Protecting Jewish life and Jewish way of life

Gaby explains that the CSG experience has significant advantages, that are not usually evident at the outset.  "I think the first thing is the leadership experience and the management experience.  I'm 100% sure I wouldn't be able to do the job I'm doing now if it wasn't for CSG.  And I say that because, as a young person starting your career, you have very few experiences to speak to during your first round of job interviews.  You get stuck in these curly interview questions and there's not a lot to hold on to and share.  However, when you start volunteering with CSG, you have been managing and leading teams since you were 19.  If I take my experience, for example, I was leading a team of 33 personnel when I was 22.  And I did that for two and a half years.  Some people were much older than me, some much younger than me.  So, I'm learning to manage up, and I'm learning to manage down.  I’ve been in boardrooms with CEOs, communal leaders, and law enforcement.  I'd also run sessions for 150 people at a time.  All by the time I was 22.  So, if you're looking at me, compared to someone else my age who's going through the job interview process, the world becomes your oyster because of what CSG can give you".

Predominantly funded through JCA, CSG is integral to our communal landscape. The CSG’s Mission is to Protect Jewish Life and Jewish Way of Life

While generally, the community is not privy to all the behind-the-scenes work, there has been more than one occasion where Gaby has finished a shift thinking: “it was a good thing that a team was on the ground.  It was a good thing that I was there today.”

She talks about the friendships that form when people with a common purpose come together.

"I have made incredible friendships through CSG - best friends for life.  And it's so special because you only have the opportunity to build strong friendships in a few moments in your life.  You have school and university, but other than that, these opportunities are rare. You join the CSG and meet like-minded people with big hearts who want to give back.  They're your age, and you can spend valuable time with them – the kind of time it takes to foster these amazing connections."

Gaby is passionate about why donors should support CSG – not only because the organisation protects our way of life but because it's a place that keeps young people in the community together and keeps them connected.  She encourages young people to take the opportunity to explore this unique opportunity.  And there's also the more practical aspect.  "The community requires protection.  And the volunteers need support, equipment, and training to be the best that we can be to ensure that the community is safe".

To anyone considering volunteering for CSG, her message is simple, " it's the best decision they're going to make in their lives.  And the second thing I would tell them is that no matter how much they put in, they're always going to get more out, whether it's professionally, whether it's physically, emotionally, spiritually; you can't imagine how much this organisation can provide to a young person in our community.  And I know that because that's the experience I've had."

On behalf of JCA and the community, we take this opportunity to thank the thousands of volunteers who have spent countless hours protecting our community.  And we thank our donors for supporting us in making this happen.