Second day of community week

Today started in the best way possible, early and quickly. At 9:00 our bus arrived at kibbutz Kfar Hannasi and we all gathered around to play some games based on todays theme of "personal impact". Next we gathered in an art room and sat around while David, the first child born at the kibbutz and lifelong member, told us about life starting at the kibbutz and what it was like in the early years of its creation; as well as informing us about the changes the kibbutz has experienced over time. Once David had finished the overview and answered our questions, we played a team game where we competed in small groups to raise a marshmallow as high off the table as possible using nothing but freestanding structures made of the meager pieces of pasta, string, and tape we were given. We then had an in depth conversation about the values of planning vs action and how we can use those values to be more efficient in the future.

After finishing our activities at kibbutz Kfar Hannassi we took a bus to the Vancouver house, the Israeli meeting place, and we had an amazing lunch consisting of Israeli Chinese food which, I can assure you, is much better than it sounds. Once we had satisfied our stomaches, we all discussed impacts. To narrow down such a broad topic, the days' leaders gave us a paper with four quotes from Pirke Avot, each relating to a different aspect of personal impact, and asked us to pick the one that we most connected with and explain why. This simple task sparked further conversation among us and we managed to have a fascinating discussion centered on the way we impact others, others impact us, and the bigger picture effects of those impacts.

Once we had thoroughly analyzed our own impacts on our peers and our communities we loaded back onto the bus and headed straight for the ayalim village in kiryat shmonah. Ayalim is an organization that recruits residents to build low-cost housing for college students in long forgotten communities, thereby bringing the youth back to these villages. This organization addresses the issues faced by countless communities, when their youth feel they have no reason to stay and decide to leave, by giving youth reasons to stay such as discounted housing and a sense of being not only part of, but founders of a community. Only after having this explained in an engaging presentation and reflecting on the day did we get back on the bus and drive into kiryat shmonah for dinner and some free time in the area. I dont know about everyone else but i think im ready for a good nights sleep after a fun day like that!