Manof Youth Village, a Village Way Educational Initiatives (VWEI) graduate community, creates its own Challenge “Etgar” Hike.
The challenge hike combines outdoor educational experiences with Tikkun Olam (social action) activities. A beach clean-up initiative was paired with the challenge hike giving at-risk youth the opportunity to
connect to nature, push their physical and psychological limits, bond as a group, and also give back to the community – all elements of the Village Way.
Manof, located in Israel’s northern region, is now a “Graduate Community” of the Village Way. Its Challenge Hike program, developed with guidance from a Village Way Educational Institute facilitator, has remained a central part of Manof tradition and culture.
Graduate communities are youth villages, high schools and residential therapeutic facilities that have completed VWEI’s three year integration process and still continue to partner with the Educational Institute and its implement its educational framework. Currently, there are 23 graduate communities within the Village Way framework since its launch in 2006.
Three-year integration process will empower educators
A three-year partnership with Village Way Educational Initiatives (VWEI) and its Educational Institute will include:
- Annual educational work plans
- Learning Sessions: Seminar days, round-table workshops
- One-on-One Educator Mentoring
- Developing programs with core Village Way components
- Inter-community Forums and Annual Conference, Educational Portal, E-Newsletter, Knowledge Management, Peer Learning
Since its launch in 2006, VWEI has impacted 14,200 youth and 1,775 educators in Israel.
Today, VWEI has 36 educational community partners. The goal is to expand to 59 educational communities by 2021 and reach 25,000 youth and 2,800 educators.