Hamifal Ashdod – “Neve Galim” Village
The Ashdod Youth Village was founded in 1977. It is located in the city centre at the heart of an old neighbourhood in the city of Ashdod.
Due to its central location and the accessibility of local services, the children are integrated into the municipal services provided to all the residents of the city. The youth village is a boarding school complex based on the family model, in which about 70 children aged 6-18 live in 5 family homes.
The youth village’s objective has two main focus areas:
Formal education aimed at reducing academic gaps
Provision of informal education which strives to meet the basic needs of the children, ensuring their proper development.
The family model allows children to grow and develop within the positive framework of a healthy family, while addressing and being attentive to their personal difficulties and hardships. Investing in these children at this stage of their lives is crucial for shaping their future as capable and responsible adults in society.
In recent years, the youth village has become a community village. Most of the children who come from Ashdod to the village, continue their education in the same schools they attended before. As part of the transformation of the youth village into a community village, Hamifal tries to involve the biological parents in the education of their children. This process is trying and requires brave and persistent effort in order to change the foundation of the relationship between the child and his parents.
The community youth village attempts to address the physical, emotional and educational needs of the child which have been neglected in their parents’ home, whilst simultaneously maintaining the child’s place and a portion of the caregiving at their parents’ home. These children, on the one hand, need to be cared for outside of their home, but, on the other hand, they can also benefit from maintaining consistent contact with their family members. The parents who are capable and show desire to take part in their children’s lives, can therefore take advantage of this arrangement to do so.
Additionally, there are various mental health educational activities, such as art therapy, extra tutoring: for matriculation, remedial classes and tutoring in core subjects, library access: a rich academic library that includes computers, a listening centre and a loaning library which is open in the afternoon, and extensive musical activity including a singing band, a choir and musicians.
- Animal Area: An area which focuses on therapy through interacting with animals.
- Student Council: Elected in a democratic process, the Student Council initiates and runs various activities and is involved in village decision-making.
- Bnei Mitzvah Project: This project has been operating in the village for many years. We work in coordination with the biological families in order to pull off the Bnei Mitzvah Project, which has become a household name.
- Parent-Child Activities: Here, we enable children to bond with their biological families through workshops, tutorials and joint projects.
One of the unique projects in the youth village is our performing arts program:
In recent years, a theatre group has been established in the village. Theatre is a rehabilitative and empowering tool which enables personal growth and builds up the child’s personal strength. Drama and acting are tools that allow children to express themselves. The group works with a professional director, with whom they are encouraged to use their imagination, movement, senses, emotions, thoughts and voices.
The theatre group, which began operating at the beginning of 2009, recently staged a theatrical productions of the films “The Band”, “Casablanca” and “Hair”, in front of more than one thousand people at the Mishkan (Home) for the Performing Arts. They won many accolades from this performance. This group also had the opportunity to tour around France. The shows have really moved the members of the Jewish communities that enjoyed hosting the charming and talented children.
Contact details
Village management:
Shimoni Peretz – Manager
Poster Mila Amalia – Therapeutic Service Manager
Osnat Shvu – Coordinator of Education
Natalie Greenberg – Administrator
Address: 17 Hahistadrut St., PO Box Ashdod 77100
Phone: +972 (0)8-8563776
Fax: +972 (0)8-8525024
Email: Neve_galim@walla.co.il
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