WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.459 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're looking 00:00:03.459 --> 00:00:07.059 at a stack of material that, well, it challenges 00:00:07.059 --> 00:00:09.019 a lot of the underlying assumptions we tend to 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.439 make. Right. Especially assumptions about special 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:15.839 education, about community building, and really 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:17.839 about what young people are actually capable 00:00:17.839 --> 00:00:19.940 of handling. Yeah, we're unpacking the architecture 00:00:19.940 --> 00:00:23.079 of a movement called Crembo Wings. Exactly. And 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:24.920 I have these Wikipedia excerpts here in front 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:28.309 of me, and the story is just... It's wild. It's 00:00:28.309 --> 00:00:31.390 a compelling case study for sure, because it 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:34.310 forces us to rethink how integration actually 00:00:34.310 --> 00:00:37.070 works in practice. Right. Because this isn't 00:00:37.070 --> 00:00:39.570 a traditional charity model, you know, where 00:00:39.570 --> 00:00:42.170 adults organize events for passive participants. 00:00:42.229 --> 00:00:45.009 That top down approach. Exactly. What we're examining 00:00:45.009 --> 00:00:48.689 today is a highly structured, fully youth led 00:00:48.689 --> 00:00:52.729 model of peer to peer inclusion. It's a system 00:00:52.729 --> 00:00:55.369 that has proven so structurally sound and so 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:58.399 socially effective. that it actually earned special 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.899 consultative status with the United Nations. 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:03.700 Which is just an incredible trajectory. I mean, 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:06.379 considering how it started. Absolutely. So set 00:01:06.379 --> 00:01:08.640 the scene for you listening at home. The goal 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:12.159 of this deep dive is to figure out how a teenager's 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.900 simple desire for connection sparked this massive 00:01:15.900 --> 00:01:18.780 cross -cultural blueprint for disability inclusion. 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.579 Yeah, the mechanics of it are fascinating. They 00:01:21.579 --> 00:01:23.739 really are. And just for some high -level context, 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:26.900 Crembo Wings is an Israeli organization designed 00:01:26.900 --> 00:01:29.299 for children and youth, both with and without 00:01:29.299 --> 00:01:31.920 special needs. Right. And today... They operate 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.560 across 92 different branches. Which is huge. 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:37.799 It is, with about 9 ,000 members. But let's unpack 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:40.159 this because getting to 9 ,000 members didn't 00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:42.700 happen overnight. No. To understand the mechanics, 00:01:42.840 --> 00:01:44.859 you really have to look at the foundation. The 00:01:44.859 --> 00:01:46.799 origin story. Exactly. The origin story here 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:48.959 dictates the entire philosophy of the organization. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.159 We have to go back to the year 2002. Right. To 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:55.260 a city called Hudhasharon. And the architects 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:57.959 of this movement were a woman named Claudia Kobe. 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:01.340 And this is the crazy part. A 16 -year -old girl 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.819 named Adi Altshuler. And 16 is the operative 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:06.019 word there. A 16 -year -old. A high schooler. 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:09.460 Yeah. Adi was participating in this youth leadership 00:02:09.460 --> 00:02:12.479 development program. But her actual inspiration 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:14.740 was much more personal than just some school 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:17.460 project. She'd have been volunteering since she 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:20.819 was 11 years old at a local organization. And 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:23.159 during that time, she was working with a three 00:02:23.159 --> 00:02:26.639 -year -old boy named Kefir Kobe. Claudia's son. 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.939 Right. Kefir was Claudia's son. And Kefir had 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:33.120 severe cerebral palsy. Yeah. Now, Kefir tragically 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:36.180 passed away later on. But the bond that formed 00:02:36.180 --> 00:02:39.129 between Adi, Claudia, and Kefir... that became 00:02:39.129 --> 00:02:41.889 the catalyst for Crumbo Wings? They started the 00:02:41.889 --> 00:02:45.129 very first branch just as a small, informal group 00:02:45.129 --> 00:02:47.550 of disabled and non -disabled kids just hanging 00:02:47.550 --> 00:02:50.060 out, spending time together. Right. And what's 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:51.979 fascinating here is that when you dig into the 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:55.080 early history, there is a specific reflection 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:57.979 from Adi that completely reframes the typical 00:02:57.979 --> 00:03:00.520 narrative around volunteer work. Oh, her quote. 