families and communities on Ethiopian Jewry and on the miracle that was Operation Solomon.

I feel as if I have really been able to think outside the box and be creative with my ideas. There is so much room to create and contribute that I am very satisfied with what I have been doing so far. To go along with this, today I got to work with a mission trip that came to see the Youth Center and Scholastic Assistance program in Bet Shemesh, a city not far from Jerusalem where I live. There were several reasons that today was so significant. The first is that I took a large role in creating the activity for todays group. The teenagers from the Youth Center were going to go see the Israeli Idol show today (similar to American Idol) so we created an activity called "Kochav Nolad." In english this means "A Star is Born." While together we brainstormed the general idea, I was in charge of creating the design for the activity and putting the ideas into something concrete that we could use. The activity came out really amazing and I got a lot of complements on it. Today was also my first time seeing the programs that ENP does and it really helped me see how important the work I am doing actually is. It gave me perspective and I think that is extremely important.

The group first went to see the Scholastic Assistance program where they played english games with the younger kids. The kids were really amazing and so enthusiastic about meeting the group and hanging out with them. It really goes to show that even with some language barrier that there can always be other ways to communicate. Language does not always have to create a barrier to communicate with kids. Afterwards they went to the Youth Center, which to me appeared to be a bomb shelter in the ground. Its quite possible, it being Israel, that it was a bomb shelter that they turned into a center for teenagers. On average in Bet Shemesh they can have between 40 and 50 kids at the center. There are 80 kids that regularly attend the center that is open form 4pm to 10 pm every day, with extended hours in the summer. The activity I created surrounded the idea of being a star, or being a leader. We put the visitors in groups with the teens from the center and had them decide what kind of star they wanted to be. I was really touched by some of the answers that the kids came up with. They picked from a pile of cards on the floor which I had designed and had the opportunity to come up with their own. While language at the center was a barrier, some could speak a little english. For those that could not they spoke in hebrew and someone translated. One boy said "I want to be a good parent because its nice to have a family and children." It really put a smile on my face because although it was a card I didn't expect one of them to pick it. Afterwards the group worked as a team to come up with five qualities they would need to be a star. They all really amazed me with the answers they picked up from the set of cards. Many of them said "Perseverance", "Hard-worker", and "Good Communication Skills."

There are many more groups that I am going to work with throughout the summer but todays visit made me excited for ones in the future.

Really at the end of the day, this is a very exciting opportunity. Its different and its challenging and its definitely outside the box. Whether or not I am in Israel or not, I see this opportunity only enhancing my skills and abilities.

Sunday starts the week

While everyone was relaxing on Sunday, I in turn re-entered the life of starting work on a Sunday. When I began work I had to start keeping track of my hours accumulated at my internship in order to report back to my school. I came upon a interesting cultural difference. A question to ponder is what day of the week do you think the week starts? According to my school the week starts on Monday because the weekend is Saturday and Sunday but according to Israel, the week starts on Sunday. There is significance in this when it comes to fundraising and networking mostly with individuals and organization outside of the country. While work begins on Sunday here, the real work can no't start until the work week starts for everyone else in the world. On Monday.

I have already begun to see some advantages to working for a smaller non-profit. Room to explore. Room to create. And room to suggest. While the Ethiopian National project does appear small if measured by the width and length of their office space, their reach goes far beyond their hallway and far beyond the Jewish Agency building where they reside.

The Ethiopian National Project as mentioned in my previous post, works to provide educational and social opportunities to Ethiopian Israeli-teenagers. For many individuals, the idea of Israel being a place with a large population of Ethiopians is new. After missions such as Operation Moses, Operation Joshua and Operation Solomon, thousands upon thousands of Ethiopian Jews were transported to Israel in a matter of days. Specifically Operation Solomon brought over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews in a matter of 36 hours using a large aircraft carrier. Many of these individuals and families, walked miles upon miles through Ethiopia and through Sudan in order to escape anti-semetism and the harsh conditions that they faced daily in their own villages.

Today, over 116,000 Ethiopian Jews live in the State of Israel, with over 70% of them being under the age of 17. Integration into a modern society such as Israel was not easy and today many families face the challenge of raising their children in a country that they themselves never grew up in. For years, Ethiopian children were sent to boarding schools and were put in lower tracks at school that would eventually create barriers for them to go to college after leaving the army. They face similar challenges that many people growing up in low-income communities are currently struggling with today.

The Ethiopian National Project a partnered agency, began their project with the hopes of reaching the whole Ethiopian community. The vision while different and noteworthy, did not have sufficient funding. In turn, they worked with leaders of the Ethiopian communities throughout the country to determine the need was the greatest for teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18. Their main initiatives entail their Youth Centers in 26 locations throughout Israel and their scholastic assistance program. Helping students achieve and to succeed later in life.

While there is more to it, for now this can give you an idea of where I am working. I suggest reading more on the Ethiopian Jewish community and you can visit the Ethiopian National Projects website by clicking here - The Ethiopian National Project.

