By Aviva Werner, Behrman House Editor and Student Track Judge for the “Where Do You Give?" National Design Competition
It was a creative and inspired bunch that entered the Student Track of the “Where Do You Give” design competition sponsored by the American Jewish World Service. Students employed a wide range of materials from clay to metal to post-it notes in crafting tzedakah collection receptacles (I dare not call them boxes!) called for in the project. Their design concepts touched on a broad range of themes related to tzedakah, including community involvement, person-to-person giving, and symbolism.
Part of the fun of judging any contest is seeing the wide variety of entries. Part of the anxiety, especially when it comes to student contests, is that entries won’t be “good” or sophisticated enough. With this contest, there was nothing to be afraid of. The three winning entries came from students who displayed exceptional maturity alongside their artistic skill, clearly evident in the critical way they think about the value of tzedakah. In addition to looking at the students’ artwork, which you can see here, I encourage you to read their design statements to understand what I mean.
I thank Sasha Feldstein at AJWS for the opportunity to be a part of the revolutionary “Where Do You Give” conversation. It was a pleasure, as well, to meet my fellow Student Track judges, Avery Budman, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for BBYO's International Office, and Stephanie Zelkind, Director of Youth Philanthropy at the Jewish Funders Network.
The above image is a photo of Behrman House illustrator/author Julie Wohl's finalist entry titled “From Home to Home”. Julie Wohl is the author of Siddur Mah Tov and the illustrator of Simply Seder.
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More photos:
View an album of photos from the Giving By Design event on the Behrman House Facebook page. |
