A Bridge Of Love Across Generations

This letter arrived  from Shula Mahleh, coordinator of young volunteers of Yad Sarah.

"The inter-generational project,  based on computer use,  is a joint endeavor of Yad Sarah  and selected schools for the purpose of  establishing a system of voluntary action for the community. The relevant activity was adapted to the needs of the community  by the cooperative efforts of the students who have access to new technology with adults who are interested in improving their computer skills.

The purpose of the project  is to facilitate contact between adults and youth through the study of computer is  to further the understanding of each other's world,  and to work toward  providing  our youth  with education and skills tailored to their needs.  A further, but no less important goal is to learn to act with  patience, tolerance and respect toward one another.

This type of activity imparts satisfaction and a sense of genuine achievement for students, while the personal commitment  aids in promoting good citizenship and social responsibility, through the development of  the individual's self-confidence.

Activities like these help direct attention to the problems of youth, and  to  problems throughout  our society in general.  We aim to generate people's motivation to help one another and thereby to make positive use of their personal skills.

Fortunately, I was able to coordinate among the relevant parties and to operate the project from its very beginning.This year, classes in Jerusalem were held in the Himmelfarb and  Ziv schools.

I am constantly astonished at the responsible  behavior and determination of many of the  young students participating in our project.  These students are aware of the importance of this project and have become a bridge of love for their fellow human beings.  They have acquired patience, concern and a pleasant way of communication.  Just as professional teachers do, they pass on their information and the fruits of their knowledge to adults who are afraid of technology and as a result, afraid of computers.  These adults are helped to acquire the computer skills which are of such  great importance today.

Most adults who are involved in this project are volunteers at Yad Sarah, who give gladly of their time and their energy  to improve the quality of life of those people who must deal with  problems in functioning.  In this way they demonstrate constructive and positive  values to those of the younger generation, by actually being personal role models.

Photo: Shula (white shirt) with the  Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and participants in the computer class.