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BIRTHRIGHT DOESN'T ALWAYS REFER TO TRIPS TO ISRAEL
USA Today
July 16 2014
By: Emma Hinchliffe
If it's winter break or summer, one thing's for certain for many
college students: a friend, a classmate or a friend of a friend is
on Birthright.
Taglit-Birthright Israel has exploded in popularity among
Jewish-American college students and young people since it started
sending them on free 10-day trips to Israel in 1999. The program
has sent more than 400,000 young people from 66 countries to Israel
for a trip that includes visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea
and other places throughout the country, covering the narratives and
values of Judaism along with learning about contemporary Israel.
The program has been so successful, in fact, that it's inspired
spin-offs among other cultural groups. The idea that young people
of a certain heritage should visit their ancestral homeland --
the "birthright" behind the name of the Israel program -- is not
exclusive to the Jewish diaspora, and that's the thinking behind
programs following in Birthright's footsteps.
If you're not headed to Israel, you might not come home with a photo
on a camel, but these programs have just as much to offer to members
of different cultures.
1. Heritage Greece
Greek-American students can spend part of their summer traveling
to Greece through Heritage Greece, in partnership with the American
College of Greece.
Founded by the National Hellenic Society, Heritage Greece pairs
cultural immersion with education through the college, located in
Athens. Participants, who must be enrolled as undergraduate college
students between 18 and 26 years old, take a one-credit language and
culture course while also experiencing Greece through Greek cooking
classes, time with a Greek family, Greek dance classes and visiting
sights from the Acropolis to lesser-known ancient ruins.
Participants pay $1,000 toward their airfare, and the National Hellenic
Society covers all other costs for the two-week trip. The program sent
its first group of 15 students to Greece in 2010; its last group this
past June was made up of 45 students.
Americans who travel to Israel with Birthright have varying degrees of
connection to their Jewish heritage and to Israel, and Art Dimopoulos,
executive director of the National Hellenic Society, says that is
the main difference between Birthright and Heritage Greece.
"Ours is very different in the sense that we mostly target people
who are disconnected from their heritage, second, third or fourth
generation, with little or no connection to their heritage. Most of
them have never been to Greece," he says.
Jessica Ridella, a 2014 Cornell University graduate who participated in
Heritage Greece in 2012, says the main difference is Heritage Greece's
partnership with the American College of Greece. The American students
also spend time with Greek students at the school.
"You're not just learning about the culture, you're getting the
academic culture as well," she says. "I not only got to connect with
my culture, but I also got to see what it was like to study abroad."
2. ReConnect Hungary
ReConnect Hungary gives young Hungarian-Americans and Canadians
between the ages of 18 and 26 the opportunity to travel to Hungary
and experience Hungarian culture.
The two-week trip starts in Budapest, touring the city's historical
landmarks and culture, like tanchaz, a folk dance house with
live music. Participants also meet with Hungarian politicians,
businesspeople and other leaders.
Participants pay $1,200, with ReConnect Hungary funding the rest of
the trip and travel. In its first year in 2012, ReConnect Hungary
sent nine Hungarian-Americans and Canadians to the country; this year,
33 applied, but the program was only able to send 15.
The trip extends outside Hungary, to Hungarian communities that were
once part Austro-Hungarian Empire and are now part of other countries,
including the Hungarian community in Serbia. Participants are also
able to visit specific villages their families come from, if they
know what they are, even if those villages are in outside Hungary.
Jon Naser, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh who participated
in ReConnect Hungary in 2012, says traveling to Hungarian communities
outside the country was an essential part of the experience, as was
time he spent on a Hungarian farm.
"I grew up on a farm that my Hungarian grandparents started. Being able
to experience the real thing was an awesome experience," Naser says.
"They're making connections all over the place, on the one hand,
and with each other," says ReConnect Hungary Program Director Laszlo
Hamos. "They come to recognize themselves, through this experience,
that they belong to a broader community."
3. Birthright Armenia
Birthright Armenia is targeted to an older group of participants,
with a longer-term commitment to time in the country. Participants, who
must be between 20 and 32 years old, commit to volunteering in Armenia
for at least four weeks, and many stay for much longer than that.
The program matches volunteers with a host family, if requested,
or volunteers can find their own accommodations. The program covers
some travel expenses, depending on how long a volunteer is staying
in Armenia, and those who stay for more than 18 weeks receive a
monthly stipend.
More than 800 Armenians from around the world have participated
in Birthright Armenia since 2003, and participants can begin their
service in Armenia at any time.
Participants can engage in traditional volunteer work, or intern with
an Armenian organization or company that matches their interests. They
also take Armenian language classes throughout their time in the
country.
"We can safely say that we have helped break down the stereotypes,
incomplete narratives, misconceptions and general lack of information
about Armenia that inundates wide swaths of our communities worldwide,"
says Marianna Vardanyan, Birthright Armenia's public relations
and social media manager. "We've empowered nearly 900 and soon to
be thousands of alumni of our program with firsthand knowledge and
unwavering support of a developing country with an amazing potential
base that outshadows its set of challenges."
