A legacy in action

Mike Ogunnusi S‘ 96 says that Legacy/GYV continue to remain a catalyst for much that has followed both personally and professionally for him.  He is involved in various aspects of youth work, lecturing consulting and training. Mike is in the process of developing a network of community centers to create safe places that integrate age, ability and culture. Good Luck Mike!

Happy Kwanzaa – December 26 to January 1

Information given by staff alum Dani Settle

Kwanzaa is a unique American celebration with focus on traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce and self-improvement.  Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious and despite some misconceptions, is not a substitute for Christmas.  It is simply a time of reaffirming Black Americans, our ancestors and culture.  Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits of the harvest” in the African language Kiswahili, has gained tremendous acceptance,since its founding in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga.  Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than 18 million people worldwide.

Kwanzaa is celebrated through singing speaking, dancing and feasting.  There are many symbols of Kwanzaa, the candelabra is called a “kinara.  The straw mat that the Kinara is placed on is a “mkekaa.  Ears of corn are also placed on the mat, one to represent each child in the household, they are called the “vibunzi” or “muhindi”.  A fruit basket is placed on the mkeka, and is called the “mazao.”  The unity cup is also placed on the mkeka is called the kikombe cha umoja.  The seven candles that are placed in the “kinara” are called the “Mishumaa Saba”.  Finally, all the gifts are called the “Zawadi” and are traditionally given on “Imani” – the last day of Kwanzaa.

On the evening of “Kuumba” (Dec 31) there is a feast called “Karamu”.  This is the main focus of Kwanzaa where cultural expression is encouraged. The last day of Kwanzaa, “Imani” (Jan. 1st) focuses on honoring traditions and reaffirming self worth through gift giving.  Gifts are often made rather than bought because Kwanzaa emphasizes creativity or “kuumba”-one of the seven principles. Kwanzaa is based on the Nguzo Sabo (seven guiding principles) one for each day of the observance.   Each day  one candle is lit to represent each principle. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st.

Each day will start with the call “Habri gani” What’s the word…and ends with “Harambe” lets pull together.

The point of Kwanzaa is not one of gift giving or religious celebration, but a commemoration of heritage and togetherness.  Family and friends should find Kwanzaa to be a time of sharing and pulling together.  The guiding principles teach values we tend to lose in more modern and solitary society. Since the original ideas were to bring forth the harvest, the guiding principles bring people together to remind us how important we are to each other.

2010 Summer Dates for Staff

Staff are hired for either five or seven weeks. A staff person’s beginning and ending dates vary, depending on the position and sessions hired for, and whether the applicant has previous experience at the Global Youth Village.

• Staff Training:  June 16  or 17 – 26 (All staff new to the GYV experience are required to be here for staff training.)
• Sessions 1 & 2, Peace Building Program:  June 27 – July 21
• Intersession; Preparing for Session 3:  July 22 – 23
• Session 3, Global Living Program Welcoming Indonesian Teens:  July 24 – August 3
• Staff Wrap-up:  August 4 – 6 (Staff depart on August 6.)

Chanukkah Begins December 11 – Happy Chanukkah

The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.

According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory.

Traditions
Our rabbis taught the rule of Chanukkah: … on the first day one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased … [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud

Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday’s religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu’ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won’t find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees.

The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and three berakhot (blessings) are recited: l’hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year).  After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour. Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are lit.  On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays.

Why the shammus candle? The Chanukkah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shammus), so that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don’t accidentally use the Chanukkah candles. The shammus candle is at a different height so that it is easily identified as the shammus.
It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced “lot-kuhs” or “lot-keys” depending on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced “potato pancakes” if you are a goy.) Go to the holiday recipes section.

Gift-giving is not a traditional part of the holiday, but has been added in places where Jews have a lot of contact with Christians, as a way of dealing with our children’s jealousy of their Christian friends. It is extremely unusual for Jews to give Chanukkah gifts to anyone other than their own young children. The only traditional gift of the holiday is “gelt,” small amounts of money.

