Service that Changes People's Lives - AVODAH

Publication Date: January 2001

Publisher: Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education

Author(s): David Roseann

Research Area: Culture and religion; Social conditions

Keywords: Young Adults; Informal Education; Program Evaluation; Volunteerism

Type: Brief

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author describes AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps, after its third year of operation. Core educational principles of AVODAH include: multiple methods of learning (text study, human interaction, lecture, ritual, etc.); constant searching for the relevance of Jewish teachings and tradition to issues of the day; and an effort to integrate elements of Jewish life, social activism and community building at every turn. He focuses on the program's experiments with different techniques for facilitating reflection session, which are meant to provide participants with a chance to pause and consider the lessons they are learning, to articulate questions and observations with the help of other members of the group, and to synthesize the many connections made between their study and their service.