Armenians live in diaspora around the world partly as a result of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 in what is now eastern Turkey. The country
became a democracy after the breakup of the Soviet Union -- something
Lia Parisyan, who volunteered in Armenia from late March to early July
of this year, says she grew to better understand during her time there.
"The longer-term immersion and also living there and working with the
same group for such a long period of time -- you're not a citizen, but
you get a taste of what it feels like being an expat for that period
of time," she says. "Your perceptions are constantly evolving. You're
only seeing the positive for the first month, then you get a sense
of the negative phase and with more time you understand, 'Oh, this
is where things are coming from.'"
Parisyan, 29, volunteered at Yerevan State University where she worked
on launching the country's first bioscience center research hub and
developing wine tourism and archeology tourism.
"I'm more confident in in latent skills, my ability to adapt to a
new culture and a different dialect. It's an empowering experience,"
Parisyan says. "It's different than being a tourist -- it's being a
traveler. There's a world of disparity between those two things."
4. Project Interchange
If you're not Greek, Hungarian, Armenian or Jewish, there are still
opportunities out there. Project Interchange runs trips to Israel
tailored to specific groups, including some for college students.
Along with weeklong seminars for university presidents and provosts,
Latino leaders, LGBT leaders and city, county and state officials,
Project Interchange also offers programs for student journalists,
student leaders from California colleges and Ivy League student
leaders.
Project Interchange, which is an educational institute that is part
of the American Jewish Committee, covers costs for the trip besides
an initial deposit.
The trip includes the usual Israel sight-seeing, but places its
focus on educational meetings tailored to each delegation's specific
interests. Participants meet with Israeli and Palestinian politicians,
journalists and other experts in different fields while learning
about Israeli and Palestinian society, history and politics.
"I had a friend go on Birthright at the exact same time, and when
we got back to school he made the joke that I had the educational
trip and he had the tourism trip," says Leighton Rowell, a junior at
the University of Georgia who participated in Project Interchange's
campus media seminar this year. "I think Project Interchange focused
a lot more on learning about different perspectives people have on
Israel and Palestine. ... I think Birthright is a lot more about
making friends and connecting to this common identity."
Emma Hinchliffe is a rising senior at Georgetown University
http://college.usatoday.com/2014/07/16/birthright-doesnt-always-mean-israel/
USA Today
July 16 2014
By: Emma Hinchliffe
If it's winter break or summer, one thing's for certain for many
college students: a friend, a classmate or a friend of a friend is
on Birthright.
Taglit-Birthright Israel has exploded in popularity among
Jewish-American college students and young people since it started
sending them on free 10-day trips to Israel in 1999. The program
has sent more than 400,000 young people from 66 countries to Israel
for a trip that includes visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea
and other places throughout the country, covering the narratives and
values of Judaism along with learning about contemporary Israel.
The program has been so successful, in fact, that it's inspired
spin-offs among other cultural groups. The idea that young people
of a certain heritage should visit their ancestral homeland --
the "birthright" behind the name of the Israel program -- is not
exclusive to the Jewish diaspora, and that's the thinking behind
programs following in Birthright's footsteps.
If you're not headed to Israel, you might not come home with a photo
on a camel, but these programs have just as much to offer to members
of different cultures.
1. Heritage Greece
Greek-American students can spend part of their summer traveling
to Greece through Heritage Greece, in partnership with the American
College of Greece.
Founded by the National Hellenic Society, Heritage Greece pairs
cultural immersion with education through the college, located in
Athens. Participants, who must be enrolled as undergraduate college
students between 18 and 26 years old, take a one-credit language and
culture course while also experiencing Greece through Greek cooking
classes, time with a Greek family, Greek dance classes and visiting
sights from the Acropolis to lesser-known ancient ruins.
Participants pay $1,000 toward their airfare, and the National Hellenic
Society covers all other costs for the two-week trip. The program sent
its first group of 15 students to Greece in 2010; its last group this
past June was made up of 45 students.
Americans who travel to Israel with Birthright have varying degrees of
connection to their Jewish heritage and to Israel, and Art Dimopoulos,
executive director of the National Hellenic Society, says that is
the main difference between Birthright and Heritage Greece.
"Ours is very different in the sense that we mostly target people
who are disconnected from their heritage, second, third or fourth
generation, with little or no connection to their heritage. Most of
them have never been to Greece," he says.
Jessica Ridella, a 2014 Cornell University graduate who participated in
Heritage Greece in 2012, says the main difference is Heritage Greece's
partnership with the American College of Greece. The American students
also spend time with Greek students at the school.
"You're not just learning about the culture, you're getting the
academic culture as well," she says. "I not only got to connect with
my culture, but I also got to see what it was like to study abroad."
