Ayalim Association
Student Program for Social-Activism in Karmiel
Ayalim promotes social development in Israel’s social and geographical peripheries by building student villages throughout the Negev and Galilee. The Ayalim student village in Karmiel was constructed in 2010 and houses 30 students and 6 volunteers who are part of the village community. The village was established in order to create a strong Zionist and educational infrastructure in the city and encourage young adults to remain in the area. The program offers young adults from different sectors of Israeli society the opportunity to live with peers, have communal living, cultural gatherings, volunteering, and a hands-on contribution in developing Israel’s periphery. Scholarships are provided to Ayalim students in Karmiel who study in the Ort Braude College of Engineering – in exchange for over 250 volunteering hours in social activities with children and at-risk youth, in Karmiel’s schools, after-school youth centres, and in underprivileged neighborhoods. Learn More
The Children’s Village in Karmiel
Special Academic Services for the Children’s Village
The Karmiel Children’s Village is a village for children who have been removed from their homes by court order. At the village, they live in group homes with “parents” who care for them and provide all of their needs. There are about 200 children at the Karmiel Children Village ages 4 to 18. Most of them arrive at the village with great academic gaps. The Village has a Learning Centre which is aimed to support students ages 10 to 18. Currently, 110 of the children at the Village use the center in order to fill in gaps in mathematics, English studies, history and in order to equip them with studying strategies. Private tutors teach either individuals or small groups. The funding will be used to pay for private tutors as well as to buy study materials. Learn More
Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC)
Support Groups and Healing Retreats for At-Risk Youth
Israel Trauma Coalition offers a holistic, collaborative approach to building a continuum of care for individuals and communities affected by trauma. Trained facilitators provide comfort, coping tools, respite, and help create a sense of community for at-risk youth. The project serves siblings raising their orphaned younger brothers and sisters. In the group meetings, they share their experiences, their pain, and challenges, as well as their aspirations and dreams. To provide further relief and guidance, ITC trauma experts also hold bi-monthly meetings, facilitated by a psychiatrist. Through these support groups and meetings, one sees the therapeutic importance and power of bringing these families together to mitigate their sense of loneliness and isolation. Learn More
Kibbutz Eshbal (via Dror Educational Centers)
Eshbal Boarding School’s Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Kibbutz Eshbal runs a boarding school for at-risk youth. Eshbal’s therapeutic horseback riding stables have eight horses who work every day of the week, all under the responsibility of students from Eshbal’s boarding school for at-risk youth and the Humanity, Society and Nature School in Carmiel. The students take care of all the horses’ needs – cleaning them, feeding them, giving them medication, etc. They also train and ride the horses. The horses assist students in developing their confidence, patience and emotional intelligence. Eshbal has developed a horseback riding teachers’ certificate with the Ministry of Sport and Culture, which the students can obtain after intensive work in 11th and 12th grades, and put to use to gain employment after their army or national service. Learn More
Orr-Shalom
Orr Shalom Educational Intervention Program
Orr Shalom cares for 1,400 children who have been removed from their homes following severe abuse and neglect. Most children living in Orr Shalom’s Therapeutic Family Group Homes (TFGH) suffer from emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties. This project empowers them by providing critical educational services to close the educational gaps affecting academic achievement and self-esteem that keeps them from maximizing their potential. Funds help provide individualized tutoring, homework, test preparation and organizational skills assistance, and psycho-didactic evaluations when necessary, for 32 children, ages 8-18, in three family group homes. Learn More
Yemin Orde Youth Village
Summer Education Camp
Yemin Orde is a boarding school for at-risk youth and new immigrant high school students. This project serves at-risk/immigrant first year students, both 9th or 10th graders. It will provide them an educational framework during part of the long summer break, keeping them within the safety net of the Village and less time within their at-risk communities. This project will help first year students work over the summer to overcome academic obstacles and close educational gaps while also learning the significance of investing in yourself and connecting to others. Learn More