Information taken from jewfaq.org

Shayn McCallum

Nationality: Australian (permanent resident of Turkey)
Attended GYV: as a Global Issues Workshop Instructor in 2003 and as a prep cook in 2006.

Education: MA in European Studies (Bogazici Univ, Istanbul), BA (hons) in Political Science & International Relations (Univ. of Tasmania, Australia)

Current Work & Volunteer Projects: Instructor in Academic English at Bogazici Univ. and freelance academic proofreader/translator.  I’m marginally involved in civil society projects on democratization, ethnic conflicts, environmentalism/agriculture and workers’ rights in Turkey but I’m not as active as I’d like to be! (I’m busy raising my baby daughter at the moment!)

Biography: I was born in 1972 in Tasmania, Australia and spent the first 20 years of my life there.  From my earliest years, I was aware that there was a much larger world and endlessly dreamed of travelling.  As soon as I graduated, I moved to Israel where I lived for several years as a yeshivah (rabbinical school) student, then a Kibbutznik in the Golan Heights & near the Judean desert.  I was active in the Israeli peace movement and was deeply affected by my witnessing, as a naive Australian Jew, of the Palestinian experience.   Although I left Israel in 1995, my time there has profoundly shaped my attitudes to issues of identity, nationalism, peace and basic love for humanity.

After leaving Israel, I decided to become an English teacher.  After two wonderful years in Prague and Gyor, Hungary, I made the fateful decision in 2000, to come to Turkey where I met my wife Ebru and, subsequently, have ended up an ‘honorary Turk’.  Turkey is a rich, dynamic society with many echoes of the issues I faced in Israel.   I love living at the nexus of European, Asian and Middle-Eastern culture.   Living in Turkey also helped me to consolidate my long engagement with Islam.  I finally took the step of embracing Islam, allowing me to explore the profundities and inner dimensions of this extraordinary religion as a participant rather than sympathetic observer.  Since then, the teachings of Sufic Islam have subtly but profoundly reshaped my understanding of life and the world.

In 2008, on December 14, the greatest happiness I have ever known came into my life in the form of my little daughter Ela Nur, and I have since discovered the indescribable joys (and trials) of being a Dad.   Between my work on Bogazici University’s breathtakingly gorgeous campus and my much-treasured ‘Daddy-Daughter Time’, I try to follow and engage with the struggles of life in this amazing, chaotic, beautiful city in this breath-taking, mad, delirious country.

My Memories of GYV: My wife first took me to GYV, having previously been a cabin counselor, and convinced me I would find the place inspiring.  Actually, ‘inspirational’ seems a weak word for what seems to transpire, each time in its own unique way, as people from impossibly different backgrounds become drawn into such powerful, lasting friendships.  It is astonishing to me to see how, even now, years after the GYV experience, so many people remain in close contact with each other.  The life-changing power of GYV cannot be overestimated.  I have been actively involved in GYV only twice, yet, whether we have an active position or not, my wife and I come back to visit almost every summer.  GYV above all, inspires so deeply, because it shows us, in microcosm, a living example of how the whole world should and could be, if only we collectively dared to dream it.  GYV is living proof that diverse people can live together in more than just tolerance, but mutual love, respect and friendship.  At its best, GYV opens a window in the heart to what it is to be truly human in the sense of embracing the best of the potential in all of us.  As an experience, it is unforgettable and transformational.

How to Apply for a GYV Staff Position

Every summer, Legacy recruits between 25-30 staff members to deliver our life-changing summer programs. The success of these programs is due, in large part, to a carefully selected, dedicated staff team.

We attract a diverse group of highly enthusiastic, idealistic, practical and committed adults who want to make a difference in the world.  We look at the combination of skills and how the team is constructed in order to offer a wide array of activities ranging from skill building workshops, to fun and challenging recreational activities, to cabin life and engaging all campus programs. It really does take a village.

Before applying:

1. Review all aspects of the GYV web site.  Familiarize yourself with the  program goals and activities offered to the young people.
2. Review the employment section in full, including the work environment and positions.
3. Complete an application and send it in.  Most of our applications are received between January and March. We like to make final selections by the end of April when possible.

If you have questions along the way email Leila Baz

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