My experience with ENP and the youth center of Beit shemesh

After a month of volunteering with the Ethiopian National Project (also known as ENP), many things could be said regarding the many encounters with the office work in Jerusalem and youth center in Beit Shemesh. Regarding the office work we had a tapestry mission consisting of gaining help from various organisation and plan an exposition of Jewish Ethiopian history and culture, permitting people around Israel and the United to connect and to bond with this community which is rich in its past. The center was separated between two groups, one elementary and one in the high school, Ethiopian kids of age ranging between 5 to 16. I personally had some private English tutoring with the younger group, being able to communicate in Hebrew was a huge asset and allowed me to teach basic knowledge. Most of the time with these groups were spent doing various activities such as singing, foosball, pool and discussions in addition of physical activities such as soccer and ping pong.

One of the most impactful activity was the cooking class where we cooked meals for the entire center comprising of over 20 youth and the staff where we had them participate in preparation process which had a big success with the kids and they were able to learn how to make salads and Israeli dishes. Outdoor activities were also particularly successful where the youth engaged and had a good time competing with each other.

My experience overall was very rewarding and being able to speak both English and Hebrew with them allowed me to fully implement myself withing the center and lead to a great experience which I am sure the youth had much profit and enjoyment from. I'm also grateful for having the opportunity to work with the staff member in the office and the youth center where we were able to help each other and complete our work combining different skills coming from people who traveled from around the world to be part of this project!