BeYachad

Welcome to the BeYachad Blog

BeYachad is a partnership of the Israel Venture Network, the Sacta-Rashi Foundation, the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties, and the Jewish Agency for Israel- Partnership 2000-UIA Canada Coast to Coast Communities.  The mission of BeYachad is to raise student achievement while advancing the management capabilities and culture within the education system in the Upper Galilee of Israel.  The program focuses on training teachers, principals and municipal leaders to create a systemic shift in how the education system functions as a whole. 

The initiative is now entering its fourth year of operation during the 2006-7 school year and we have already begun to see significant results in the area of student achievement and a shift in the management culture.

This weblog will provide monthly updates on one of the 40+ programs that BeYachad is supporting in the region.  We welcome your feedback and thank you for your support.

The Education for Active Citizenship Program

Two girls sat in front of the main office of Mezudot Elementary School in Kiryat Shemona awaiting the arrival of the children from the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariya.  The excitement in their eyes and the nervousness of their feet said it all. On this sunny winter morning, the two schools were meeting to culminate the first part of a year-long program aimed at teaching civics in a unique fashion.

BeYachad is sponsoring the Active Citizenship program, developed by the Israel Venture Network and the New Israel Fund, in eleven schools in the Galilee Panhandle. The program, involving children from grades two to twelve, emphasizes the practical side of Democracy, involvement and citizenship in Israel.  The program empowers the children to take on social action activities to help their community. In addition, the program promotes teacher training and the promotion of civics in all grades. Among the current projects that the children themselves have initiated are visiting hospitals; visiting homes for Senior citizens; volunteer work; and the adoption of a problem neighbourhood in Kiryat Shemona, which includes picnics with the residents and cleaning the streets. One of the most moving projects is the adoption of a high school girl in need of a kidney transplant. The children have been fundraising, speaking with the press and will be holding a cultural fundraising and awareness evening for her this month.

Fiaez Zangariya, the coordinator of the program in from Tuba-Zangariya and a teacher at Yesodi Bet there said, “There has been a big change in the students since the Active Citizenship program started. They are more connected to the country – less apathetic towards learning about Democracy. Now they want to know everything. All the classes are very practical and the children search from answers and don’t just absorb what I give them.”

The meeting between the two schools began with the children from Tuba joining Mezodot classrooms where the students had the opportunity to ask each other questions, such as: “What kind of customs do you have? Where do you pray? Where does the name of your town come from? and what books do you read?

Gal, a fourth grade boy from Mezudot, said, “I was really excited about this meeting. They were funny. Even though I couldn’t understand one of the boys, he was very funny. Some day I’d like to visit there.”

Following this encounter, the children all went to experience an Active Recess, where sports and games were played on the playground. “One of the reasons I wanted to have this meeting of the two schools,” said Smadar Rozenfeld, the IVN coordinator of the program, “was to have the staff and children see what a successful Active Recess with limited means can be.”

“The teacher’s are doing a fabulous job with this program. It’s a great program, and because of the sponsors there is cooperation between all of the organizations,’ said Smadar.

“The kids used to do only activities for our school,” said Yael, a teacher at Mezudot,  “the children worked to improve the school – now, because of the program, there has been a change in attitude and they want to do things for the community and the country.”

Mercaz Em Kiryat Shemona: Enrichment Center for Kindergarten Age Children

The children’s books of Israeli writer Paul Kor have become the inspiration for a fascinating program in Kiryat Shemona made possible by Beyachad contributions and involvement.

Over 600 children from 20 kindergartens in Kiryat Shemona and Metulla arrive every three weeks to participate in this program, which integrates learning environments from the sciences, the arts, music and theater.

The highly professional staff takes Paul Kor’s stories and breaks them down into theater, arts and crafts, music and scientific understanding. Then, with the children, they put it all back together, experiencing aspects of life they could not learn without such integration. One thing that is apparent while watching the six staff members interact with the children – they love their work.

Miri Gross, the director of the center and science instructor is proud of the value of what the children experience.  “Everything we offer them here, they can’t get in their kindergartens. We couldn’t do this without the help of Beyachad and the city of

Kiryat Shemona

. Last year we were down to two areas of learning due to lack of funds. Now we have four.”

The children arrive at the center after preparation in their kindergartens. They read and learn the story and can easily relate to the characters when they begin their work in the center. With the help of the Information, Measurement & Evaluation unit initiated by BeYachad, the staff was able to define their goals and create a brilliant program.

And the program, which accepts two kindergartens a day, is meeting its educational objectives. 

“We love to activate the kids, help them get into the characters we’re working with and have them learn to work the puppets,” Batya Rivah, the puppet theater instructor said. “It’s great for the kids’ personal development.”

Osnat Weiss, art teacher who studied at Beit Berl and the Rijksakdemie in Amsterdam, said, “Everything here is connected – from the story and the theater to science and art – it’s all tied together to day to day life.”

Five large, beautifully arranged rooms house the project. Each aspect of the program has its own space and the building includes a playroom where the children can release extra energy between tasks.

“My dream now is to develop the area around the building – plant a garden,” said Miri. “And we’d   also love to have a web site to show our work.”

For many, after six years the current operation of the center is already a dream come true.

Batya summed it up saying, “After the war, this is a great way to cheer-up the children of Kiryat Shemona.”