Have you ever wanted to speak to someone whose reliable advice comes from life experience? Perhaps you wanted to learn or perfect a computer skill, but are shy in approaching a friend or family member? Are you interested in learning how to put a nutritious and tasty meal on the table in 40 minutes flat, but do not have a clue where to start?
If any of the above desires speak to you or you have different requests, you might find the answer on the “Find a SAGE” Internet platform, founded and developed by Esther Hershcovich, and built to share the wide range of information and personal experiences of retired individuals with younger adults.
“Wisdom should not retire,” she emphatically states.
Hershcovich came to Israel from Montreal seven and a half years ago.
“My first job in Israel was in the creative world of interior design,” she recalls. Along with a full-time job, she nourished a twofold dream: to build an Internet platform that would serve as a meeting place for young adults and enable them to tap into the experience of older, talented adults who have valuable life skills and wisdom to contribute to society.
“My parents are my models,” says Hershcovich. “My father, a building contractor, has so much knowledge in planning and completing projects. His professional advice is valuable to so many. My mother exchanged her profession as a birthing instructor in order to develop her hobby of making sourdough bread, a delicious product made with water, flour, and salt, the three staples of life. This bread requires no yeast or leavening, but does require focus, attention, patience and commitment. My mother delights in the personal growth it has afforded her. I am happy their retirement has given them an opportunity to share their knowledge.”
HERSHCOVICH’S CONNECTION with mentors and mentorship began upon her arrival in Israel as a member of the MATI (Jerusalem Business Development Center) program run by the Misrad Haklitah (Ministry of Absorption).
“MATI is an excellent asset,” she explains. “They not only helped me find my first job, but also enabled me to realize my start-up dream. Through them, I developed a business plan, began thinking creatively and sought legal advice – all essential in founding the ‘Find a SAGE’ platform.”
Hershcovich and a team of three associates consulted with age-tech experts in order to make the site attractive, interactive and easily accessible for sage and student. Their home page enables one to effortlessly research the background of the various sages, investigate the classes or experiences they offer, and set up a meeting. With its success, she proudly states that she could leave her job in interior design and work full-time on SAGE.
“We opened SAGE in March 2020 unwittingly, just in time for the first corona lockdown,” she happily shares, “and it turned out to be a blessing. Originally, we planned its use for the local market, but the coronavirus made in-person meetings impossible. Therefore, we put all the meetings on Zoom. Suddenly, we became an international site, and could recruit sages from all over the globe, and tap into their expertise. No matter what the time zones of sage and student are, we help make it work.
“Our sages are experts in their fields and have strong academic backgrounds. Most important is their willingness and excitement to share their experience and skills. Their range of knowledge is vast and varied, and we are able to offer experiences in areas such as voice lessons, public speaking, music, art, DIY (Do it yourself) projects, language classes, chess, home organization, calligraphy, making sourdough starters, creative writing, recording memories, and introduction to Excel. If a person is interested in other areas, we encourage them to let us know and we will investigate.
“Our classes are small, only four participants, and on Zoom. At this time, our sages agreed to give back to the community by offering free introductory lessons to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the benefit of the SAGE experience. Our sages’ ability to inspire, engage, and impart their skills are what makes this experience really fine.
“We also have SAGE with Friends, which is more of a social platform and an Israel experience,” Hershcovich relates. “We recognized its need after a year dealing with corona, which curtailed social interaction to nearly 0%. After a ‘SAGE with Friends’ class, the participants have an opportunity to connect, make new friends and perhaps try out newly learned skills.”
“BEING A sage is a great experience,” says Janine Levy, who came to Israel from the UK 13 years ago with her husband and four daughters. She trained as a Home Economics teacher in the UK and in Israel teaches the art of cooking and planning tasty, nutritional meals. On the ‘SAGE with FRIENDS’ platform, most of her students are busy, young Israelis who usually eat out or order in. During corona times, they had to adapt.
Levy also adapted her teaching to the “new normal” and presents all classes on Zoom in blocks of four, specializing in how to cook a simple, nourishing meal in 40 minutes.
“I adjusted my format so participants, who usually just have a one-burner heating element and a toaster oven in their apartment, can succeed,” explains Levy. “We prepare one dish simultaneously, and I carefully gauge the time so we finish together. Our most popular meal has been a skillet pizza, and one of our most successful meals was a stir-fry noodle dish with a choice of tofu, chicken or salmon. It was a delight when one participant told me this was the first complete meal he ever made.”
“Building confidence is an important tool for maintaining a life on track,” says Baila Steinberg, who lives and works in Montreal, Canada. With more than 30 years of experience as an educational and community counselor, her skill and SAGE classes “Find Your Sense of Purpose” and “Parenting and Intervention Techniques” are in demand.
“My goal,” says Steinberg, “is to give participants tools to troubleshoot situations in daily life and address them in a positive manner. After the first meeting, the participants have keys to develop character: clarity, competence and connection; the tools to rethink and evaluate their goals; and how to put themselves back in the driver’s seat of life.”
Kevin Weaver is a sage based in the US, and his area of expertise is in the computer and software industry. As one of the first developers of computer languages and spreadsheets, he has decades of experience teaching Excel, its application and development, spanning a wide range of topics and businesses.
His offering on the SAGE platform is to show Excel’s diverse capabilities and applications, ranging from keeping simple lists to complex calculations. His initial question for someone who considers taking his session(s) is to know what they want to accomplish and from there he tailors the instruction to their goals and objectives.
“At the end of the first meeting,” says Weaver, “I hope each person comes away with a foundation of information upon which he or she can build the spreadsheets (even simple ones) they need and have a thirst for more information and advanced techniques.”
Says Weaver emphatically, “I think the concept of SAGE,” which is to have experienced professionals share their knowledge and experiences with others, is simply fantastic.”
For more information: www.findasage.com