The month of July has gone by very fast, fast enough that I realized today I hadn't written an entry about my work in a month. At the same time, for about a week I actually took a chofesh (a vacation in hebrew) from my work in order to travel the country and explore. The vacation was nice and now I am back to my work and to doing different types of projects.
More of my time this months has been spent in the office, which is nice but at the same time it was really great to go around the country to see the different youth centers and speak with the youth and the staff. At the beginning of the month of July, I was brainstorming other vehicles of funding that I could assist ENP in obtaining. One thing that does not change for any non-profit, whether it be in the United States, or even Israel is the importance of different sources of funding. When an organization relies too heavily on the same sources of funding, without variety, it often effects their programs and services. Due to the economic situation abroad, similar to many non-profits, ENP is seeing the effect on the number of Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers that can be integrated into their programs.
Remembering the significance of creating partnerships in the community, I contacted the Director of an organization called "The Nu Campaign." I had heard of it through a couple of contacts and friend who is the Director of Young Leadership for Save a Child's Heart. The NU campaign spreads the story of global causes in Israel and abroad through a T-shirt. While a young business it has already seen much success. Where I saw the benefit of creating a connection between ENP and the NU Campaign was having a business that could successfully spread the story of Ethiopian Jewry on a global scale. After meeting with the Director of the NU campaign and the Director of International Relations of ENP, it was decided that the partnership could be a worthwhile one. The idea to have this meeting for the most part came to me randomly, but I really believe that word of mouth is one of the most effective tools of marketing. Although the partnership only brings in a minimal amount of additional funds, spreading the story through t-shirts I think is a very innovative idea. The front of the shirt is a graphic created by one of their shirt designers and inside the shirt near the heart is the story of the organization your representing by wearing the t-shirt.
Along with this I have also taken the initiative to do research on different foundations that potentially could be sources of funding. The research is a slow process but I have already found a handful that I am writing Letters of Inquiry to today. One thing that seems to be across the board, is that even foundations are suffering form the current state of the economy. The effect is seen in funds closing or not taking on new projects.
The skills I am gaining from dipping into the world of fundraising and marketing are definately beneficial. At the same time it is interacting with the youth, the center supervisors, and mission groups that has given me more insight into where my strengths lye. I don't think many people will argue that beyond my creative abilities to think big and outside the box, I also have a special talent in talking to people. Creating connections. Most importantly interacting with individuals and groups.
Wednesday I got the opportunity to travel about an hour and a half to the Kefar Silver Youth village near Ashkelon. This last week was the conclusion of a five-day Leadership seminar for teenagers from different cities and backgrounds across the state of Israel. Although the youth who interviewed for my report gave me a lot to write about, they also provided me with a perspective that I didn't expect to gain. I interviewed three different girls that were all participants in the Scholastic Assistance programs through the Ethiopian National Project from different cities in Israel (Ashkelon, Kirat Gat and Hedera). These three girls specifically come from backgrounds that are quite different from many of their peers. Parents that traveled from Ethiopia, through Sudan in order to finally reach Jerusalem. Families that have faced many economic and social struggles trying to integrate into Israeli society.
What really stood out to me were a few key things. The first was hearing about where their families came from and for all three girls, their mothers were their inspiration. A mother that were married at age 12, in order to avoid kidnapping and rape. Another mother that came pregnant to Israel and with perseverance and determination was able to finally complete her nursing degree.
The second was hearing about what an impact it had on them to be exposed to people that were different them, whether it be from a different city or even a different religion.
One girl said to me, "This week was the first time I ever really interacted with someone that was Muslim. At first I didn't want to speak to him, but then when I did I realized that he was really nice. I realized that actually we were a lot a like." To me, this was a powerful thing to hear. Studying Social and Economic Development, I think a key component is learning how diversity can make the most significant impact. People learning to see their commonalities.
Lastly, these girls gave me a perspective on the impact of being a part of the Scholastic Assistance program. Youth that have struggled academically in the past that today because of the program are succeeding and have goals that involve doing important things in their lives. Here what I am learning is what kind of impact it makes on a youths life if they are taught the tools and skills they need to reach their full potential. While I see this being effective in Israel, I know in the United States youth face similar issues and they too need organizations like ENP giving them the opportunities they need in order to reach their full potential.
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