Soccer is the most popular sport in Israel. Sporting events are known to serve as bonding elements among people from all sectors of society. The Hapoel Keter educational and social project, implemented in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, utilizes soccer as a venue to help participants bond with a better future by improving relations between participants of different cultures, improving scholastic achievement and by elevating participants' personal self-esteem. Participation in mandatory tutoring coupled with discipline obtained through participation in the program's structured sports environment has proven to be most effective in reversing delinquent behavior and improving children's scholastic achievements.

The basic idea is very simple. Participating children play a team sport – mainly soccer – receive a uniform, work with a coach and are invited to regional tournaments and to home games of the professional Hapoel Tel Aviv team. In return, they are required to come to educational enrichment classes, two days a week. The beauty is, this simple idea works!
What started as a dream of the team's owners a decade ago, today impacts over 23,000 children and youth annually. One clear indication of the program's success is the fact that hundreds of program graduates rejoin the program as volunteer tutors, counselors and coaches.

The Jewish Agency for Israel is working with the Hapoel Keter Tel Aviv group to ensure implementation of these educational sports programs for Israel’s disadvantaged children from different groups in Israeli society. Participants come from a broad range of backgrounds and include Jewish, Arab, Bedouin, Druze, and other children and youth.

Project Report

This project was implemented as one of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for the Enrichment of Children and Youth in War-Stricken Regions (Northern Israel and Sderot and its environs) that has been most generously funded by the United Jewish Communities of North America (UJC).

Program Participants

The project serves 7,200 children from 24 towns and local councils. These are disadvantaged children of veteran Israeli families, new immigrants and children with special needs.

Program Details

The program is implemented for groups of 20 children each. Each child is provided with three weekly hours of activities - one hour of sports, one hour of social activities, and one hour of help with their studies.

In addition, every child also gets a soccer uniform, a certificate of appreciation, and a membership card in this activity. The schools receive all the sports equipment necessary for the smooth running of all the activities. There are also special days throughout the year for activities such as tournaments, relay sports events and fun days.

Description of Program Elements

Sports

Although the main sport implemented is soccer, other sports such as basketball, volleyball, etc. are sometimes used for this venue of empowerment. The main condition is that it is a team sport. Coaches all have appropriate background in physical education and/or coaching, get in-service training from Hapoel, and work according to a structured annual plan.

Social Activities

A basic tenet of this project is that the soccer field can be regarded as an educational field in every sense. What occurs on the soccer field becomes relevant in the classroom, in the children’s neighborhoods, and in every day interaction among children of all ages. Children seek to emulate the achievements of people they know from television that they recognize and admire, such as soccer players. Using examples of how these people deal with complicated, everyday matters has proven to be an effective social-educational tool. The children, regardless of gender or religion, come to see and use the soccer field as part of the space of the educational process - both individually and in the team setting. Exercises are framed in the context of the world of soccer and its important players in order to help the children understand the message in the best possible way.

The social activities revolve around various age-appropriate themes:

• 1st and 2nd graders – ‘Life Skills,’ an interactive program that enables the children to learn basic ideas about movement, knowing their bodies, flexibility, etc.
• 3rd to 6th graders – ‘Fair Play,’ a program that aims to expose the children to acceptance of others and to behave fairly and decently, both on and off the soccer field
• 7th to 9th graders – ‘Leadership and Volunteering,’ connecting the youngsters to the community by teaching about leadership and volunteering
• Absorption Centers - ‘Around the Ball,’ a special program for absorption centers where children touch on subjects relevant to absorption (getting to know their new country, their new language, etc.)
• Children with Special Needs - ‘Game of Life,’ a special program for children with special needs using situations that arise on the sports field to learn lessons for life (teamwork, etc.)

Help With Studies

The content of the tutoring and help with homework assignments is closely coordinated with the school.

Program Staff

Over 250 people are employed to implement this initiative.

Program staff includes tutors, educational counselors and soccer coaches. Most of the tutors, counselors, and coaches are university and college students who receive a tuition scholarship from Hapoel Tel Aviv. These students are from the same communities in which the program takes place, making them accessible role models for the children and adding another component in the contribution of the program to local community development.

Hundreds of volunteers add to the human and educational resources that the project brings into local communities. Players from the senior professional club also take part, using their status as role models to convey positive values.

Program Evaluation

Evaluation of the program has shown:

• Success in imparting values and positive norms of behavior
• The program strengthened the children's sense of their own abilities and capabilities and helped raise their self-image
• Participants have shown improved ability to deal with pressures and trauma
• Increased motivation to come to school, bringing about an improvement in the school atmosphere
• Increased community involvement in volunteer activities
• Increased connection between diverse populations i.e. Jewish and Arab children, children with special needs and "regular" children
• Improved self-image among participants
• Documented effectiveness in reversing delinquent behavior and improving scholastic achievement

School principals and teachers, parents and local community leaders have testified that the program has made a real difference in individual lives, in the schools, and in the broader community. There is consistent evidence of dramatic impact on attitude, behavior, and educational achievement.

Operative Adjustments to be Incorporated Following Analysis of Project Evaluation

• One person will serve as both couch and social counselor
• Adequate time will be allotted to ensure the best possible coordination between project and school staff
• Partnership with local municipalities will be developed/reinforced to ensure long-term success and implementation

To date, the program has been sponsored by the team's owners, private donors and the Jewish Agency for Israel and its partners.

The positive effect that this program is having on its participants is evident from all evaluation data accumulated. The potential reaches far beyond what has already been accomplished. It is imperative that we continue implementing this program to develop and heal disadvantaged children that have, and are still, suffering the effects of war.