Originally posted on fidf.org
Moti Hova, an IMPACT! scholarship recipient in his second year of acting school at Beit Zvi in Israel, has been volunteering at Derech Hamelech, a mentorship program part of the Israeli organization Elem. Moti served in the Israeli Navy as a combat-support soldier to the elite Navy Seals. At the end of Moti’s first year volunteering, Elem wrote FIDF a letter about his exemplary work in the organization:
“Moti is an IMPACT! scholarship recipient and acting student volunteering in Elem. He’s in his first year in the personal mentors Derech Hamelech project with delinquent youth. Throughout the year, Moti got to know this unique population, very different from the one he was familiar with. Moti learned to foster therapeutic relationships through a long and complicated process, all the while improving his empathy and listening abilities. He learned how to accept the other without being judgmental, and felt the great influence he had over the life of one boy who came from a difficult background (immensely different from Moti's).
The boy Moti mentored learned how to trust an adult. This is not a matter to be taken lightly considering the boy’s longtime disappointment with adults. The boy learned to open up to others, to express his wishes and, above all, not to fear and refrain from familiarity but to seek it out.
As for the team of volunteers, Moti joined the group openly, sincerely and in earnest. He was not afraid to express his concerns and frustrations and was able to accept his colleagues' criticism exceptionally well. Moti was also greatly involved with what was happening with other volunteers, serving as a positive example for other members of the team.
IMPACT! scholarship recipients are usually young and greatly motivated; as such, they constitute a unique voice in the volunteer group and contribute to the team's overall motivation. During the year, Moti participated in a prestigious production of 'Les Miserables' and was ready to invite every volunteer in the project to the show on a family discount. This greatly contributed to the team’s spirit and sense of familiarity.”
