Premshay Hermon, recipient of an ROI Micro Grant, describes his experiences with "Brave."

Who needs Brave Volunteers?

What is the connection between a tribal exorcism from Sri Lanka, a breakdance project from Uganda, kids from Palestine and Jewish volunteers?

The answer, in a nut shell: "Brave" Festival.

"Brave" Festival is an annual event taking place in the beautiful city of Wroclaw, Poland. Dating back over 1,000 years old, it is no surprise that Wroclaw has yielded a festival of ancient traditions. Marching with the slogan "Against Cultural Exile", the "Brave" festival is all about mutual respect. For one week A variety of carefully chosen ceremonies and traditional performances "lend" themselves to one of Europe's most exciting cities, and receive center-stage, literally: a  traditional Healing ritual, that hosts disease-demons humorously singing and dancing, takes place in the backyard of the theater institute (`Tovil`); a Hindu ensemble from Kerala performs 'Kathakali' dances from the ancient Ramayana for two hours (this is the short version, an average show can last 4-6 hours); men and women from the Bwa tribe in Burkina Faso perform the 'Masks of the Moon' ceremony, with white & black full-body masks and magnetizing voices of genuine singing and drumming; and many more.

Moving your heiny in 12 different languages

Originally conceived by the artistic director Grzegorz Bral and organized by Teatr Pieśń Kozła ("Song of The Goat Theater" in Polish), this year was the festival's sixth edition. Although invaluable by itself, the festival is not just about exhibiting long-lasting traditions of performance, but creating and educating for cultural tolerance as well. During the festival's finale there was a performance of the "Brave Kids." The festival gathers children from around the world – particularly from places where tragedies such as natural disasters, violent conflicts, famine and poverty are common. The children are young artists, many of whom are orphans. Arriving from Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Nepal, Chechnya and Ingushetia, Poland and Palestine, the kids spend three weeks with volunteering families in Wroclaw. During that period they play, dance, teach and learn one about the other. In the end they put on a show together, a show which is rich with all the happiness and hope a child can bring when dancing his ancestral dance.

And there was a Jewish connection, as well (there is always a Jewish connection, isn’t there?). Well, actually an Israeli connection. Part of the festival's program this year was "The Gaza Monologues". For those who haven't heard of it still, The Gaza monologues are a group of personal stories of Palestinian children who went through the Gaza war in 2008 (in Israel, it is referred to as "Operation Cast Lead"). The show is performed by the children themselves. It goes without saying that it is not a show one can see performing on an Israeli stage. Sitting as a cultural rep. from Israel and watching kids from the other side of the cement fence unravel their dreaded experiences, was a shaking experience.

Why work when you can volunteer?

If you've read so far, then you probably say to yourself "WOW! This is something, where do I sign up?!"

Apparently, many people "get it" and say exactly that. The "Brave" festival, like many social initiatives, bases its complex project on volunteers. More than 100, to be exact. But, just as they do with cultural heritage, the organizers honor and appreciate their volunteers. They have launched a special program in which the volunteers receive skill-building sessions, workshops and special events with inspirational people.

I was invited to Wroclaw in order to take part in a series of meetings with the festival's producers and a selected group of heads of other cultural projects in Europe. Their aim was to discuss the possibilities for cooperation in the field of volunteer work and international festival volunteer exchange between organizations and institutions from all over Europe. As part of this trip I was also asked to give a presentation of my work as the artistic director of the Activism Festival in Israel, and sit in the "Festivals of the World" Panel, which was part of a seminar open to the public.

This dry and formal purpose was a fertile ground for exciting acquaintances and thrilling experiences. For three days we learnt about fascinating cultural projects, both local and international, taking place in today's Europe. We were also asked to give professional feedback on the volunteer program which ignited a dialogue that, with time, will turn into collaborations within this network of festivals. Moreover, we now have curious, enthusiastic people, with no specific religious or political interest in Israel, wanting to come and volunteer.

I often hear how Israel is attractive to those that live somewhere else in the world and how important it is for them to come in and be a part. It is, sometimes, equally important for us Israelis to come out, being a part of the world, and, in those rare instances, being treated as equal human beings that do good, and therefore – belong.

ROI takes a leap of faith

It was not obvious that ROI, a global community of young Jewish innovators founded by Lynn Schusterman, will be the first one to support me in participating. It was not a Jewish event. Nor was it a skill-building workshop. But the wonderful people at ROI don't doubt their community members; rather, they push us to grow further and deeper, to reach new places (just like a good Jewish mother, only without the complaining).

It is a great privilege to have someone at your side saying: "We support you, because you care, and because you DO." Thanks to the ROI Micro Grants program I was able to accept the invitation and open new doors to the projects I'm involved in, and in the spirit of "Connect & Create", I stirred interest in fellow ROIers' projects as well (thank you Ilja and MJC!).

A gift for ROIers

During the meetings we were introduced to representatives of organizations that promote voluntarism among young Europeans. EVS (The European Voluntary Service) is a European Commission program that supports partnership projects between two or more organizations, allowing youngsters (18-30) to volunteer in a different country.  They provide funding for the volunteer, for any period between two weeks and 12 months.

IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO HOST A VOLUNTEER IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, OR WANT TO AWARD A PERSON (OR YOURSELF) WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION WITH A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE, I'LL BE HAPPY TO CONNECT YOU TO THE PEOPLE AT EVS.

Let's sum-it-up!

I could go on and on about the colorful masks and costumes of the performers, about pilgrimage discussions with Christians, about the environmental action in an underprivileged district of Wroclaw I participated in, and mostly about the mind-boggling adventures of trying to go to sleep in an all-automated Hi-Tech hotel.

But there is one final note I would like to share with my community.

While watching "The Gaza Monologues" I sat next to Anna Zubrzycki, the co-founder of the theater that organized the festival. At the end of the performance, she inquired, ever so gently: "Do you think it helps, in some way?"

Still soggy in the eyes, I responded that, at the very least, these kids will have in their lives something more than fear. By seeing the world and by letting the world see through their eyes, these kids also gain hope.

We are all brave kids, here at the ROI community.

We have many things in common, and many lessons to learn from one another. And by seeing the world through your  eyes, my friends, I gain hope.