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What is the Award program?
The “International Award for Young People – Israel” is a social organization that works to empower young men and women around the world, through focusing on four areas of interest - skill, sports, volunteering, travel. The global organization operates in 130 countries and in the 14-24 age range.
Allowing teenagers to understand that there is more to them than they think - on their own, with personal and close guidance. We believe that every boy and girl has some kind of "great desire", and even though it is sometimes hidden and hard to identify, it still always exists. With a method based on creating experiences and challenges, we seek to give the participants opportunities to discover themselves, their strengths and advantages, and the tools to harness their abilities for community educational work and personal development.
In Israel, our main activity is volunteering in boarding schools and high schools across the country, with kids ages 12-18 in the field of non-formal education. Award volunteers from Israel work together along with volunteers from all over the world, who come on a gap year for 6-10 months. Together they achieve the goals of the Award program.
Registration now open!
October 2023 - July 2024
Between 6-10 months
A service year is a volunteer year that takes place between the end of the 12th grade and the military service for young Israelis aged 18. Participants are known as "Shinshinim", short for the Hebrew term "Shnat Sherut", meaning year of service. This year is voluntary and allows young people to experience communal life, get to know different populations in Israel, face independent life and prepare themselves for matriculation.
The year of volunteer service takes place in various youth settings and the main work is training and creating a significant relationship with youth. The Shinshinim become a kind of "big brother" for the youth that they work with. Their connection is of great significance and contributes to both sides.
What is a Year of Service?
Tell me more about Year of Service
During the year, 5-7 young people aged 18-19 live independently in the apartment who manage a shared household in all respects: shopping, household management. They are also family, colleagues and friends to each other.
The young people come from the entire population spectrum of Israeli society who bring with them their personal cultures and norms and thus learn to know each other and through them learn to know Israel in a deep and personal way.
In the morning, volunteers in high schools aged 13-18 accompany a class and specific trainees. In the afternoons, you volunteer at a youth home/boarding school and hold informal activities. You also study immersive Hebrew. Your sorrounding is Hebrew speakers which makes it extremely helpful in improving your Hebrew skills. During a service year with us, you have the option of creating activities according to personal interests and thus connecting with the youth in a way that you enjoy.
With our volunteering there is an opportunity to live in Israeli society and be part of it in an integral way, both in terms of the commune you live with and in terms of the population you work with.
The program takes place in various locations across the country: Haifa, Holon, Givat Haviva, Kfar Saba and more. The year of service is between 6-10 months (you choose), during which you will be able to experience working with teenagers, get to know Israel, learn Hebrew, make new friends and acquire tools for an independent life.
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