The conference began with discussion groups studying passages from the Mishnah and Talmud related to the topic of disabilities. One of the group leaders, Omer Nachum, a young adult with disabilities fulfilling his national service duty through Gvanim’s Hed program in Yokneam, concluded the opening discussion circle, “There is a desire to change the perception – to foster a society that accepts disabilities. It is okay to have disabilities; there is no need to hide them only to accept them.”

Later in the evening, lectures discussed issues such as people with disabilities in public service, volunteering as a tool for empowering youth, halakhic challenges and more. Among the lecturers were Yoav Kareem, spokesmen for the disabled, Yichiel Sharshevsky, head of mental health rehabilitation at the Ministry of Health, and Rabbi Yuval Cherlow from the Tzohar organization.  Hanoch Daum and Ariel Hartman, co-authors of the book, Mind the Road, lead a discussion titled, “Who are you calling disabled?” The discussion brought up important dilemmas, like the tension between accepting a person’s disabilities and encouraging achievement. Where do you draw the line? When should you support a person with disabilities and when should you challenge him or her to action?  In the words of Ariel Hartman, a psychologist, “The most dramatic element of treating a person with disabilities is recognizing our own disabilities. If we define our limits and our imperfections, we are also able to accept the limitations of others.” Ariel Hartman noted the importance for people with psychological damage to leave the house and be part of society. Hartman spoke about the amazing example Daum is setting as a successful man with Tourette’s syndrome.

During the remainder of the evening, everyone gathered together to hear stories of the young volunteers. Achia Kamara, a representative for equal rights for people with disabilities in the Justice Department, spoke about his experience with what he calls the “public transportation social hierarchy”, referencing people’s fear of sitting on the bus next to a person with disabilities. Nadav, age 25, who works today as an assistant guide at the Knesset, spoke excitedly about his national service, serving at the National Library archives on the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew University, “I chose to do national service, to volunteer, and to contribute to the state…My service made me feel like everyone else. Despite my disability,       I am not alone; I have found a community outside of my family.”

The conference was attended by a forum of organizations working to advance national service for marginalized populations. The forum included Ma’ase, Appleseeds Academy, Centers for Young Adults – JDC Israel and the Gandyr Foundation, and the social studies program at Beit Morasha.

Sderot’s Community Center hosted an Early Childhood conference on October 12, 2009.  Among the honored guests were Sderot’s mayor, the Director of the Schusterman Foundation-Israel, and 350 professionals from the field of early childhood development.

Regional Early Childhood programs in the Northern Negev are now in their third year of operation, led by the Gvanim Association with the help of the Schusterman Foundation-Israel.  Partners include the municipalities of Sderot and Netivot and the councils of Shaar HaNegev and Sedot Negev.  Regional Early Childhood services were created to improve testing and treatment of developmental delays in young children while promoting enrichment and training of the children, their parents and the professionals who serve them.

The conference entitled  ”My Second Childhood” was dedicated to a discussion of issues and medical symptoms of children’s development from birth to age three and was part of a two-year regional training program for Early Childhood professionals.  The goal of the conference was to enrich the knowledge and work of professionals working in the less populated areas of Israel.

Ms. Rivka Grabovsky, director of a childcare center, spoke with emotion about the significance of the conference.  “I’m very excited.  Developments like this are common in the center of the country, but not in our area.  We really need events like this one, with lectures and opportunities to learn.  It was an exciting meeting between colleagues and we should be proud. My thanks and congratulations to the organizers.”

Before starting this project, the participants in the photography class had to agree on difficult concepts such as: what is street culture; where do we draw the line between vandalism and personal expression; how should we relate to this  phenomena -  should we condemn it or accept it as a person’s unique expression;  is graffiti art or vandalism?

Yarin, a 15 year old photographer from the class, added this note to one of his photos in the exhibit:

We need to pass a law in our city that every person who damages and vandalizes property will be severely punished by the local authorities and by the police.  This legislation could prevent a lot of destruction in Sderot.  But we also need to recognize that there are people (youths and adults) who are very artistic and we should set aside places where they can create amazing public street art and graffiti.

“Street Culture” is the third exhibit created and curated by the photography class since its first meeting two years ago.  “We see great importance in promoting social and community goals with our photography,” explains Haim Biton, a photography instructor at the Computer & Media Center.  “We decided to use photography as a tool for self-awareness, social communication and personal empowerment.  This exhibit, ‘Street Culture,’ is the final product of our students’ creative process, a process that encourages feelings of belonging to the community they live in, and helps them care what happens here.”

Sderot’s Computer & Media Center and the photography program are supported by the Gvanim Association and its partners.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Sderot’s Resilience Center made a major and significant contribution to the mental health of our city’s residents during Operation Cast Lead,” says Nitai Shreiber, Director of Gvanim Association in Sderot, Israel.

During the most recent of Israel’s military operations, Sderot’s residents were caught between the Hamas militants of the Gaza Strip and Israel’s response to many years of unprovoked missile attacks on Israel’s civilians. According to Dalia Yosef, Director of Sderot’s Resilience Center, Operation Cast Lead brought with it a horrific intensification of both rocket fire and uncontrolled trauma. The Resilience Center proved to be one of the strongest and most important services available to Sderot’s communities during the war; in less than three weeks, the Center’s Emergency Room treated about 300 emotionally injured residents who needed extreme, immediate help. Hundreds more signed up for ongoing individual or group therapy.

Trauma and anxiety are not new to Sderot. This city, and the communities near it, are located only a mile or less from the Gaza Strip and have been victims of unpredictable but continuous missile and mortar shell attacks for more than eight years. The region’s youngest children have known nothing but a life with daily missile attacks. During periods of intensification, schools are shut, businesses fail and even public gatherings are forbidden.

The Resilience Center was established in late 2007 as a tool to provide professional support, treatment for those in trauma (according to some studies, that includes 90% of Sderot’s population) and training for the professionals who support the region’s residents. “We include elements in all our programs to help residents cope with trauma and challenges,” notes Chen Abrahams, from Gvanim’s directorship, who lives in nearby Kfar Aza. “We also focus on building community resilience. These are such clear, ongoing needs.” Symptoms of trauma can range from insomnia and inability to concentrate, apathy and depression, violent outbursts, physical illness, bedwetting (at every age) and hair loss to the inability to plan for the future or function on a daily basis. The Resilience Center welcomes all and provides treatment without stigma.

In the first three months of 2009, almost 1,000 adults, youths and children received help in the form of individual or group therapy. People reach the Center by directly contacting it or by receiving a referral from social, educational or medical service providers. The number of those in need are likely to grow, Ms. Yosef explained, because many of Sderot’s families are afflicted with intense and deep-set anxieties and traumas as a result of the ongoing nature of the security crisis. Entire communities in Sderot have been swept up into feelings of hopelessness, infecting even the most resilient members of their community. The Resilience Center stands as a beacon of hope for community, family and individual rehabilitation.

The Center’s work is far from done, but it has clearly become a leader in providing mental health services for the emotionally injured.