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עט השדה
2012
פברואר
Ⅳ
This article is important for professionals wrestling with the various issues involved in community
development. The Ashalim Learning Center team was faced with a dilemma: should we translate
the article and just distribute it to an audience of professionals or should we perhaps go one step
further and expose the professional community to the hidden possibilities in developing dialogue
with international scholars such as the initiators of the "Pathways" program?
In discussions about the program, we decided to involve the authors of an article fromNew Zealand
and Australia. Thus it came to be that while sitting in our offices here in Israel we were able to
communicate with Australia, New Zealand, and also the United States. While the issue under
discussion is extremely relevant to our local community, it is important to remember that this and
similar issues exist within the greater global community and that discourse amongst ourselves can
be enlightening and useful.
An Ashalim reading group arose around the article by Dr. Amalia Sa'ar on the topic of "Women's
micro-entrepreneurship as a track for social mobility, some paradoxical aspects." This groupworked
as a "
Hevruta
," a learning partnership, which was composed of professionals from the Children
and Youth Unit and Ashalim's Learning Center. They met together around this common text in
order to advance personal and professional discussion about major issues that had challenged
each member individually. The
Hevruta
group's insights were formulated as questions for Dr. Saar,
who then joined the dialogue and delivered her answers to the group and to you the reader.
In the
second section
of the journal we focus on a professional, personal and internal discourse.
The
Field Diary
affords the reader a glimpse of professional experiences and impressions, the first
of which is Dr. Flora Mor and Dr. Shai Hen-Gal's visit to Japan in the wake of the Tsunami disaster.
The second is Zvi Ameli's article about working with parents. These materials and thoughts were
introduced at Ashalim's Learning Center within the framework of learning groups of professionals
working with parents of at-risk children and youth.
The
third section
,
Knowledge Development
,
is devoted to the organization's Knowledge
Management paradigm. Here we expose the reader to different approaches, values and
methodological tools, all integral parts of Knowledge Management as it happens at Ashalim's
Learning Center. That is why this section is reserved for our basic concepts, the first of which is
the Knowledge Management Cycle.
For the fourth and
final section
of the journal we have created a
Reading Corner,
which focuses
on innovative, interesting, and relevant social action literature related to children and youth at
risk. Here, we provide professionals within the organization with a platform from which to read
and analyze a new book and then share their personal and professional experiences. After Dr.
Anat Pessate-Schubert, Ashalim's Learning Center Director, had read
"The Code of Israeliness:
The Ten Commandments of the 21
st
Century"
by Dr. Gad Yair, she found herself in newfound,
fascinating, literary, cultural and professional territory. Fortunately, she managed to return and put
her reactions into writing!
Enjoy reading and see you in the next issue!