With a New Year Comes New Beginnings
Posted on 09/24/2021 @ 08:00 AM
The Miami Diller Teen Fellows Program is in full swing with a new look, an amazing new 9th Cohort, and many things to celebrate as Cohort 8 (2020-21) graduates in a few weeks!
After a meaningful evaluation process, the International Diller Teen Fellows program and the Helen Diller Family Foundation have a new look that reflects the spirit of the participants from all over the World.
With the fresh new look comes Miami’s Cohort 9 (2021-22), which kicked off with their first workshop last Sunday.
With the advice of healthcare professionals, program participants and their families as well as CAJE/GMJF professionals were able to gather in person—so exciting! To ensure the health and safety of all Diller Fellows and Staff, participants took a health screening before entering the building, maintained physical distance, wore masks, and ate lunch outside to create a safe environment. All program materials were also labeled and individually distributed.
The goal of our first workshop was for the Fellows to get to know the each other and begin to explore their own personal identities. We discussed the many ways that people and the world around us shape who we are. Then the Fellows reflected on how their perspectives and environment represent their identity.
To embody their words, they decorated boxes that represented who they are. Each Fellow created a blessing and set a goal for themselves and the group for the coming year that they placed in their box.
These personal identity boxes have become a Diller tradition for each Cohort. The boxes are then assembled as the base for Shabbat candles so that each time we spend Shabbat together as a group, we are celebrating our very different and special personal identities while simultaneously recognizing that light is created when we come together.
The light of these Shabbat candle sticks illuminates how even with our separate Jewish identities, we are one people.
There is so much to look forward to with Cohort 9 as they dive further into their Jewish journey of exploration, growth, challenge, and impact. We will of course keep you posted!
To learn more about Diller visit us at: dillermiami.org
