At the beginning of November, Jessica Cogan "had the incredible opportunity" to travel to Israel for the Coast to Coast Partnership 2gether meetings (P2G). ( P2G is a partnership between Israeli and Canadian communities working together to address social issues in struggling and under developed regions in Israel. It also serves to strengthen the ties of the Diaspora with Israel through the Gesher Chai or “living bridge” exchange programs between Canadians and Israelis in an effort to build strong people to people connections)
Cogan went with CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, Elaine Goldstine, to the northern region of the Galilee panhandle in Israel.
Cogan said that "Over the span of three days we visited a mental health clinic where we heard from a psychologist, a dairy farm, Tel Hai College, attended a presentation on STEM twinning programs by the head of school twinning development of the Jewish Agency for Israel and also visited a robotics program at Emek Hachula School. The one thing that all of these places and programs have in common is that they have all somehow been touched by the P2G program in an effort to build up services and infrastructure in the region and provide education and opportunities to its citizens."
Cogan explained that there are some members of our community who provide funds for scholarships at the ever developing Tel Hai College. "I had the wonderful privilege, along with Elaine Goldstine, to present scholarships to four students on behalf of Winnipeg donors. We were able to sit down with these university students and learn about their struggles and successes. They each told us how important and valuable the scholarships are in helping them pursue their studies and reach their goals. I am so thankful to the donors in our community who make this possible for these young men and women. I can only hope that those donors have had or will have in the very near future the opportunity to present their own scholarships to these very deserving students."
Cogan said that a favourite part of the trip was the morning that she and Goldstine spent visiting the three schools that are paired with Winnipeg. "As we walked up to each elementary school there were young students waving Canadian and Israeli flags and singing Heivenu Shalom Aleichem. We were treated to small concerts and given a tour of each school. At Nachshonei HaHulah school, I got to see an amazing garden and greenhouse where the kids plant their own fruits, vegetables and herbs. A young boy proudly gave me a handful of radishes that he had just pulled from the ground and another cut some mint and lemongrass to put in my “Nana tea” after I said that I love it."
She added that "At Dancinger High School, we had a face to face meeting with the teacher/coordinator of their P2G trip to Winnipeg and two of the students who participated this past year. They told us how important this exchange is. Their only wish was that more students would be allowed to participate. In their school, approximately 200 students apply for the trip, but only a handful are selected, which leads to many disappointed students. On some level, I suppose that this is a good problem to have."
Last spring, one of the first tasks Cogan had as the chair of the IOD [Israel and Overseas Department of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg ] was to present a project proposal to the Federation Board to fund an English Playground at our sister school Ramat Korazim. "This was something that Winnipeg was to take on outside of the larger P2G core budget. Since our sister school had put forth a request, we felt that Winnipeg should try to take it on if we could. Ultimately, the project was approved and Elaine and I were there to unveil it."
"When we walked into the school’s courtyard, all of the kids were playing with the different English stations in the playground that are meant to teach them English through play. We were told that some of the pieces were designed by the teachers and were tailor made specifically for the playground. This was an example of hands-on learning where the students could actually touch the English language and manipulate it. The playground is meant to support
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