Old vs The New

While doing my work do the Jewish Federation of Ulster County, I get to talk to the awesome workers and board members there.  There are two part time workers who actually get paid for their work, Arlene Gould being the Executive Coordinator, and then there is Jen Dragon the Administrative Assistant.  It is interesting to talk the these two women as they are both relatively new to the Federation themselves.  Arlene starting in 2013 and Jen started when I started for the semester as well. We all have different backgrounds and different reasons for being here and it is nice to see how we all got here.  Arlene was part of the Alzheimer’s Association that was a recipient to the Fall for Art donation in 2012.  She then met Barbara Cohen who is one of the long standing Board Members, who pleaded with Arlene to join the Jewish Federation Ulster County, because their current Executive Coordinator was retiring.  And the rest is history. For Jen Dragon, she is an art lover. Her and her sister own galleries in the Hudson Valley and promote Hudson Valley artists. She too was at last years Fall for Art event and was “recruited,” by Arlene to work for the Federation.  Her knowledge in art has been deemed very beneficial for this years Fall for Art preparations, as she knows a lot of the artists attending. She was also needed because before me there was another intern who basically did her job but for free, but he was moving on to another job. And as for me, I am the intern who help around with everything.  Mostly doing my main project that I talked about in my last blog post, but helping out wherever I can. I was able to intern for them because of Professor Morrison’s help, so for that I say a big thank you to her.

Moving on, I wanted to discuss the problem that the Federation is dealing with about not having younger people involved.  I am not quite sure what it is, but I feel like my generation lack motivation. We are lazy and like things handed to us and if it is handed to us make it fast!  We have grown up with this technology that is only getting faster and smarter. Everything we want to see or learn is at the grasps of out fingertips. I think the older generation, especially from the one the people at the Jewish Federation, do not realize how distant we have become.  I can not think of anyone around my age who joins a Federation, to do anything. I remember hearing that back in the day people would join all sorts of groups, because that what was entertaining to them, now it’s not like that anymore. I am not sure how to fix this problem. I would have not heard about the Federation if it were not for my internship so I am also part of the problem.  But I do see the need for new and young energy to be brought there. The board is filled with people in their 60s and 70s and a lot of them are also couples, so you can imagine the problems they have. Possibly, they even shut out the younger people because they too are afraid of change…