ENP Hosts South African Youth Group at ENP Center in Beit Shemesh

On Thursday, July 11, Alyssa, Devorah, and Brooke – three volunteers at the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) – joined a group of South African Habonim Dror students on a visit to the ENP Youth Outreach Centers in Beit Shemesh. Nearly 60 sixteen-year-olds, staff, and volunteers met with Ethiopian-Israeli children and youth. Together they played charades, simple word games, and conducted bean-bag races. The visit was also accompanied by staff from Partnership2Gether, an office of the Jewish Agency that coordinates youth trips to Israel.

 Read below to find out what ENP volunteers had to say about the event.

Alyssa: It was really nice to see the children from South Africa meet the children from their partner city in Beit Shemesh. We were there to help the South Africa group meet and have fun with ENP youth. The two groups succeeded in bonding despite language barriers. I believe all the kids gained something out of the experience.

Devorah: I enjoyed interacting with the teenagers from both countries through the games that we played. Both groups formed a bond. For example, during charades they were able to find commonalities, and laughter was heard throughout the room. I hope that I have the opportunity to learn more and spend time with the teenagers in Beit Shemesh.

Brooke: I had a wonderful experience being able to immerse into the Ethiopian-Israeli culture. It was so rewarding! I was able to interact with a diverse group of teenagers, and I began to identify and get a sense of the lives of Ethiopian-Israelis. For example, I truly enjoyed talking with a young boy named Yoni. He liked to listen to musicians from America. Although we live very different lifestyles, at the end of the day we both have many things in common. There was a language barrier, but I feel with more conversations and practice there is potential for the teenagers to become more comfortable with speaking English. I’d love to have another opportunity like this again!