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May 30, 2008
Training in philanthropy
School is teaching children to become givers.
KELLEY KORBIN
Transformative education. That's the lofty goal of Vancouver Talmud Torah (VTT) teacher Sari Weintraub and, with her latest offering of a tikkun olam class for senior elementary school students, she has undoubtedly reached that goal and inspired her young students to do their part to repair the world.
When the B.C. Ministry of Education included in its curriculum a requirement for a course in leadership, Weintraub and teacher Adam Gelmon seized the opportunity to develop a course that would give their students a lifelong appreciation for philanthropy and a recognition of their obligations to the planet and their community.
"In a Jewish day school, a course in global citizenship and social responsibility is a no-brainer, you don't have to stretch at all to find a curriculum. It's called Torah," explained Weintraub.
"In Judaism, we believe that God expects us to be his/her partners in tikkun olam, repairing the world, and it is upon every person to respond to that challenge and Judaism tells us specifically how to do that, by way of mitzvot."
Accordingly, Weintraub developed a Mitzvah of Valuing Philanthropy (MVP) program for the students. The Grade 7s, who all become b'nai mitzvah this year, were coached on how to become a Jewish adult by increasing their social obligations beyond their immediate families and thereby expanding their "universe of obligation."
Each student was directed to find a mitzvah that really resonated with them – Weintraub emphasized that it was crucial that the program be authentic and, therefore, she encouraged the students to take on a project that would have personal meaning.
Next, they were charged with finding three local agencies that were doing work to fulfil that particular mitzvah, interview representatives from the agencies and then narrow their choice to one agency. At the same time, the students and their families went to work on raising money to donate to the selected agencies. Weintraub set the bar high with a goal of $20,000 – an amount some parents found excessive.
"I faced some opposition," She admitted, but added forcefully, "I said, 'No, I want serious money that makes a serious impact and believe me, you are underestimating your children because I'm telling you right now they are more than up to the challenge of doing this and they will love it because it's meaningful, it's education at its very best because it's transformative education. It is laden with meaning for the whole rest of their lives.' "
With the aid of VTT families, student bar mitzvah gifts and matching donations from the community, as well as a little inventive fundraising from the kids, like hosting a "uniform-free" day for the entire school, with kids donating $2 each to participate, the students managed to meet their goal.
Weintraub also received a significant gift from her father, David Zack – a $20,000 endowment and a $5,000 one-time gift for this year in honor of her late mother, Irma.
Each agency selected by the students will automatically be offered a $250 donation from the money they raised – leaving the students about $7,000 to allocate to what they, as a group, determined to be the most worthy causes. To this end, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver executive director Mark Gurvis was brought in to explain how Federation goes through the process of allocating its budget.
The students used this model to conduct their own round-table discussion of how to put the remaining funds to the best use – ultimately choosing to up the donation for each and every selected organization.
Students Abby Jeroff and Zavi Moses, both 12, chose CHILD (Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders Foundation) as their selected group. In keeping with Weintraub's requirement of authenticity, the organization resonated particularly with Jeroff, who has Crohn's disease and knows firsthand how valuable a cure would be. Through their research, the girls conducted interviews with CHILD founder Grace McCarthy, who subsequently invited them to a press conference last week, where the government announced a $12 million grant to CHILD and where they got to meet the former MLA, along with Premier Gordon Campbell.
In the spirit of continued giving, this year's MVP students also made a donation to next year's class to get their fund started.
Kelley Korbin is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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