YOUTH FUTURES NEWS
Personal Stories
From the Desk of Zeev Bielski
Jerusalem
August 15, 2006
Dear Friends,
The military operation is coming to an end; however, we are continuing to provide assistance to the residents of the north and preparing ourselves for our work "the day after." We will maintain our position as a driving force in the rebuilding of the cities and towns in the north and region surrounding Gaza. We are committed to providing the residents of these areas with the best opportunity to make a swift return to daily life, to flourish socially and to achieve renewed economic success.
Today we are turning our attention to the upcoming academic school year, just two weeks away. During the war, our Youth Futures program worked on several fronts with participants primarily from Safed. These efforts included evacuation from the bomb shelters and the daily trauma of falling missiles over their heads as well as the planning and operation of activities to keep the children and youth focused on their summer vacation rather than the turmoil in their cities and towns.
We have and continue to prepare ourselves for the new school year and intend to begin our activities as planned without diverging from the proposed schedule. This effort is crucial so that we may maintain a supportive environment for these "at risk" youth and children who are in dire need of stability in their lives.
The attached newsletter, Youth Futures News, provides a short update of our activities throughout the past year as well as our plans and preparation for the forthcoming 2006-2007 academic year.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your solidarity, support and friendship in these trying and uncertain times.
Respectfully Yours,
Zeev Bielski,
Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive
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Introduction
Dear Friends and Partners,
We are proud to present our first edition of YF News.
YF News will bring you quarterly updates, information and reports on the Youth Futures program in the Negev and the Galilee.
The Youth Futures program has finally grown into the form we’ve strived for ever since the idea took root in our heart.
2006-7 School Year
The first, and pilot, year of YF has ended with many lessons learned and even more successes with our children and teens. Our Trustees are more experienced and trained, our Program Coordinators have done wonders in creating a smooth cooperation with the municipalities and the schools, and the Youth Futures name is beginning to make waves and be noticed.
However, we still have two major steps to implement in order to complete the YF vision – high school programs and Circles of Opportunity. Yehuda Katz (Kezale) is responsible for this stage, working closely with our Israeli and overseas partners. We stand with confidence at the door to our second year, but realize that we have still much to learn through implementation. Your support and input will be important.
YF Approved Locations
We are tying loose ends for our first and pilot year for Youth Futures, which has included: Eilat, Dimona, Ofakim, Tiberias, Safed, Hazor and Rosh Pina. Several more locations have been approved by our overseas partners, and we intend to open the new school year in September with 15 locations (see table below).
At least ten more locations will be added every year, to ultimately reach 52 locations by 2010.
We all thank you warmly for your generous support and for taking part in making a significant change in the Israel's periphery – both in times of war and in times of calm.
We would be happy to hear your remarks, comments and ideas, and we hope that, in time, YF Newswill become a forum in which all can participate and share in its creation.
Thank you,
Nir Lahav
Director, Youth Futures Division
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September 2006 Locations
| Location |
Partner |
# Trustees |
# Youth |
| Eilat |
Toronto |
16 |
1,620 |
| Dimona |
Anonymous |
15 |
550 |
| Ofakim |
MetroWest |
10 |
280 |
| Beit Shean |
Cleveland |
10 |
200 |
| Tiberias |
Crown Foundation |
12 |
332 |
| Tzahar (3) |
Palm Beach/Lyons Family |
34 |
645 |
| Central Galilee (3) |
Detroit |
22 |
500 |
| Yokneam-Meggido (2) |
Atlanta-St. Louis |
5 |
100 |
| Confrontation Line (2) |
UJIA Great Britain |
13 |
390 |
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Board of Governors
 The Jewish Agency Youth Futures Sub-Committee members gathered on June 28th to receive a status report from Nir Lahav, and to participate in a discussion panel on a YF dilemma – what are the optimal young communities for implementing the program in the Negev and the Galilee?
Several significant issues were also raised and discussed, such as the extent of cooperation with the local municipalities and our overseas partners, and how to define the young community in the framework of the YF goals. The Sub-Committee was co-chaired by Avi Naor and Jane Sherman, filling in for Bob Naboicheck.
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Summer Camps
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Summer camps from Eilat to Maale Yosef were organized before the conflict in the North, as a part of the Youth Futures summer activities.
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Financial News
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During the months of May-June, the YF budget was standardized to implement information gathered during our pilot year. We have created a uniform budget that can be adjusted to each location according to their unique needs.
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The Gaydamak Foundation has generously decided to donate $1 million to Youth Futures as an Israeli partner in the program.
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YF Division Structured
We have finalized the Division’s structure (Hebrew, Powerpoint), and have already begun interviewing candidates for three positions – a Trustee Manager and two professional supervisors (south and north), who will give real-time support and solutions to routine issues which arise during the Trustees’ work with their children.
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National YF Conference
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The Youth Futures professional staff convened on August 2nd for a day-long session of lectures, sharing of information and peer learning. Partnership Directors, Project Coordinators and Trustee Coordinators from the Negev and the Katyusha attacked Galilee received professional summaries and discussed work methods, with the intent of creating a standard basis for work, from which each YF location can grow. Eli Cohen, Deputy-Director of JAFI, greeted the staff and updated them on Human Resource issues, after which Leah Golan and Nir Lahav summarized the pilot year, put the adjective "pilot" to rest and outlined the YF program's implementation for the 2006-7 school year.
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In This Issue…
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