Social Action Retreats in India
Helping to feed and educate some of the most impoverished children in the world by forming partnerships with backpackers who are looking to get more meaning out of their time in India.
First trip out of Bhagsu, near Dharamasala.
Funded by the JDC, we provided over 200 children with notebooks, pens, sports and music equipment, English and Hindi story books, wall charts and posters. We ran workshops, English lessons, music and exercise classes, creative arts and in general gave the kids great joy for the day and long lasting memories. On the group we had 2 very talented artists who painted the country’s emblems on the walls of the schools, the flag, tiger, lotus flower and Mahatma Gandhi, paintings that will adorn the walls for decades to come. I stressed to all the teachers that we were a group from Israel and we felt it our duty to reach out to help people, it was good to hear that their impression of Israel and Israelis was greatly improved.
We bonded as a group, sharing ideas, spiritual practices, cooking all our meals together, hiking in some of the most breathtaking scenery in India, along rivers with the snow capped Himalayan mountains as our majestic back drop. In the evenings I presented Jewish ideas which led to group discussions, and answered all questions which arose. The group was mainly chilloni, but there also were 3 dati’im, it was great to see them co-operating during the day and discussing respectfully at night, finding similarities and getting rid of preconceived prejudices. We had 2 guitars, a djembe drum and a flute, so had many musical evenings, including one participant’s birthday, where we had a treat of chocolate balls and mango for dessert. Shabbat was incredibly special, a highlight for many people in the group.
We arrived back in town and had a wrap-up session last night, where everyone shared their high points and how they had grown. It was great to hear comments like ‘The most special experience I have had on my travels,’ ‘It was so heart warming to work with the children,’ and ‘I didn’t realise how beautiful Judaism could be’ and 'At last a real experience of India.' Everyone knew they had been part of something that no-one else has experienced, and got a free 'Be a Kli' t-shirt to prove it!
We finished the evening with an exercise to discover your dreams and how to make them into a reality, and we discussed how to move forward as a group once we get back to Israel.
WE ARE LOOKING TO CREATE A MOVEMENT IN ISRAEL, TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO LEARN AND GROW, TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS WHO NEED OUR HELP, TO COME TOGETHER AS A NATION, RESPECTING EACH OTHER AND SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD. WE WANT TO HAVE EVENTS, CONCERTS, HIKES, VOLUNTEER WORK PROGRAMS AND STUDY SESSIONS - AND WE WANT YOU TO BE A PART OF IT. COME WITH YOUR IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS!
BE PART OF SOMETHING NEW AND POWERFUL. BE A KLI!
Teaching English and music Creative arts workshop
Painting the Indian flag Group of kids from Baal School
Grand Vision
‘To engage travellers in volunteer work in the local community whilst empowering them and encouraging them to take a role role in tikkun olam, by creating a worldwide network of drop-in volunteer centres.’
Stage One: India.
‘Be a Kli’ will be a short term, high impact programme with long term effects, aimed at Israeli backpackers who are already abroad. The project will:
· feed and educate hundreds of children in some of the most impoverished communities in the world.
· completely transform and positively influence the lives of all involved
· nurture social action minded Israelis to set up projects in Israel on their return.
· have a positive effect on knowledge of Indian culture, thereby reversing the bad reputation of Israelis and Israel.
The Vision
All for the Kids will run 10 day ‘Introduction to Social Action’ retreats for Israelis who are already in India, to help alleviate the suffering and learn about local culture and needs. The 10 day participants will act as assistants to long term volunteers (3-6 months) who will be trained and placed by All for the Kids. The projects will focus on 4 main areas:
a) Education: teaching English and other subjects from local government books that we will provide where necessary.
b) Building: building sanitary facilities, accessibility to water, repainting schools.
c) Farming: creating vegetable gardens to feed the children and help villages become self-sufficient.
d) Local business: encouraging local crafts and providing tools, (e.g. sewing machines) where necessary. Israelis will return to Israel to sell items and send the money back to the villages.
This rewarding work will be coupled with workshops to help young adults find meaning, identity and direction in their lives. The workshops, staffed by secular and religious Israeli and Indian men and woman, explore life-purpose and spirituality with a focus on the Jewish role in Tikkun Olam. Once the retreat is over, participants are given the option to be linked up with other volunteer and Jewish identity projects in India and Israel. The courses offer the backpackers everything they are searching for, spirituality, identity, direction and meaning.
Opportunity
50,000 Israelis visit India each year. Without guidance, they can display a lack of cultural sensitivity, engage in drug-use and partying and soon establish an unfavourable reputation for Israelis and Israel. After a few months of freedom and rest from the army, many start to look for ways to get the most out of their time there.
All this takes place in a country which is crying out for support for its millions of malnourished children who do not have good opportunities for education and a way out of the cycle of poverty.
This is a great opportunity to bring these groups of people together for mutual and equal benefit, to share their lives and gain from the interaction.
Be a Kli – What’s in a name?
Ø In Hebrew a ‘kli’ means a vessel. We want our participants to be vessels, to fill themselves with knowledge, understanding, direction and purpose.
Ø It also means a tool. We want our participants to be valuable members of society, tools to bring about change and tikkun olam.
Ø In Israeli army slang a kli means a good guy. We want our participants to develop themselves and be loved and respected by their peers and those they help.
Ø Finally, Kli is spelt כלי which are the first letters of haKol Lemaan haYeledim – which means of course - All for the Kids.