Gap Year

JOIN is a Portland based organization that caters to it’s homeless community. At JOIN, you can take a shower, grab some clothes of your choice, get a laundry voucher, eat some breakfast and lunch, get your mail, use the phone, get haircuts, have a room to play with your kids, and even get acupuncture treatments….

Step 1. Do your dishes, as nobody likes dirty dishes….

One of the many questions that I have while interning at JOIN (a non profit homeless aid organization that hands out supplies such as food and clothes to those in need) is ,“Can I see an outreach worker to help pay rent or to help figure out how to get a job?”…

AN interview with some of the people from Tivnu by Reuben Dreiblatt…

Every Monday morning I intern at Portland Homeless Family Solution’s day shelter, Thirteen Salmon. I take the bus and arrive about 15 minutes before the shelter opens. In those 15 minutes, I’ve noticed something very striking….

The main theme I’ve noticed in my life since I’ve been in the Tivnu Gap Year is improvement, in many different aspects. While it’s only been 7 weeks since we arrived in Portland, it is promising to see my personal maturity grow exponentially….

A long time ago there was a rainy town (much like Portland) that had a Jewish community. As the calendar turned to fall it came time to build a סוכה (sukkah) for the holiday of סוכות (sukkot). …

Monday: We had our individual internships at local non-profits until around 12:30. I have been interning with Sisters of the Road, a local cafe that seeks to create a “space to build community, empower ourselves, learn from one another, dine with dignity and organize for justice and human rights for all”….

Last Sunday, the group loaded up the van and headed to Seaside, Oregon. Seaside is a small coastal town similar to most in New Jersey, where I come from, with its strip of stores selling key chains, buckets, and various nick-knacks….

Ah, camping… A word that rattles everyone’s minds when it is brought up. In our fast paced society, many of us aren’t fond of spending our days without technology or a warm bed to sleep in….