Our Stories

The Cadena Initiative is a contest of ideas where middle school students use design thinking to prototype a way to respond to a humanitarian crisis in a replicable way. The contest is supported by the Cadena Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization, who provides the parameters as well as the structure for the Initiative. The ideas come from the students! Eighth graders worked on these projects during an elective the first and second trimesters of the year, researching current humanitarian crises, brainstorming ideas, and defining a plan to assist people in need.

This year, two MILTON teams presented at a national competition in April. There were 11 schools from around the US sharing their innovations. Ezra Levisohn and Danny Levine designed a project that they titled EmpowerEd to connect masters’ level education students with schools in Chad to elevate the education experience there. Evy Grunberger and Shira Skolnick-Einhorn came in second place in the national competition, for their project they called Through Their Eyes, designed to help children in hospitals connect with each other. Their project helped provide these children with friends with whom they can empathize and relate. Connecting with other kids is extremely important for the developmental health of children, especially those who spend their childhood in hospitals. The first place winners were unable to attend the international gathering so Shira, Evy, and Ms. Cohen traveled to Bogota, Colombia for a humanitarian aid mission and Shabbaton.

In Bogota, there were students representing winning projects from 11 countries. The students and teachers went on a mission to support children in a low income neighborhood on the outskirts of Bogota by playing games, doing arts and crafts, painting a mural, and helping a Cadena dentist examine the children’s teeth. We then spent a meaningful Shabbat together learning about Cadena’s mission, enjoying the beauty of Colombia, and connecting with the students and teachers in creative ways. 

MILTON students have participated in the international Cadena Initiative since 2020. It provided a real world opportunity for students to practice human centered design and identify the cause they hope to work on in future years. Ayelet Magder (Class of 2023) and Eva Schwartz (Class of 2022) who were prior Cadena Initiative participants, were the MCs at both the national and international Cadena competitions this year. Ayelet introduced the program to Maret, where she attends high school, and they were one of the teams we competed against this year!