Nativ  “Youth Supporting Children in the Community”

 

 

A project which provides a framework of leisure and enrichment programs, free of charge, for children between the ages of 6 and 10.

 

Our staff is comprised of youth, students, and parents, who undergo leadership development training enabling them to take responsibility for the community in which they live.

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We currently operate in 9 neighborhoods and have over 100 volunteer instructors and 400 children. The project is managed by a team of professionals and a group of 15 activists-parents from the different neighborhoods.

Because we are focused on neighborhood development, we are able to adapt our methodology to diverse population segments, such as: Haredi (ultra-ortodox), socially disadvantaged areas, inmigrants, new neighborhoods without cohesion and others.   

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Objectives:

– Reduce social gaps.

– Involve teenagers, students and parents in  neighborhood life and help them take responsibility for their  local community.

– Educate and encourage youth community action and expand the circles of volunteers and activism in the city.

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 Project Development Background:

Due to low housing prices in some neighborhoods in Rishon Lezion (e.g.Ramat Eliyahu, Rambam, Nahalat Yehuda ‘etc.), these areas attract socialy challenged populations, including low income families, social security recipients, single parent families, and immigrant families. These populations are beset by a variety of difficulties and problems, including the alarming problem of their children roaming the streets aimlessly after school hours without supervision.

This problem has been identified even in children of very young ages. Parents find it difficult to provide a  framework for their children because of financial difficulties, or because of a lack of awareness about its negative ramifications. Not all the children wander the streets. Some of them are left at home, unattended and without any appropriate extracurricular activities.

It is difficult to estimate the size of the phenomenon because of its complexity. The gravity of the problem is reflected in the reports we receive from schools, kindergartens, neighbors and families who continually warn about the problem. This phenomenon is being addressed by social workers in the Social Welfare Department in different ways and in accordance with the Israeli Youth Law.
However, existing solutions are designed only for children at risk or for families with the financial capability to integrate their children into enriching leisure activities. These solutions are insufficient! There remains a severe shortage of day care and  leisure activities offered at low cost for children aged 3-10.

While trying to address the above issues, we were constantly approached by individuals within the community who were ready to volunteer and help cope with the problem and develop solutions. Parents, teenagers and senior citizens become an influential unit within the neighborhoods who take responsibility and thus make it possible for “Nativ- Youth Supporting Children in the Community” to come to life.

 

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