iDesign
Ramla Chess Club
Daniel
ISC 4-Ramla
For my iDESIGN volunteer initiative, I created a Chess Club at one of the local high-schools in Ramla. My primary task involves teaching Israeli kids how to play Chess. Twice a week, I went to the school and help teach the kids the basics of how to play, then gave them time to try it out on their own. The kids came from various backgrounds (Ethiopian, Bukharian, Israeli, etc.), but all were all connected by their love of learning and the chance to have a good time. They all picked up very fast and showed promising talent. Who knows, maybe even become Chess champions one day?
Teaching the kids at the Sharett school how to play Chess was originally an idea that Chava had. I knew how to play Chess, so I volunteered to try it out. It had a rocky start, but the idea turned into a joint project between three groups, so we needed to figure out how to coordinate everyone's schedules to find a time to meet with the kids. Then there was the matter of finding enough Chessboards (and pieces) to make sure that everyone could have a chance. Although Chava provided me with two Chessboards, I wound up having to go and buy several more at my own expense (for which the program reimbursed me later). Once we had the materials, I needed to find some way to instruct the kids in the basics of Chess. Fortunately, I found some instructions (in Hebrew!) that came with one of the Chess sets, and, in a funny case of different volunteer works overlapping, managed to make copies with the help of the director of the Mat'nas (Community Center) in Kiryat Menachem Begin. Even then, getting the instructions across was another matter, since I was learning Hebrew at Ulpan and the kids knew some basic English, and that was it. Therefore, I am thankful to the stars that one of the groups involved in the Chess project was a group of teenagers from one of the high schools. Long story short, without their translation skills, I would have been lost. So, despite a difficult beginning, the Chess project turned out to be enormously successful.
The way it works (at the moment) is that anywhere from seven to twelve kids show up (their ages range from about 7-9), we arrange the chessboards, and they take turns playing. Some kids come and go, and other times new kids will show up. For the newcomers, either the translators or the kids who already know the basics show them what to do. I mainly supervise and answer questions when needed. Everyone, in time, becomes self-sufficient, and it's amazing how fast the kids learn! The next step is to teach them some Chess strategy...
My second type of volunteer work involves working with the Russian-speaking seniors in the Kiryat Menachem Begin area of Ramle. It also has its ups and downs, but in a different sort of way.
The idea that I originally had in mind when I began working with the seniors was that I would do small interviews with each senior, which would be digitally recorded (with a digital recorder that I had brought with me from the US). These recordings would then be put into my computer, and (with the addition of a digital photograph of each senior) a CD would be made. I conceived it as a way of preserving memory for the future.
The reality, of course, is quite different, At present, I have taken the digital photographs and recorded several interviews, but I have received requests that the recordings be made on videocassettes instead of CD's, so I am seriously wondering about the feasibility of what I have started. Apart from the technology issues, I very much enjoy talking with and learning from the seniors, as well as using the opportunity to work on my Russian-language skills!
So there you have it. If you would like to know more about my volunteer work or if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I really would like it if someone from the next ISC group could take over the Chess supervision and instruction. Let me know what you think.
B'Shalom,
Dan Prozumenshikov
ISC-4 Ramla
prozzy77@yahoo.com