2. ReConnect Hungary
ReConnect Hungary gives young Hungarian-Americans and Canadians
between the ages of 18 and 26 the opportunity to travel to Hungary
and experience Hungarian culture.
The two-week trip starts in Budapest, touring the city's historical
landmarks and culture, like tanchaz, a folk dance house with
live music. Participants also meet with Hungarian politicians,
businesspeople and other leaders.
Participants pay $1,200, with ReConnect Hungary funding the rest of
the trip and travel. In its first year in 2012, ReConnect Hungary
sent nine Hungarian-Americans and Canadians to the country; this year,
33 applied, but the program was only able to send 15.
The trip extends outside Hungary, to Hungarian communities that were
once part Austro-Hungarian Empire and are now part of other countries,
including the Hungarian community in Serbia. Participants are also
able to visit specific villages their families come from, if they
know what they are, even if those villages are in outside Hungary.
Jon Naser, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh who participated
in ReConnect Hungary in 2012, says traveling to Hungarian communities
outside the country was an essential part of the experience, as was
time he spent on a Hungarian farm.
"I grew up on a farm that my Hungarian grandparents started. Being able
to experience the real thing was an awesome experience," Naser says.
"They're making connections all over the place, on the one hand,
and with each other," says ReConnect Hungary Program Director Laszlo
Hamos. "They come to recognize themselves, through this experience,
that they belong to a broader community."
3. Birthright Armenia
Birthright Armenia is targeted to an older group of participants,
with a longer-term commitment to time in the country. Participants, who
must be between 20 and 32 years old, commit to volunteering in Armenia
for at least four weeks, and many stay for much longer than that.
The program matches volunteers with a host family, if requested,
or volunteers can find their own accommodations. The program covers
some travel expenses, depending on how long a volunteer is staying
in Armenia, and those who stay for more than 18 weeks receive a
monthly stipend.
More than 800 Armenians from around the world have participated
in Birthright Armenia since 2003, and participants can begin their
service in Armenia at any time.
Participants can engage in traditional volunteer work, or intern with
an Armenian organization or company that matches their interests. They
also take Armenian language classes throughout their time in the
country.
"We can safely say that we have helped break down the stereotypes,
incomplete narratives, misconceptions and general lack of information
about Armenia that inundates wide swaths of our communities worldwide,"
says Marianna Vardanyan, Birthright Armenia's public relations
and social media manager. "We've empowered nearly 900 and soon to
be thousands of alumni of our program with firsthand knowledge and
unwavering support of a developing country with an amazing potential
base that outshadows its set of challenges."
Armenians live in diaspora around the world partly as a result of the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 in what is now eastern Turkey. The country
became a democracy after the breakup of the Soviet Union -- something
Lia Parisyan, who volunteered in Armenia from late March to early July
of this year, says she grew to better understand during her time there.
"The longer-term immersion and also living there and working with the
same group for such a long period of time -- you're not a citizen, but
you get a taste of what it feels like being an expat for that period
of time," she says. "Your perceptions are constantly evolving. You're
only seeing the positive for the first month, then you get a sense
of the negative phase and with more time you understand, 'Oh, this
is where things are coming from.'"
Parisyan, 29, volunteered at Yerevan State University where she worked
on launching the country's first bioscience center research hub and
developing wine tourism and archeology tourism.
"I'm more confident in in latent skills, my ability to adapt to a
new culture and a different dialect. It's an empowering experience,"
Parisyan says. "It's different than being a tourist -- it's being a
traveler. There's a world of disparity between those two things."
4. Project Interchange
If you're not Greek, Hungarian, Armenian or Jewish, there are still
opportunities out there. Project Interchange runs trips to Israel
tailored to specific groups, including some for college students.
Along with weeklong seminars for university presidents and provosts,
Latino leaders, LGBT leaders and city, county and state officials,
Project Interchange also offers programs for student journalists,
student leaders from California colleges and Ivy League student
leaders.
Project Interchange, which is an educational institute that is part
of the American Jewish Committee, covers costs for the trip besides
an initial deposit.
The trip includes the usual Israel sight-seeing, but places its
focus on educational meetings tailored to each delegation's specific
interests. Participants meet with Israeli and Palestinian politicians,
journalists and other experts in different fields while learning
about Israeli and Palestinian society, history and politics.
"I had a friend go on Birthright at the exact same time, and when
we got back to school he made the joke that I had the educational
trip and he had the tourism trip," says Leighton Rowell, a junior at
the University of Georgia who participated in Project Interchange's
campus media seminar this year. "I think Project Interchange focused
a lot more on learning about different perspectives people have on
Israel and Palestine. ... I think Birthright is a lot more about
making friends and connecting to this common identity."
Emma Hinchliffe is a rising senior at Georgetown University
http://college.usatoday.com/2014/07/16/birthright-doesnt-always-mean-israel/