On Thursday, March 14, Hebrew Academy Middle School students competed in the 3rd Annual Cadena Initiative Social Entrepreneurship Competition, at Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus, against teams from other local Jewish Day Schools. Their objective was to come up with an idea that could be used before, during, or after a natural disaster in an underprivileged community. Students researched different disasters and areas they are likely to occur.
With the guidance of Middle School Science Teacher, Mr. Gonzalez, our 8th graders Bat Sheva Hazan, Rina Askenazi-Cohen, Shira Mayer won first place in the competition for the second year! They created a board game titled "Skilled Survivor,” which teaches children how to handle and protect themselves during a natural disaster in a fun and innovative way. As first place winners for South Florida, they will now move on to the international competition in Mexico City in May. If their idea wins, Cadena will invest in their concept, bring it to life, and install it in the communities around the world that would benefit from the warning system to help save lives.

Here is more information about the Cadena Initiative:
The Cadena Initiative is a humanitarian non-profit organization committed to providing aid, hand in hand, to people affected by natural disasters around the world. The foundation develops long-lasting, cost-efficient solutions that enhance the quality of living for vulnerable communities around the world. The Cadena Foundation is an ambassador to the United Nations, serving as an official spokesperson in resilience strategies, and an active participant in the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit. Cadena is the only Jewish Latin American member of the START Network, the largest humanitarian group of leading NGO’s.