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:03.620 Yes. Yeah. Because most philanthropic endeavors, 00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:06.199 they operate on this sort of subconscious hierarchy. 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:09.340 Like a savior complex. Exactly. The able -bodied 00:03:09.340 --> 00:03:11.500 person is doing a favor for the disabled person. 00:03:11.560 --> 00:03:14.830 They're the savior providing a service. Adi dismantled 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:17.210 that hierarchy immediately. She said she didn't 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:19.669 just want kids like Carpher to have a social 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:23.370 life or to avoid loneliness. Her exact caveat, 00:03:23.530 --> 00:03:25.750 and this is from the source text, she said, but 00:03:25.750 --> 00:03:27.870 actually it's not just for them, it's for me, 00:03:27.969 --> 00:03:32.150 it's for us, so that we're not alone. Man, that 00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:35.389 is a massive paradigm shift. It really is. She's 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:37.710 articulating that isolation is a two -way street. 00:03:38.069 --> 00:03:40.849 Precisely. She recognized that the non -disabled 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:42.909 youth are just as isolated from a fundamental 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:45.430 part of the human experience if they're segregated 00:03:45.430 --> 00:03:48.550 from peers with special needs. A society that 00:03:48.550 --> 00:03:51.490 hides its most vulnerable members creates a sterile 00:03:51.490 --> 00:03:53.849 artificial environment for everyone else. That 00:03:53.849 --> 00:03:56.610 makes so much sense. Right. By bringing these 00:03:56.610 --> 00:03:59.189 groups together, she wasn't just curing Korfer's 00:03:59.189 --> 00:04:00.990 isolation while remaining unchanged herself. 00:04:01.110 --> 00:04:04.370 She was curing her own isolation. That mutual 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:06.990 benefit is the engine of everything they built. 00:04:07.169 --> 00:04:09.930 And that concept of mutual ground level connection 00:04:09.930 --> 00:04:12.669 brings us to the name of the organization itself. 00:04:13.150 --> 00:04:15.030 Because, I mean, if you aren't familiar with 00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:16.910 Israeli culture, you won't be wondering what 00:04:16.910 --> 00:04:20.490 a Krembo is and why a massive socio -educational 00:04:20.490 --> 00:04:23.110 movement would name themselves after it. It definitely 00:04:23.110 --> 00:04:27.910 breaks the mold of those sterile corporate nonprofit 00:04:27.910 --> 00:04:30.870 naming conventions. It does. And here's where 00:04:30.870 --> 00:04:33.350 it gets really interesting. The name actually 00:04:33.350 --> 00:04:35.930 emerged organically during the movement's first 00:04:35.930 --> 00:04:38.350 year. Yeah, tell that story. So the youth counselors 00:04:38.350 --> 00:04:40.910 brought in a bag of Krembo's for an activity. 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:44.420 And a Crembo is this really popular, simple, 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:48.459 local treat. A biscuit base topped with a dome 00:04:48.459 --> 00:04:51.139 of marshmallow fluff. And then it's coated in 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:53.060 a thin layer of chocolate. Sounds delicious. 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:55.600 Right. But the counselors didn't choose it just 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:57.899 because it's popular. They chose it for pure 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:00.540 logistical practicality. Right. Because imagine 00:05:00.540 --> 00:05:03.079 trying to build a truly inclusive environment 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:05.420 and half the children in the room can't eat the 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:07.459 snack you provided. Exactly. Because it requires 00:05:07.459 --> 00:05:10.259 complex chewing or maybe it poses a choking hazard. 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:13.560 Yeah. A Crembo solves that problem. It is incredibly 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:17.100 soft. Super soft. So children with severe physical 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:20.480 or cognitive disabilities can easily eat it without 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:22.420 struggling, without needing special modifications. 00:05:22.949 --> 00:05:25.350 Which is the key part. Right. And most importantly, 00:05:25.470 --> 00:05:27.990 without feeling excluded during a shared social 00:05:27.990 --> 00:05:32.189 ritual like snack time. It's this tiny logistical 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:34.170 choice that ensures nobody has to sit on the 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:36.970 sidelines. Yeah. But the choice of that specific 00:05:36.970 --> 00:05:40.829 snack evolved into this brilliant metaphor for 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:43.129 the organization's entire philosophy. The wrapping 00:05:43.129 --> 00:05:46.389 process. Yes. Creme beaux are uniquely delicate. 