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Activities > Seminars & Special Activities
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IsraCorps has been active for the last four years promoting equal opportunity and social justice in Israel with the express purpose of fostering social leadership steeped in values in Israel's periphery. The majority of our efforts are directed at young people (ages 18+) who have just completed high school and enroll in a year of meaningful volunteering in the community, simultaneously receiving suitable training, placement and guidance. We are also actively engaged in developing a volunteerism and leadership continuum in a given community by working with the local youth, ages 15 – 18 and young adult volunteers, ages 21-35, to nurture grassroots leadership – from the periphery for the periphery. IsraCorps looks upon you as significant and true partners to our raison d'?tre and to the planning and implementation of the many projects we operate. It is our pleasure to share with you an overview of some of the activities and events we have recently initiated and carried out and we wish to apprise you of our preparations for continuing our efforts. IsraCorps has become an important address in Israel in regard to empowering youth from the periphery and clearly, you as partners, play an enormous role in this endeavor. Following are brief descriptions of this year's main events:
Conference for Child Welfare
A special prestigious conference about child and youth education, welfare and health policy organized by the National Council for the Child and the Brookdale Institute, with the full cooperation of the youth. This year IsraCorps served as the Rashi Foundation representative in its capacity as a body that guides the youngsters engaged in the programs. Most of the young participants are affiliated with the leadership projects IsraCorps operates in the Jewish and Arab peripheral communities. IsraCorps staff was involved in preparing these youngsters for their role in the conference. (A detailed report of the Conference, with photos and quotes, is attached below.)
Midyear Seminar: 24-26 February 2008
IsraCorps conducted its three-day Midyear Seminar at the end of February at the Shorashim Hostel in Ma'alot, situated in the Upper Galilee. Attending the seminar were some 400 youth engaged in a Volunteer Service Year through IsraCorps. They came from all parts of Israel to participate in the various activities and workshops. These volunteers hail from diverse groups in Israeli society, including: the Arab sector, residents of disadvantaged peripheral communities (Eitan core groups), young people with physical disabilities (Kanafayim), members of the Israel Scouts, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and many others. (A detailed report of the Seminar, with photos, quotes and personal stories, is attached below.)
Midyear Seminar – Religious sector: 3-4 March 2008
IsraCorps conducted Midyear Seminar in the beginning of March for the girls from the religious sector active in the joint Bat Ami – IsraCorps volunteer programs. The seminar took place at the Sde Boker Hostel in the south of Israel. Taking part were some 200 girls enrolled in a Volunteer Service Year through National Service projects, including: Preps for girls of Ethiopian origin, Shaham Project, Leadership Project (as their assignment) and mission-oriented and integrative core groups. (A detailed report of the Seminar, with photos, quotes and personal stories, is attached below.)
Midyear Seminar for youth in the Young Leadership Project in Migdal HaEmek, Nazareth Ilit and Jezreel Valley communities
At the end of February IsraCorps conducted a two-day Midyear Seminar in Tiberias for teens in the Young Leadership Project in Migdal HaEmek, Nazareth Ilit and Jezreel Valley communities. Participating were about thirty 15 to 18 year olds active in the community in the joint IsraCorps - Jewish Federation of Detroit project. The seminar was planned and run by the youth, the project counselors and students from Detroit who is engaged in a volunteer service year in Israel. They are also planning to carry out a social initiative in the community for Purim.
Establishment of the Pre-Army Prep in Acco
The IsraCorps Pre-Army Preparatory will open in September 2008 in the spirit and tradition of IsraCorps' principles and values. Gal Prep, named in memory of the late Colonel (res.) Michael Gal (who had done so much in the social and educational field in Israel) is to include about thirty 18 year olds residing in the periphery who are postponing their military service for a year. Gal Prep will serve as a foundation for empowering local social leadership forces and enhancing a Jewish Zionist identity, love and knowledge of the country and readiness to perform meaningful army service (or a significant National Service). The members of the prep, in their capacity as junior social leaders, will act as role models for the youngsters in Acco. Gal Prep is being established together with Aharai, a unique organization that specializes, among other things, in preparing youth from the periphery for meaningful army service. The participants in the program will receive training and guidance together with all the other IsraCorps and Aharai volunteers coming from diverse groups in Israeli society. Current status: A new fulltime director for the Prep has been hired. He is planning the coming activity year and identifying and recruiting potential candidates. Until now some 100 candidates have shown interest and 30 of them will be selected for the final screening process. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Education have given their final approval for establishing the prep. A venue for the prep's activities has been found and the Municipality of Acco has approved it.
Recruitment of volunteers for the 2008-09 activity year
During the year IsraCorps has continued to develop and operate its outreach and recruitment program for volunteers ahead of its coming activity year (2008-09). Yael Karen, in charge of recruitment, together with an IsraCorps team, ran the various stages of the recruitment process (PR, identifying, screening, and recruiting). Until now IsraCorps has made itself known to some 2000 teenagers in the peripheral communities of Israel. At present, we are completing the screening stage. As of now about 350 youngsters from the periphery have been contacted. They may be suitable for one of the frameworks that IsraCorps will operate in the 2008-09 activity year: Eitan core groups (Community Nahal), National Service Preps, Pre-Army Prep. Intensive screening workshops will be conducted to identify final candidates before the end of the year. At the same time, recruitment in the Arab sector is underway. It is being conducted by an IsraCorps team of Arab staff members; the 2008-09 recruitment target is 180 male and female volunteers.
Preparations for 2008-09 activities
IsraCorps' development over the years shows significant growth in all the parameters of its activities: budget, number of groups, number of volunteers, and planning for the future. In order to address the challenges that confront us we are investing multi-pronged efforts:
1. Significantly increasing the number and scope of partnerships with government bodies – Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defense, Civilian Service Authority and local authorities.
2. Significantly increasing the number and scope of partnerships with the third sector.
3. Further focus and professionalization by IsraCorps based on the lessons drawn from the current activity year.
? Evaluation Report – Interim Report
IsraCorps measures and evaluates its various programs through an external company, Tovanot, specializing in evaluating social projects in the business and private sectors. The interim report will be available at the end of March and the final report will be issued in August. The results of the report will be submitted separately.
Full Report |
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