In a new, collaborative model to provide educational enrichment and social services support to at-risk youth, The Foundation awarded $180,000 to Jerusalem Youth Futures/B’Kehilla, a program that provides a three-level mentoring approach to help local, young at-risk students. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles brokered this joint program of The Jewish Agency for Israel and Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), an Israel-based initiative, which also includes additional leveraged funding partners.

The three-level mentoring program works with schools and community centers in two of  Jerusalem’s most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, pairing elementary school children with compassionate young adults and teenagers who are dedicated to their success. Young adults with college degrees, who have completed their army service, act as case managers to guarantee that every participating child’s needs are met and serve as role models. High school graduates, who have chosen a year of community service prior to entering the army, serve as interns and work with the children as tutors. Both the high schools and college graduate mentors facilitate education and esteem-building activities with the children and their parents. Ten mentors have been trained and each is currently working with 14-16 children, for a total of 150 children participating in the program.

While it would be easy for disadvantaged children to fall behind, the goal of the program is to work with the youth closely until the seventh grade to help improve grades, behavior, self-esteem and overall well-being. This model holds enormous potential for cultivating a community service ethic throughout Israel by empowering the family and by strengthening neighborhood communities from within.