Yemin Orde offers extra-curricular activities and programs that boost self-confidence and provide creative outlets for expression.
Thanks to the generosity of ImpactIsrael’s donors, Yemin Orde’s youth have access to excellent activities and programs that boost confidence, build leadership and help troubled teens thrive in a supportive environment. These extra-curricular opportunities include sports such as soccer, running or boxing or artistic expression such as drawing, painting, ceramics, musical instrument lessons, voice lessons and more. A new drama club and water sports program also build confidence and help youth develop new skills.
Top Performances in the Drama Club
This school year, the Village opened a new theater program for 25 girls and boys. Participants build self-confidence in front of an audience or learn to express emotions in different ways. The class is three hours each week and gives participants a chance to look forward to something completely different; a safe space 
where they can let their guard down and try on new personas.
Teens practice non-verbal communication techniques in which facial expressions and body movement convey meaning. They have used parts of their personal stories to practice verbal communication, learning how to tell a story, invoke a specific feeling and change levels of intensity.
Team work has been stressed throughout, with the instructor having participants work together as a group and playing off the atmosphere between one another. Understanding one's physical presence on stage, how to show self-assurance, how to address the audience directly or hold a monologue have also been topics of discussion.
The drama club has also performed at three different Village events and visited a theater company to see a play and hold an open discussion with the actors. For many it was their first time being exposed to the world of live theater and was a truly enjoyable experience.
Music Soothes the Soul
The music program is a favorite for many of youth with 145 participants in 2019. Learning options are: instruction in drums, piano, guitar, flute or trumpet, practicing singing techniques 
and voice development (including stage presence, pronunciation, breathing and voice-projection), understanding basic music theory or participating in the ensemble, Y-Ord Band. It is inspiring to see the hours of dedication these teens give each week to improving their musical abilities.
Additionally, there are a number of new initiatives this year, one being “music mentors,” which involves collaboration between musicians from the artist Village of Ein Hod and youth in the music program. Mentors provide advice on how to improve one’s talent but also speak to the reality of the music industry, what one can expect if choosing this as a career path. These meetings are a great way to help our youth prepare for their futures.
Another new project is taking singers from Y-Ord Band and creating recorded music singles. Each month, two members of the band pick a song to record in the language of their choice. They then travel to a professional recording studio where they record the song. It’s been a great self-confidence booster while also learning about what it takes to record a music track.
Building Confidence with Water Sports
In our attempt to find educational frameworks for those with significant learning challenges at the Village, educators look for ways that can build their self-confidence. 
A new partnership with the water sports program, Ziv Neurim, increases self-confidence of at-risk youth through kayaking, snorkeling, SUP boarding and more. Ziv Neurim was founded by a group of former elite Navy operatives.
Youth also learn about water safety and understanding the tides, rip currents, surf breaks and other needed knowledge for participating in open water sports.
Currently, there are fifteen participants, coming from some of the most challenging backgrounds at the Village. They go out once a week, traveling to the coast with two informal educators and two national service volunteers. They have low self-confidence in themselves and benefit from experiencing success; like standing up on a paddleboard or figuring out how to control a kayak in certain water conditions.
As one of the informal educators put it, "this program is such a bonus for these kids…it’s a big responsibility to be able to go into the sea, understanding how to enter and handle the water. We are giving them tools, dealing with how to improve one’s self, dealing with shyness or being uncomfortable in front of others if they don’t succeed, all the problems our youth are facing and we get to use the sea as a tool to help them."