By Alina Chayut, Yokneam-Megiddo Youth Futures Trustee

One of the many aspects of working with the children participating in the Youth Futures program is group activities with the children meeting together with their trustee on a weekly basis.  For our group activities, I tried to think up of some sort of creative activity that would be on-going and worked on for a number of sessions. It was important for me to find something to do with the children that would combine creativity and social interaction in a friendly, easy-going atmosphere while allowing each child to create his or her own 'masterpiece'.  The finished product would serve as souvenir of the shared creative experience.  After considering several ideas, I thought maybe we could try our hand at sewing decorative pillows.

Since Mother's Day was just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to connect with this important day and have the children make heart-shaped pillows as gifts to their mothers - this would certainly warm their hearts and bring mothers and children closer to each other.  Before the first session, I prepared a pillow as an example and when the children got a look at it, they were excited to get started.

In our sessions, we all sat at tables we arranged in a big circle, sewing and chatting in a pleasant and supportive atmosphere.  The children helped one another and worked with patience and enthusiasm.  It was amazing to see the boys sitting serenely and sewing… and really enjoying themselves as well.

After four sessions the pillows were ready and the children were prepared for the second stage: writing personal greeting cards for their mothers.  The children shared their deliberations over what to write, and here it was interesting to hear the ideas that popped up; this shed light on the unique relationship each child had with his or her mother.  As a trustee, I got the chance to observe the children from a fresh vantage point; I witnessed them enter the territory of the heart and in a trusting way discuss their feelings with each other.  I saw how they listened to one another; with respect ad acceptance.

When the pillows were ready, the children were beaming proudly over their creations.  On Mother's Day they presented their mothers with these special gifts, the work of their hands and their hearts.  This was surely a gesture that was moving and gratifying for both the children and their families.