00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:49.259 The marshmallow fluff and the thin chocolate 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:52.079 shell are so fragile that they actually have 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.939 to be wrapped by hand in the factory. Wow. Yeah, 00:05:54.980 --> 00:05:56.759 if you put them through a standard mechanized 00:05:56.759 --> 00:05:59.040 wrapping machine, the pressure of the assembly 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.779 line would just completely crush them. They require 00:06:01.779 --> 00:06:04.300 gentle human touch. And there you have the core 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:07.660 philosophy encapsulated perfectly. So good. The 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:10.519 leaders recognize that this fragile treat represents 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:12.779 how a society should view its most vulnerable 00:06:12.779 --> 00:06:16.470 members. You cannot mechanize inclusion. If you 00:06:16.470 --> 00:06:18.889 try to force children with complex physical and 00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:21.769 cognitive needs through a rigid, one -size -fits 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:24.329 -all assembly line educational system. You crush 00:06:24.329 --> 00:06:26.850 them. You crush their spirits. Each individual 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:30.290 requires specific, gentle, hand -wrapped care. 00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:34.170 Hand -wrapped care. I love that. And to complete 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:37.079 the picture. You have the wings, part of Crimbo 00:06:37.079 --> 00:06:39.860 Wings. Right. Which symbolizes the mission to 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:42.139 give each child the ability to fly above their 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:45.500 limitations. It's this fascinating duality. You 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:48.500 provide grounded, highly individualized, delicate 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:51.279 care, but you pair it with boundless aspiration. 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:53.939 But, you know, having a beautiful philosophy 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:56.800 is one thing. True. Executing it at scale is 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:59.579 another. That's the hard part. Exactly. And this 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:01.920 is where Crembo Wings becomes a subject of global 00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:04.660 study. The structural mechanics of how they run 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:07.259 their weekly branches are entirely counterintuitive 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.699 to how most special education or care facilities 00:07:09.699 --> 00:07:11.819 operate. Okay, let's break down that structure 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:14.519 then. Because a weekly branch activity caters 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:17.959 to ages 7 to 22. And the model is defined as 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:21.000 individual tutoring within a group setting. So 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:23.040 a child with special needs arrives and has their 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.079 own dedicated youth counselor, sometimes two 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:26.980 of them. Yeah, providing one -on -one attention. 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:30.709 Right. But rather than isolating them in a quiet 00:07:30.709 --> 00:07:34.069 therapy room, this one -on -one interaction happens 00:07:34.069 --> 00:07:36.790 in the middle of a massive, loud, lively group 00:07:36.790 --> 00:07:39.050 setting with everyone else. Which is a logistical 00:07:39.050 --> 00:07:41.850 challenge in itself. But here is the radical 00:07:41.850 --> 00:07:43.970 structural choice that sets them apart. Okay. 00:07:44.269 --> 00:07:47.610 Given the severe medical, physical, and cognitive 00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:49.790 vulnerabilities of the children attending these 00:07:49.790 --> 00:07:52.689 branches, conventional wisdom dictates that the 00:07:52.689 --> 00:07:55.069 room should be heavily staffed by adult professionals. 00:07:55.350 --> 00:07:58.019 Of course. You'd expect to see veteran educators, 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:01.139 senior therapists, doctors managing the floor. 00:08:01.459 --> 00:08:04.959 Instead, the deliberate absence of adults in 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:07.120 leadership roles is their secret ingredient. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:10.819 This organization is completely led by teenagers. 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:12.800 Okay, wait, hold on. Let me just play devil's 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:14.939 advocate here for a second. Because if I'm a 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:17.300 parent of a child with severe cognitive or physical 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:19.959 needs, handing them over to a group of 16 -year 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.439 -olds sounds terrifying. It does. I mean, teenagers 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.459 aren't exactly known for their flawless judgment. 