JDC Rocks the Baltics!: almost there

Sunday, August 16, 2009

almost there

Hi my name is Adrienne Gembala and I am one of the lucky 16 to be volunteering for ten days in Estonia and Latvia.

The ability to volunteer and travel at the same time has compromised my love for volunteer tourism. If I am going to travel, I might as well take care of those kind enough to host my stay in their country. I believe that Judaism is a focal point of many communities and definitely brings together people who may not have met otherwise. I am glad that I will be helping to build upon this connection in Estonia and Latvia.

I am most excited to meet my peers in Latvia and Estonia. They are volunteering their time just as we are to make our trip more meaningful. I know that this trip will bring all of us (those traveling from UCSB) closer, as well as those in the countries we will be visiting.

I am so ready to be in Europe already!!

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Welcome to the JDC Short-Term Service Program in the Blog

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has been sending groups of students on JDC Short-Term Service Programs to the Baltics since 2008. With each project, students spend 10 days volunteering in JDC-supported programs as well as meeting with JDC representatives, community leaders, and local Jewish youth to grapple with the challenges the community faces and to learn about the role of North American Jewry in responding to Jewish needs overseas. In August 2008, in partnership with the UC Santa Barbara Hillel and the American Jewish University, JDC sent 20 students to Tallinn, Estonia and Vilnius, Lithuania. In August 2009, in partnership with the UC Santa Barbara Hillel, JDC will send a second group of 17 students to Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia. This blog was created in 2008 to document student experiences in the Baltics.

These Short-Term Service programs are made possible by the generous support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation.