Success brings an obligation to share.
Village Way Educational Initiatives is designed to broaden the impact of the Village Way educational methodology, first modeled at Yemin Orde Youth Village, to help the world’s at-risk youth population live a secure and productive life.
For example, the Village Way approach is implemented at Rwanda’s Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village and is seen in the Educational Initiatives's Mechina, a gap-year pre-military leadership program for Israel's young men and women. In the United States, the values of the Village Way are part of the programming and educational approach at San Diego’s San Pasqual Academy, and U.S. scholars and political leaders have expressed great interest in the methodology's success in transforming the lives of youth at risk.
The overall goal of the Educational Initiatives is to have a positive impact on the education system of Israeli society. This paradigm shift in educational philosophy is facilitated through the Derech Kfar (Village Way) Educational Institute – the heart of Yemin Orde Educational Initiatives.
Derech Kfar (Village Way) Educational Institute
The Derech Kfar Educational Institute was established to provide innovative and timely educational solutions for Israel’s immigrants and youth-at-risk. Derech Kfar is based on the successful educational philosophy and novel programs developed over 30 years at Yemin Orde Youth Village under the leadership of visionary educator Dr. Chaim Peri. Derech Kfar aims to infuse educators with educational methodologies which will enable them to provide children at-risk with the tools to overcome their troubled pasts, reach their potential, and succeed.
Institute programs take place in four different forums:
- Staff Training Programs
- Beit Midrash (case studies are discussed in context of tradition and heritage)
- Mentoring and Guidance (Institute staff provides 1:1 mentoring)
- Educators’ Forum (Staff members share experiences, problem-solve and brainstorm.)
In October 2007, the Ministry of Education formally endorsed Yemin Orde’s methodologies as the “leading conceptual and applicable framework of [the government’s] "rejuvenation of youth villages in Israel" program.
Derech Kfar's educational methodology focuses on transforming declining youth villages into dynamic frameworks for youth at-risk. Derech Kfar aims to “deinstitutionalize” the institutions and to provide these children with the security and advantages that every child deserves.
Learn about the 10 Core Components of the Village Way
The Derech Kfar Staff
The Derech Kfar Educational Institute staff includes a team of outstanding educators, each with a deep understanding and successful history of working with children-at-risk. The team is led by Dotan Levi, an experienced educator and senior staff member at Yemin Orde Youth Village for more than 15 years.