Mainly my work at the agency will entail marketing and fundraising and working with "mission" groups that come to see how their money is being utilized, or they are interested in learning about what ENP does. I quote mission because many people might not know exactly what that entirely means. Often these groups do come with a mission, to see, to learn, to volunteer and interact.

One theme that I did not leave behind in the United States, was the need for funds. Money is critical in order to keep the doors open and provide programs and services to those in need. For the Ethiopian National Project, when funds are slow or money lacks, it could mean hundreds of teens that will not be able to utilize their services. In only two days, I am able to see the critical role fundraising and marketing plays in carrying out the agency's mission and vision to help the Ethiopian community.

What makes this agency different from previous agency's I have worked with, is that they are not a 501 c3 in the United States and do not officially have tax-credit status in Israel. The approach to fundraising appears to be different but can still be effective. Truly though fundraising differs here, because it appears that Israel is lagging behind in philanthropy. While 1/3rd of the support does come from within the country, the majority of the work is done networking and fundraising abroad.

One of the main projects I'm working on is called Solomon's Mosaic, a microsite and an online fundraising initiative. It is different, it is original and I think that the potential is great. The question here is, "Whats the purpose of this initiative?" On May 24th began the 20th Anniversary of Operation Solomon that miraculously transferred over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 36 hours. Solomon's Mosaic is a initiative to raise $360,000 for the agency which will critically help the Ethiopian teenagers the agency serves and expand its programs to more teens. It is a creative fundraising technique, where one tile can be purchased for $36 and that tile will show a picture that represents the individual or an organization. In the end the mosaic will represent a community of support and will be seen at several conferences in the future. It is not just an opportunity to fundraise but to educate youth, teens and adults on the Ethiopian Jewry and their story.

For me, the challenge comes in thinking of ways to strategically market this and solicit it to organizations, groups and schools in the United States. It is day two and I already have almost finished one marketing piece that will be given out to visiting groups and to people in the U.S during an upcoming trip that the Director General (as they call the boss here) and the Director of International Relations will promote ENP.

I see key aspects of this internship that already have allowed me to think critically and be challenged. There is room for creativity, there is room to envision new ideas and there is room to suggest ideas that may not work. While I have yet to really see the work that they do, beginning this Sunday I will start traveling throughout the country to work with visiting groups.

I encourage you to check out Solomon's Mosaic and learn more about Operation Solomon. www.solomonsmosaic.org

Off to an interesting start

The first question to answer is how did I get to this point, sitting in Israel and starting my practicum at the Ethiopian National Project on Sunday morning (June 5th). I started my Masters in Social Work after spending almost a year living and volunteering in Israel. When I returned I could not shake the feeling that I needed to go back and since July 2, 2009, I have been back twice. Here I am today, back in Israel for the third time and using this very different opportunity to finish my last three credits of my concentration practicum in Social and Economic Development with a specialization in management.

It started as a crazy idea, that continued into a plan that I felt would enhance my career and allow me to see how philanthropy worked outside of the United States. I recently read somewhere that 34% of Israel's philanthropy comes from the country of Israel itself and the rest comes from out of the country donors and organizations. This is a significant fact to understand going into this experience. Throughout grad school I have used my practicum as an opportunity to explore different areas and broaden my perspective on the non-profit sphere. Ultimately my interests lye in the areas of poverty, youth and education on a national and international scale.

My plan to do a practicum in Israel started quite some time ago. This was purposeful because I understood the difficulty of trying to secure an internship with the requirements of a masters level student. I networked, I connected, I researched and ultimately it all led me to the Ethiopian National Project and a very enthusiastic Director of International Relations that will be my task manager.

The Ethiopian National Project provides educational and social opportunities to help Israeli Ethiopian teenagers realize their full potential.

I have not started quite yet, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment that somehow through all the stress and nerves, I find myself sitting across the world, in Israel, in order to strive for my next goal of completing this practicum. I titled this blog entry "Off to an interesting start" for several reasons. One because I see this practicum the beginning of the end, as in the end of my Masters in Social Work. Secondly, because of the stumbling blocks I encountered before I even sat in this chair.

I will note a few. First, my connecting flight to get to Israel was canceled and hour before I left for the airport. This created panic, that I then realized was not necessary and I learned a lesson about flying. Unless its a different airline and its an "act of g-d," the airline must fix the problem. So problem solved. I then arrived in Israel at 3:30 p.m on June 1 to find that my suitcase did not arrive with me. As in my suitcase with all of my clothes for the summer. Dealing with Israeli airport people while jet lagged is not what I call fun. Its now two days later and I still don't have my bag. I learned that they were tracking the wrong bag this morning. Supposedly they found my bag and I"m getting it this afternoon. I will feel a sense of relief once I see it in front of me.

It has been an interesting start to this experience so far. While I've already gotten lost in Jerusalem twice, I do know how to get to work on Sunday so perhaps that is all that matters. I will continue to write in this blog about my internship at the Ethiopian National Project and I hope that it will continue to be an interesting experience the rest of the summer. Maybe with some more positive challenges. : )