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October 6, 2000
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A Different Kind of Education
| Five Weeks in Ghana |
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Nate Asher and his friend Gabriel (Gabbi) Gershowitz left Overland Park, Kansas, in June to live for more than a month in Ghana, a West African country near the equator. It was not a typical summer vacation for two teenage boys, but it changed their lives. The young men spent most of their time teaching Hebrew to residents of Sefwi Wiawso, a village of about 3,000 people on the Tano River. About 80 families there have been practicing Judaism for some time but needed help learning Hebrew. Asher, a high school senior, regional president of United Synagogue Youth, and an employee of the Jewish Chronicle, was happy to step in. Not that it was always easy. "The people lived a very modest lifestyle," he recalls. "They had no luxuries. The family had one TV, which got one station. We showered with a bucket in a room. There was an outhouse for a toilet. There was no running water." The 17-year-old Asher isn't complaining. In fact, he was sad to leave his students, who ranged in age from 6 to 50. He had gotten a taste of how it feels to be needed. "They just wanted to be in contact with the rest of the Jewish world," says Asher. Asher intends to maintain his connection with the families. He may organize other volunteers to travel to Ghana, or possibly have the villagers flown to the United States. In the future, he would like "to be involved in something broader than the United States. I'm interested in an international field. This experience helped solidify that." |
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Talk about a different sort of summer vacation. Nate Asher spent more than a month in Africa, volunteering in a village in Ghana. He had the time of his life despite the hardships he encountered. How can volunteering enrich your life?
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| Teen Contributions to Society |
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Nate and Gabbi are not alone in their charitable efforts. Statistics show that almost 60% of teenagers volunteer an average of 3.5 hours per week. According to Independent Sector, a nonprofit organization supporting philanthropy and volunteerism, that totals billions of hours a year, with an estimated dollar value of $225.9 billion. What an incredible example of how teens contribute to society and the welfare of their communities!
Some teens, like Nate and Gabbi, find that their volunteer work is a natural extension of issues and causes that they care passionately about in their daily lives. Others discover that skills that they take for granted, such as surfing the Web or using a computer, can be invaluable to people of different ages who may not be as comfortable with technology. In this way, volunteering doesn't have to be a chore. You can become involved with projects you truly enjoy and ones that come easily to you. Some children make and sell friendship bracelets, the proceeds of which are used to buy socks and gloves for homeless shelters.
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What volunteer projects are teens around the country involved with? Just about everything. There are teens who clean parks and playgrounds, those who visit the elderly at nursing homes, and teens who raise money for the needy in walkathons or charity runs.
| Make a Difference Day |
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Here's a fun way to brainstorm some creative projects that might help your community. USA WEEKEND Magazine has created an online Idea Generator. Simply go to the site, answer three questions, and you will get a computer-generated list of projects that suit your interests and that have proven successful in other communities. The Idea Generator is part of a larger national effort called Make a Difference Day. This national day of helping others will take place Saturday, October 28. If you would like to see what Make A Difference projects are happening in your area—or anywhere in the United States—go to the Make A Difference DAYtaBANK. Some projects need volunteers. Others may simply spark an idea for action you can take in your own town.
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It is easy to become overwhelmed when you start thinking about ways to volunteer. So many worthy causes and organizations compete for your attention that it's hard to know the best way to channel your time and energy. How can you narrow down the possibilities?
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