Sunday 8 September 2013

First Workshop: Hi, What's Your Name?

If I had to sum up the first Montreal Diller Teen Fellows workshop in a single word, I would choose the word “name.” Of course, I’m glad I’m not faced with such a monumental task, as there was really a lot that happened over the span of our four-hour meeting. It almost seems careless to just choose a single word—it feels like I’m neglecting so much of what happened. Nonetheless, names were a significant part of our first day as Diller-ites. Anyone who has participated in a group activity with strangers in their life (that is to say, everyone ever) is presented the daunting duty of memorizing everyone’s names, and familiarizing themselves with their group. As someone who is awful with name-memorization, this is often my least favorite phase of being in a group. Thankfully, it’s the one that’s over with the fastest.


I think I’m speaking for the majority of our cohort when I say that the first icebreaker was borderline uncomfortable. I mean, that’s not in any way a bad thing, it’s to be expected. So much of what this program is about is stepping outside of your comfort zone and growing as a result. That being said, I felt awkward doing them for the first little bit. I quickly got over this feeling, as, I feel, did everyone else. After all, this is a group of people that we’re going to be spending the next 15 months with, it makes sense to at least know their names, or, like, play “Categories or Die” with them (I feel like death is a rather extreme consequence for not being able to name a vegetable under pressure, but, then again, they’re vegetables.)


Of course, after the games subsided, it was time to get down to business. Yamit, our coordinator, outlined the basic rules for our time as Diller Teen Fellows, and, suffice to say, we’re all 100% committed. There was also time for our 4 potential JC’s— Sarah, Alizée, Max and Evan—to explain Diller’s 4 pillars: Israel, Tikkun-Olam, Judaism/Jewish Identity, and Leadership.


We were also given a list of personal values, and we all had to choose one that would represent what we’d bring to our cohort and write it on a flag. There were a lot to choose from: kindness, friendship, forgiveness, creativity, etc. What was great about this activity was that it showed that each person has something unique to bring to the group. Each person has his/her own set of values. These values might conflict with those of other people, but, in the end, that’s what makes for interesting discussion and growth anyway! If we were just a group of like-minded people talking about how similar we all are, then we wouldn’t be able to grow as people. This selection of values was kind of a symbolic “contract,” in which each person promised to bring their selected trait to every meeting in one way or another. As long as we abide by this contract, our future growth is pretty much guaranteed.


But, for today, the biggest focus was on the identity, or, more specifically, the name. We discussed what our names mean, not only to us, but also to those around us. For example, my name, Sol, has a lot of different meanings depending on whom you ask. It could be the king Solomon, it could be the Latin name for our Sun, etc. But what does Sol mean in terms of who I am as a person? Are our names accurate gauges for who we are, and how we act? If my name were Herbert, would I be a different person? I mean, I think I would be roughly the same (I’d probably be made fun of for it,) but I like to think that one’s name gives him/her a little bit of their individuality. I really think our names are often taken for granted, they’re just words that we associate with faces, and that’s it. But a name can, sometimes, tell you a lot about a person. It can give you an idea of their heritage, their beliefs, and so much more. While I don’t think it’s right to tie someone down to their name, (something over which they have no control,) names are as significant to identification as faces are. We aren’t born fitting our names; we have to kind of “grow into them” as people. That’s why I take pride when someone tells me I “look like a Sol.” Because it’s not that they associate me with the name Sol. It’s that they associate the name Sol with me. I’ve made that name a part of my identity, not the other way around.


Anyway, forgive my rambling. I look forward to getting to know you all.

By: Sol Azrieli