00:08:25.579 --> 00:08:27.360 Right. So how does that actually work safely 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:30.860 in practice? It's a valid concern. And it is 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:33.360 exactly why their internal training and structural 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.679 guardrails are so rigorous. There are typically 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:40.100 only two adults present at any given branch activity. 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:43.200 Just two. Just two. The first is an adult coordinator, 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.139 usually a university student in their 20s, who 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:48.740 handles the overarching logistics and safety 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:51.340 protocols. Okay, so someone slightly older. Yeah. 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:54.460 And the second is a professional nursing care 00:08:54.460 --> 00:08:57.720 worker. whose sole responsibility is to manage 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:00.440 the complex hygienic and medical needs of the 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:02.639 members, things like administering medication 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:06.259 or specialized bathroom assistance. So the adults 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:08.980 handle the life or safety baselines. Exactly. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.320 Absolutely everything else. The lesson planning, 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:14.879 the inclusive games, the direct relationship 00:09:14.879 --> 00:09:17.500 building, the conflict resolution, the social 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:20.220 dynamics that is entirely engineered and executed 00:09:20.220 --> 00:09:22.519 by the youth counselors. And they aren't just 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:24.919 thrown into the deep end, you know. Brembo Wings 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:27.059 runs intensive training programs. They teach 00:09:27.059 --> 00:09:30.399 a 15 -year -old how to safely navigate a wheelchair 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.840 over a threshold. They teach them how to communicate 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.700 with a nonverbal peer using eye tracking or subtle 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:42.110 gestures. They equip them with real practical 00:09:42.110 --> 00:09:44.669 skills. That reframes it completely. Yeah. They're 00:09:44.669 --> 00:09:47.090 giving these teenagers an immense amount of responsibility, 00:09:47.230 --> 00:09:49.909 but backing it up with the education to actually 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:51.649 handle it. And if we connect this to the bigger 00:09:51.649 --> 00:09:55.110 picture, when you trust youth to lead in that 00:09:55.110 --> 00:09:58.009 environment, the secondary impact is staggering. 00:09:58.370 --> 00:10:00.990 What do you mean? Well, you are actively fostering 00:10:00.990 --> 00:10:03.629 a generation of future adults who are naturally 00:10:03.629 --> 00:10:06.149 wired for empathy. Oh, right. They're building 00:10:06.149 --> 00:10:08.570 a muscle that most adults never even get the 00:10:08.570 --> 00:10:10.039 chance to. chance to develop. And that muscle 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:12.000 doesn't just stay in the activity room. It scales. 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.080 Yeah. I noticed in the source material that they 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:18.139 do these accessible summer camps, but also the 00:10:18.139 --> 00:10:20.000 corporate world has actually started looking 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:23.440 to this youth -led model. Yes. Crembo Wings now 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.299 runs a training center that provides educational 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:28.580 seminars on inclusion for outside organizations 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:32.250 and companies. The corporate interest is a fascinating 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:35.190 development because think about it. Fortune 500 00:10:35.190 --> 00:10:38.470 companies spend millions of dollars every year 00:10:38.470 --> 00:10:41.610 on human resources seminars trying to figure 00:10:41.610 --> 00:10:44.590 out how to create genuinely inclusive workplace 00:10:44.590 --> 00:10:47.970 cultures. Oh, yeah. The mandatory training videos. 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:50.590 Exactly. And they frequently fail because they 00:10:50.590 --> 00:10:53.289 rely on top -down compliance. An executive reads 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:55.429 a slide deck and everyone signs a form. Right. