Graduates represented a diverse subsection of the community, varying in age, race, and religion. Janelle Welch, one graduate who spoke at the ceremony, described how the program had benefited members. "[It] honed our skills in networking, coalition building, grant writing, media strategies and event planning to name a few, and even more importantly we learned how to work together despite our racial, religious and social backgrounds to help a community in need." These leaders helped to re-energize Crown Heights' annual Family Day Picnic by bringing together entertainers and organizations to serve the community. Throughout the Institute, members also participated in other community projects, including attending Shabbat dinners at the Wasser household, recording their personal histories through the help of StoryCorps, and learning about diversity with the Anti-Defamation League. Another graduate, Ari Kievman, described "the remarkable way" that the program "fostered cohesion in the group, cohesion both in formulating the end-goal and the process of attaining it. [He] saw how [graduates'] very differences can be used to the advantage of having more perspectives and out-of-the-box thinking."
The graduation was also an opportunity for the opening of a new photography exhibit, "Crown Heights: Between Memory and Belief." Hanan Ohayon, the photographer and Mediation Center AmeriCorps member, took pictures of Crown Heights, its landscape, places, and people. Feel free to stop by the Mediation Center any time to view these beautiful pieces of artwork.
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