Background
The Druze sector in Israel faces a dearth of social services and community welfare programs. Especially lacking are programs for at-risk children and youth. While many local authority officials are interested in developing educational and welfare programs, they need outside assistance in order to initiate and implement them. The Kochav Hatzafon Association, working together with professionals from local authorities and the Ministry of Social Affairs, has helped to establish four clubhouses for at-risk children in four different villages. The clubhouses are a first stage in the development of a network of services targeting all ages in the Druze sector. The clubhouses currently operate Monday through Thursday, 13:00 - 18:00. Each clubhouse serves 15 at-risk children between the ages of 6 and 12 from the villages Kasra, Sami'a, Julis and Beit Jan.
The clubhouse framework provides emotional support, academic assistance, and a warm meal, as well as after school enrichment programs for participating children. The clubhouse staff also reaches out to families, in order to help parents cope more effectively with the challenges of raising and educating their children, thereby improving the overall level of care that the children receive. The staff consists of social workers, educators, counsellors and university students.
At this stage, activities at the clubhouses include homework tutoring, a warm meal, social activities and therapeutic attention to emotional problems. The staff aspires to turn each clubhouse into a welcoming home and an attractive and joyous place for children.
The Project
Without One to One Israel's contribution the clubhouse project could only be carried out in a limited fashion. In order to improve the opportunities available to the Druze children targeted by this program, and to enhance the types of experiences to which they are exposed, One to One is now funding the availability of elective activities in sports and arts, types of activities that are scarcely provided at local schools. Two weekly electives are now offered at each clubhouse, one in art and one in sport, such electives being those that most suit the needs and interests of the participating children. The sports electives include competitive sports such as football, basketball or swimming, or alternatively, challenging activities that combine physical challenges with self-discovery. The arts electives include plastic arts, performance arts or music.
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