Lecture Description I wrote the book Alon, the joy keeper (Alon, Shomer HaShimcha) in Hebrew, to raise awareness and help prevent social exclusion in kindergartens and schools. The book was written from my own experience as a child who was ostracized at school.
An inspiring educational experience that combines storytelling, music, and meaningful conversation—encouraging empathy, inclusion, and emotional resilience.
During the lecture, I begin by reading aloud from Alon, the joy keeper, then open a discussion with the children about the book and Alon's experience - the character at its center. Afterward, I share my own personal story as a child who was excluded, and answer the children's questions. We close the lecture with an original song I wrote and composed, called "Boundless" - carrying another educational message about a better world that the children themselves can create. From the song: "A new world with a heart full of feeling and warmth."
My Personal Story of Exclusion
When I moved up to middle school, I was thrilled at the chance to make new friends. But sadly, I wasn't a popular kid, and as time went on, I found myself pushed further and further to the margins - a target for mockery and harassment. I didn't join the boys playing soccer, and I was deeply lonely. There was no real reason for it. I didn't look different, dress differently, or act differently from the other kids. The children in my class didn't need a good reason to decide I was different from them. (Even though being different is a beautiful thing - never a reason not to be someone's friend.)When I came home, I would shut myself in my room, never telling my worried parents why I preferred being alone. So they simply assumed that's what I liked to do. The kids in my class didn't know that I sang and wrote songs - that even back in sixth grade, at my previous school, I had put on a full show of singing, dancing, and comedy. I had so much to give, and it all stayed locked away with me in my room throughout those middle school years.