Students of The Fed’s Bar-Batmitzvah Programme, who are aged 12 and 13, have spoken about their course at Healthlands Village in Prestwich. The centrepiece was a talkshow style production when participants interviewed each other about their experience of the course, and how they had grown through being involved. Run jointly by Natasha Harries, who is a volunteer coordinator and event organiser at The Fed, and Tammy Friedlander, its NextGen coordinator, the year-long programme is designed to "awaken a desire in young people to become involved in their community and acts of chesed (kindness)".
The monthly sessions took the youngsters through a range of activities designed to be fun but thought-provoking, among which they met frontline workers from the charity’s community advice and support team and heard about the kind of issues people face. The sessions also heard how The Fed is able to help them and they took part in an immersive session on dementia and living with physical disabilities. They also participated in a sponsored sports challenge and volunteered their time wrapping Chanukah presents and made cards for children with special needs who use The Fed’s children’s centre.
A key part of their learning was keeping a journal after each session where they could reflect on what they had learnt and how this had changed their perspective. A video montage of their journey with The Fed was put to music and also shown at the event. Guests were welcomed by Dalia Kaufman, wh.
