Nirim Foundation Summary Report 2015
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Nirim Foundation 2015 Dedicated with great appreciation Summary Report and respect to all our partners Dear Partners, As in previous years, because of the great importance we place on our relationship with you, we send you our 2015 annual Report. The educational field, along with its complexity and many challenges, is also full of positivity, solidarity, volunteering, care and large portions of ethics and morality. Even though it shows the illnesses of society, it also shows the forces of good that are active in it. We would like to share with you just some of the Nirim flowerbed we have picked from the wide range of educational activities that Nirim is involved in across the country. Thank you to all our partners: The Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Defense (Social Security Department), foundations, companies, federations, private donors and volunteers. The Nirim Family 1 The Youth Village To our Partners, In this end of year report we’ll fill you in on the year’s activities at Nirim in order to paint you a picture of everything we’ve done over the year. It’s a complex picture, one with many faces and colors, unique and very significant for all the young people at the village, to their families, to us, and perhaps, to some extent, to society in Israel. It’s very important to us that we convey just how important your partnership with Nirim is – it’s not something technical, it is essential. Your partnership isn’t just for building a new building or renovating another. Your partnership makes possible all aspects of our work in all of its complexity and is what gives it its power and the seeds of hope it plants. Micha The village is part of the youth protection authority at the ministry of social affairs, operates under the auspices and supervision of the Protective Home secretariat and maintains a constant, professional dialogue with it. The Boarding School The boarding school acts as a second, and sometime first, home to our youth. The place provides a feeling of protection, belonging and warmth. The bording school’s environment is a central factor that transforms it into a home that provides both physical and emotional security and supports all the different programs, projects and tracks provided by Nirim for its youth. “at Nirim I was given warmth and love in many different ways. Sometimes a hug or a chat with a team leader, with the House Mother, the shin shin (community service group) or the social worker… sometimes it was when I was set boundaries or when I accepted authority… Nirim is my second home and sometime, also my first. I wish that every child could get some part of Nirim in their life” G’, a Nirim kid Community Involvement Community involvement is the central theme of Nirim’s third stage – “Contribution and Reward”. As part of this stage, the “Lavi” team worked in a number of areas: with “Galim”, a regional special education school, organizing Purim celebrations with students from “Bet HaGalgalim” as well as volunteering throughout the year for groups and individual pupils at the “Meitar” school. “Lavi” team members also volunteered at a school in Haifa, worked with families in need in Akko and volunteered at the regional dog pound at Kibbutz Yasur. 2 The Complementary Education Center (CEC) The CEC complements all village frameworks, enriches and develops the youth on a personal level on a daily basis. This includes enrichment workshops, festivals, seminars, social and relaxation activities, individual tutelage and more. This year as well we provided a wide range of activities that made it possible for each boy and girl to find their place, to develop hidden talents and to find new areas of interest that were previously unknown or unavailable to them. Soccer, tennis, dog training, martial arts, combat fitness, bicycling, music, art (handicrafts & drawing, drama etc.), cooking and baking, photography, yoga, juggling as well as a fitness center that operates on a regular basis and includes a recently installed climbing wall. “At Nirim I learned how to develop my skills and talents. I learned to play a musical instrument, I learned what it means to be part of a basketball team”. Nirim kid In addition to our regular activities, here at the village, we also observe all Jewish festivals and State ceremonies. Teams, led by volunteers giving a year of community service before enlisting in the army, give a great deal of thought and preparation to every festival or ceremony. Year of Community Service Volunteers (Shin-Shin) Community service volunteers at Nirim are a significant part of the village’s staff. As well as being “older brothers”, they are an integral part of the various team and regular activities both at the school and in the boarding school. The volunteers can be found in the classrooms, helping students on a one to one basis, being responsible for cultural activities and festivals and, of course, they go on the survival treks and weekly field trips. The community volunteer group at the village consists of 17 young people giving a year of service before enlisting in the army. This year, for the first time, a small group of community volunteers started to work in the Nirim farm on the Golan. “At Nirim I realized that a special place in the heart, warmth, love and true faith in one's abilities can make anyone become a success story" A’, a young instructor giving a year of community service before the army 3 Shirat HaYam (Melody of the Sea) Last year we reported the start of a unique project for girls – the Shirat HaYam house. We are now pleased to tell you that in May 2015 we completed construction and the house opened its doors. Shirat HaYam operates within the village’s confines and provides therapeutic treatment for 12 young girls. The program is spread over nine months and aims to provide a bubble of peace, calm and acceptance alongside therapies based on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). This is the only treatment therapy in the world whose efficiency and effectivity in providing therapy that assists young girls with considerable difficulties to obtain emotional stability, has been proven through research. The program’s development includeds the design and implementation of the model, the execution of a pilot program in a temporary structure, the construction of the permanent building, staff recruitment and training and finally, the intake of the girls. Today, nine young girls live at Shirat HaYam and the program will gradually bring in additional girls until we have a total of 12 in residence. In addition to regular studies and daily activities, the girls also take part in different field activities including horse riding, sailing, workshops and more. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you, our donors and partners for your all-encompassing support that has made possible the establishment of this educational framework. “I arrived at Shirat HaYam nine months ago. I had difficulty in accepting authority and boundaries. I used drugs, alcohol… My time at Shirat HaYam was hard, but meaningful. I didn’t fit in, I ran away…But, in the end, I realized that this was the best place for me. I came back to Nirim to take part in an individual process. Then we went on our first survival course in the desert. I didn’t believe that I would complete it. The backpack weighed too much, I told myself that I couldn’t manage… That’s what it’s like when you don’t believe in yourself. In the end, I finished the course with Y’, my instructor, by my side.” Nirim girl, Shirat HaYam Program 4 The Nirim School At Nirim School all the students study for a full matriculation certificate. The school prepares them and enrolls them for matriculation examination in all compulsory subjects – mathematics, English, Hebrew language, Hebrew literature, history, civic studies, bible studies and physical education – a total of 21 matriculation points. The school’s main specialization track with five matriculation points is Earth Sciences and the Environment. Lessons are in small groups and with professional teachers as well as volunteers and soldiers who come every day to provide individual help. This year, as part of an educational initiative in partnership with the Western Galilee College, 3 of our outstanding 12th grade students took part in and successfully completed an academic course given by Criminology Faculty. The school also organizes activities for the community including volunteering and mentoring by young people from Nirim School at the Special Education school, “Meitar”. These few words about the processes at Nirim were written by L’, a Nirim kid: “When the past comes knocking at the door, open the door and tell it that you’ve moved on. When you break, pick yourself up and show everybody that you’re on your feet. When you want to give up, look behind you and see how far you’ve come. And when you reach the finishing line, show everybody how you did it despite everything… In the end, you did it!” Wilderness Therapy Wilderness therapy is one of the more significant tools that allow us to achieve a dramatic breakthrough with the youth at the village. It helps us install in the young people the tools and values needed for them to rewrite their life story. Being in mother nature, in the field, is an unknown area for most of the students. It allows them to achieve goals that help them to build a new identity and self-image. Coping with physical and mental difficulties acts as a lever, helping them to build an extremely strong and powerful feeling of being capable.