Flying with Diller- Cohort 18 workshop 2!

Our third workshop of the year began with a brief oys and joys check in. Although we (cohort 18) were all a little nervous to meet cohort 17 for the first time, sitting in a circle and sharing the ups and downs of our week before we met them broke the ice and revealed a (not surprising) bonding trend that most of us had oys involving homework. 

Once our initial warm up was over, the doors were opened and we met cohort 17 for the first time. They were all very warm and welcoming, and lead us in a series of ice breakers like standing in an inner/outer circle formation and talking one-on-one with them in a sort of speed-dating like rotation. They patiently answered any and all of our questions/concerns that we had around Diller, and tried to clear up a little bit what the Diller program would be like in the future (it sounds exciting but at this point is still mysterious). 

Cohort 17 then led us in activities involving their TOSS workshop, in which we had to plan how we would adapt to a program that didn’t work out. After some more bonding with our older counterparts, we said our goodbyes with a woosh of good energy

We then had a presentation by Shachar Gilad, a pilot, who explained to us qualities needed to be the leader of an aircraft, and lead us in an activity simulating emergency scenarios a pilot might face in real life. After wooshing him goodbye, we sat down and (in typical Diller fashion) reflected on the day. 

-Noa, cohort 18

When the two met- Joint workshop Cohort 17 and 18!

Our Sunday began with a language program led by our favorite (and only) Diller coordinator Gabi. We discussed the literal and figurative connection to language. A few fellows volunteered to demonstrate 3 different scenarios; someone getting proposed to, the birds and the bees (father and daughter talk), and 2 brothers in an argument. The twist was that no real [English] words could be exchanged. One group displayed their frustration through gibberish and annoyed body language as another barked and meowed to show miss-communication. Finally, we were treated to a few beautiful hand and body motions by our distressed father-Micah as he taught his daughter-Sophia about the birds and the bees. Although it was a funny program, we were able to recognize and have a meaningful discussion about our home, family, friend, Diller, and, culture “language”.

Subsequently, cohort 17 prepared to meet cohort 18 for the first time. As we started preparing programs for them they slowly started shuffling in. We began our combined workshop with a some icebreakers led by a few cohort 17 fellows. Later, different committees from cohort 17 talked about their experience with Diller and what the purpose of their committee was throughout our cohort. We were able to talk to our cohort 18 dillaroos about  any questions, concerns, excitement they had coming into Diller. As a way to help them ease into the “Diller family flow”, we [cohort 17] will each partner with one them [cohort 18] in our mentor program. This allows us to stay connected and pass on traditions to future cohorts:)

-Caroline Rabinovich          

Workshop 1- Cohort 18

This past Sunday was Cohort 18's first workshop. We focused on getting to know each other, our most important values and leadership. These three topics will continue to be discussed throughout the year. 

Each fellow brought in a picture of themselves; some were cute baby pictures and others were more recent photographs. Each one had some sort of story connected to it, whether that had to do with a hobby or family or friends. After this, each fellow posted their picture on the wall and everyone wrote down facts they remembered about that person from our first meeting. We reconvened and shared interesting facts we learned (hopefully re-learned!) about each other. This was a step in getting to know each other, as the connections we make this year will and need to be strong.

Next, we did a Chamsa Values Program. The chamsa is a hand-like symbol that is seen in different religions and cultures all around the world. Each fellow began with an individual chamsa, writing their five most important values. Then fellows got into groups of four or five and had to create a Diller Cohort 18 group chamsa, writing the most important values for the group this year. Then (yes, there's more), the entire group got together and had to ALL agree on five important values for the group. The beautiful part of this activity is that the values are different for every cohort, which is what makes this program so unique and special.

After a short break on the roof, the fellows came back to the board room and began working on the Ultimate Leader Program. Pictures of famous leaders were laid out on the floor, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Beyonce Knowles and Abraham Lincoln. Each fellow picked a leader and described what made this person a good leader, what specific qualities they admired in this person. Again, this is another unique program, because each person will describe the leader differently, as we all look for different aspects in a leader; we each connect differently to different parts of people.

With these programs under their belts, the fellows gained a better understanding of what Diller is all about and also gained more knowledge of each other and what is important to each person, because in a group of 20, there will be varying results. Next up is the Joint-Workshop with Cohort 17 on October 12.Looking forward to it!
Sam, Cohort 18 Junior Counselor