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:58.440 Crimbo Wings proved that you don't build an inclusive 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:00.779 culture from the top down. You build it through 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:03.980 peer -to -peer accountability. When an HR director 00:11:03.980 --> 00:11:06.539 sees teenagers successfully creating an environment 00:11:06.539 --> 00:11:09.200 where severely disabled individuals feel a deep 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.799 sense of belonging, they realize their corporate 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.720 models are fundamentally lacking that hand -wrapped 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:16.980 human element. That makes perfect sense. And 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:19.740 speaking of scaling that human element, we need 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:21.820 to look at the literal footprint of this organization. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:24.539 The growth. Yeah. They went from that one small 00:11:24.539 --> 00:11:28.919 group. in Hod Hasharon in 2002 to eight branches 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:32.559 by 2009, which was about 273 members. And today, 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.519 as we mentioned at the top, they operate 92 branches 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:38.980 with 9 ,000 members. It's explosive growth. It 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.720 is. But the numbers aren't even as important 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.500 as the locations. These branches exist across 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:47.480 Jewish, Arab, and Bedouin communities. We really 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:50.100 need to ground that fact in the reality of the 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:52.779 region. Yeah, please do. Because this is a landscape 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:55.769 characterized by incredible... deep historical, 00:11:56.070 --> 00:12:00.009 cultural, and sociopolitical divides. In many 00:12:00.009 --> 00:12:02.809 parts of daily life, these communities are highly 00:12:02.809 --> 00:12:05.730 segregated. The fact that this organization has 00:12:05.730 --> 00:12:08.470 successfully taken root across all of these distinct 00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:11.769 populations is a monumental achievement. It's 00:12:11.769 --> 00:12:14.470 like a blueprint for dismantling prejudice. But 00:12:14.470 --> 00:12:16.250 how do they actually achieve that cross -cultural 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:18.889 unity without it devolving into political tension? 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:21.820 Because disability does not discriminate. The 00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:24.460 need for social connection, the pain of isolation, 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.100 and the desire for a community where your child 00:12:27.100 --> 00:12:30.679 is valued, those are universal human experiences. 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:33.620 They transcend religious and cultural lines. 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:37.340 When a Jewish teenager and an Arab teenager are 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:40.059 both utilizing the exact same methods to support 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:42.820 a peer with cerebral palsy, they're speaking 00:12:42.820 --> 00:12:46.159 a shared language of empathy. It strips away 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:49.039 the complex sociopolitical layers and forces 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:51.200 everyone to operate on a foundation of shared 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:53.620 human vulnerability. It creates a neutral zone. 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:56.659 Exactly. And that neutral zone is heavily reinforced 00:12:56.659 --> 00:12:59.340 by the organization's charter. They operate on 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:01.960 six core values that dictate the behavior of 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:05.279 every member across all 92 branches. Yeah, the 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.399 values are key. I want to break these down because 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:09.759 they're incredibly revealing about how they maintain 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.960 this culture. The first value is I love, which 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.759 they define simply as love your fellow as yourself. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:18.559 Notice that phrasing. Every single value starts 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:21.419 with I. Oh, right. It isn't a passive organizational 00:13:21.419 --> 00:13:25.539 goal. It's a personal declaration. I love demands 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:27.799 that the individual takes personal ownership 00:13:27.799 --> 00:13:30.019 of the empathy they bring into the room. That's 00:13:30.019 --> 00:13:32.940 powerful. The second value is I am a friend. 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:37.159 This represents mutual commitment. We touched 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:39.740 on this with Adi's story earlier, but it's baked 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:43.039 into the rules. You are not a caregiver. You 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:45.500 are a friend. Which removes the clinical hierarchy. