Jewish Life Digital Edition September 2015 | Page 116

Know of a unique chesed idea going on somewhere in the world? Write to us at [email protected]! We’re always looking for new ideas to share and spread. 112 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 88 boating, ice-skating, roller-skating, arts and crafts, year-end celebrations and special big sister appreciation events. All of this to create social cohesion and positive reinforcement for the Bigs and the Littles.” And the girls really begin to feel like family. “It’s deeply moving and inspiring to attend one of the events run for the big/little sisters, especially the national one that is conducted each year for the big sisters. There is such energy in the room, and the shared purpose the girls feel is inspiring,” says Rabbi Horowitz. “We keep hearing from the mentors themselves about how meaningful and transformational it was for them. They signed up to give, and give they do. But many report that they gained as much or, perhaps, more than their little sister did.” Such is the success of the project that with the help of a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation, the programme is expanding across North America and Canada, adding two new cities each year. “We currently have 350 pairs from 67 schools in five states and Canada. This coming year we will be launching new programmes in Denver, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia. To put the programme in perspective, it’s important to note that each of the 350 pairs meets at least 30 times a year, which adds up to more than 10 000 units of service per year! “One of the most beautiful things about this programme is that many of the participating schools have been involved for a number of years now. So many of the girls who were mentored by big sisters are now entering the 11th and 12th grades of high school. They are volunteering in droves, wanting to give back to today’s middle school kids, since they saw how much it did for their lives.” For anyone interested in sharing in the nachas that this programme brings, sponsorship opportunities are available by emailing Rabbi Horowitz at [email protected]. JL PHOTOGRAPH: SUPPLIED IT’S AMAZING HOW CHILDREN, from a young age, learn by example. I see it in my own, how they mimic their older cousins, how they follow and try to live up to what they see as their big cousins’ very large shoes, and how they internalise the ways they behave. It can be scary at times, the power for people to affect others, but it’s a striking idea if you think about it. Imagine a programme that harnesses this power in order to help younger children learn by example from their older peers. “Study after study clearly indicates the positive impact and the effectiveness of mentoring programmes on the lives of pre-teens and teens,” explains Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, dean of Yeshiva Darchei Noam and director of the Center for Jewish Family Life/Project YES. “In today’s environment, even good kids from fine homes sometimes face difficult choices. Our goal is very simple: prevention. There are so many challenges facing teenagers these days