On the initiative of the Judaic Studies department, Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Lyceum No. 144, a leading educational institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, has chosen the “GPS of the Soul” project (more commonly referred to as “GPS Soul”) as its theme for the year. The project will run throughout the entire academic year.
Within the “GPS of the Soul” project, lyceum students receive special points called “GPSyky” for actions encouraged by the lyceum: participation in prayers, adhering to a tzniut (modest) dress code, reciting Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals), performing good deeds, and other actions that fall into the category of “good deeds.” From time to time, the lyceum holds an interim summary event called “The Shop,” where children can spend their “GPSyky” on various toys, souvenirs, or treats.
Such an event took place after the first two months of the school year, which included a series of holidays in the month of Tishrei. During this time, the children had many opportunities to earn “GPSyky.” As Judaic Studies teacher Mora Leah Lazareva told our website, “The Shop” this time did not operate for long because all its stock was sold out very quickly. The “GPS of the Soul” project is very popular, and the children had accumulated a significant number of “GPSyky.”
“Children do not perform good deeds for the sake of a reward; rather, the ‘GPSyky’ help both the children and adults to track how much good and proper behavior our children are doing,” says Mora Leah Lazareva. “Very often we pay attention to the bad, forgetting to notice, encourage, and reinforce good behavior. And this is extremely important for the global positioning of every soul, for establishing the correct moral coordinates. We are very grateful for the support of our project from the lyceum administration and the Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki”