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:48.120 Right. If you view yourself as a caregiver, you 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:51.179 maintain an emotional distance. If you view yourself 00:13:51.179 --> 00:13:54.679 as a friend, you are emotionally invested in 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:57.320 the success and happiness of the other person. 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:00.679 Yeah. The third value is I'm a leader, standing 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:03.100 for commitment, responsibility, and leadership. 00:14:03.610 --> 00:14:06.549 This clearly ties back to handing the reins over 00:14:06.549 --> 00:14:08.990 to the youth. It does. It signals to a 16 -year 00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:11.590 -old that their input actually matters. When 00:14:11.590 --> 00:14:13.830 you tell a teenager you are a leader and you 00:14:13.830 --> 00:14:15.690 actually give them the authority to design an 00:14:15.690 --> 00:14:17.830 accessible activity, they rise to the occasion. 00:14:18.129 --> 00:14:21.620 They really do. The fourth is I am Israeli. Now, 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:23.860 given the diverse communities involved, this 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:26.259 feels like an emphasis on shared civic engagement. 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.419 Exactly. It isn't about political affiliation. 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:30.100 It's about taking responsibility for the local 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:32.600 society you inhabit. Whether you're in a secular 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:35.419 city, a religious neighborhood, or a Bedouin 00:14:35.419 --> 00:14:38.559 town, you share a civic duty to improve the fabric 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.820 of the community around you. That makes a lot 00:14:40.820 --> 00:14:43.860 of sense. Now, the fifth value is really interesting 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:48.120 to me. I can't. It focuses entirely on abilities 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.000 and independence. This is perhaps their most 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:53.679 radical departure from the norm. How so? Because 00:14:53.679 --> 00:14:56.799 the traditional medical model of disability is 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:59.639 inherently deficit -based. Oh, focused on what's 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.440 wrong. Right. A patient is diagnosed based on 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.559 what they cannot do. They cannot walk. They cannot 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:06.399 speak. They cannot process certain information. 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:10.000 Right. The I can value deliberately flips that 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.570 script. When a child enters a Crembo Wings branch, 00:15:12.870 --> 00:15:16.129 the focus is entirely on identifying and cultivating 00:15:16.129 --> 00:15:18.690 their specific capabilities, however small they 00:15:18.690 --> 00:15:20.690 might seem to the outside world. It changes the 00:15:20.690 --> 00:15:22.870 lens from fixing a problem to nurturing a strength. 00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:26.990 Exactly. And the final value is I belong, which 00:15:26.990 --> 00:15:29.789 encompasses inclusion and mutuality. Everyone 00:15:29.789 --> 00:15:32.610 in that room, disabled or not, belongs there. 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:35.820 And when you operationalize those six values, 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:38.480 when you make them the mandatory operating system 00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.659 for thousands of teenagers, the broader world 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:44.480 has to sit up and take notice. They really do. 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:47.159 The level of validation they've received is essentially 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:50.460 a timeline of increasing credibility from the 00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:52.899 highest levels of society. Yeah. Let's look at 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:55.419 that validation because it is significant. They 00:15:55.419 --> 00:15:57.600 aren't just winning local participation trophies 00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:00.519 here. In 2004, they received the Ramon signal. 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:04.820 In 2008. a representative was chosen to light 00:16:04.820 --> 00:16:07.940 the beacon at the national ceremony for Israel's 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:10.679 60th Independence Day. Which is a huge national 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:14.379 honor. Right. And then in 2009, Adi Altshuler 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:16.820 and the organization received the Presidential 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:20.519 Award for Volunteerism. We should contextualize 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:22.320 the weight of that one. Yeah, go ahead. The Presidential 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:24.620 Award is the highest level of validation from 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:27.129 the head of state. To award that to an organization 00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:30.289 that was at the time barely out of its infancy 00:16:30.289 --> 00:16:33.830 and driven by someone in her early 20s is a massive 00:16:33.830 --> 00:16:36.210 signal to the public. It says this isn't just 00:16:36.210 --> 00:16:38.549 a nice extracurricular activity. It's a vital 00:16:38.549 --> 00:16:41.190 societal service. Absolutely. But the culmination 00:16:41.190 --> 00:16:45.250 of all this recognition. The moment that proves 00:16:45.250 --> 00:16:48.210 the global scalability of this model happened 00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:51.929 in 2018. The UN. Yes. Yeah. That is when Crembo 00:16:51.929 --> 00:16:54.610 Wings was officially chosen by the United Nations 00:16:54.610 --> 00:16:57.690 as a special advisor organization. Let the gravity 00:16:57.690 --> 00:16:59.909 of that sink in. Seriously. The United Nations 00:16:59.909 --> 00:17:02.450 advises governments worldwide on policy, human 00:17:02.450 --> 00:17:05.289 rights, and social infrastructure. And they looked 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:07.089 at an initiative that started because a teenager 00:17:07.089 --> 00:17:08.769 wanted to hang out with a three -year -old boy 00:17:08.769 --> 00:17:10.869 so neither of them would be lonely. Yeah. And 00:17:10.869 --> 00:17:13.339 decided that this was the blueprint. The U .N. 00:17:13.359 --> 00:17:15.940 recognized that top -down, heavily funded bureaucratic 00:17:15.940 --> 00:17:18.700 solutions often fail to achieve true social integration. 00:17:19.339 --> 00:17:21.799 Crembo Wings validates the premise that the most 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:24.319 effective solutions to systemic social issues 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:27.339 start at the hyper -local, deeply personal level. 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:31.079 So bringing this all together, what does this 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:34.000 mean for you listening to this today? Yeah. When 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.420 we look at this blueprint, the core takeaway 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:39.619 is that true social innovation doesn't require 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:42.960 complex corporate machinery. It requires the 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:44.759 willingness to look around your community and 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:47.740 decide that no one should be left isolated. Exactly. 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:50.140 Crembo Wings proves that when you trust young 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:53.099 people, give them real responsibility, and treat 00:17:53.099 --> 00:17:55.700 every individual like they are fragile and worthy 00:17:55.700 --> 00:17:58.259 of being hand -wrapped, you can build an absolute 00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:01.220 empire of kindness. It is a profound lesson in 00:18:01.220 --> 00:18:03.440 community architecture. And as you go about your 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:05.180 day, it's worth looking at your own circles. 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:07.500 How so? Well, how do you wrap the people in your 00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:10.390 life? Ooh, I like that. Are you applying a mechanized 00:18:10.390 --> 00:18:12.529 one size fits all approach to your friendships, 00:18:12.829 --> 00:18:15.690 your colleagues, your community? Or are you taking 00:18:15.690 --> 00:18:18.309 the time to offer that individualized gentle 00:18:18.309 --> 00:18:21.690 care to the people who might quietly need a little 00:18:21.690 --> 00:18:24.450 extra attention? Yeah. True inclusion isn't just 00:18:24.450 --> 00:18:26.569 a policy written in an organizational handbook. 00:18:26.730 --> 00:18:29.690 It is a daily deliberate practice. That is a 00:18:29.690 --> 00:18:31.670 brilliant way to frame it. It's a daily practice. 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:34.470 And this raises an important question for you 00:18:34.470 --> 00:18:36.849 to mull over as we wrap up today. Let's hear 00:18:36.849 --> 00:18:40.109 it. We have just examined the undeniable success 00:18:40.109 --> 00:18:43.049 of this model. If teenagers are capable of building 00:18:43.049 --> 00:18:46.829 a 9000 member UN recognized network that perfectly 00:18:46.829 --> 00:18:49.910 bridges physical, cognitive and incredibly deep 00:18:49.910 --> 00:18:53.759 cultural divides. Yeah. What other unsolvable 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:57.160 societal problems could we fix if we simply handed 00:18:57.160 --> 00:18:59.900 the reins over to the youth? That is a fantastic, 00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.460 provocative question to leave off on. Something 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:04.900 really profound to chew on today. Thank you so 00:19:04.900 --> 00:19:06.960 much for joining us for this deep dive into Crimble 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:08.720 Wings. We hope it gave you a new perspective 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:11.720 on leadership, empathy, and the immense power 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:13.519 of treating people with a little hand -wrapped 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.660 care. Have a great day, and we'll catch you on 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:16.460 the next deep dive.