Our Impact
ImpactIsrael is supporting thousands of at-risk youth and their educators across every sector of Israeli society. By partnering with Yemin Orde Youth Village and Village Way Educational Initiatives, we are agents of change engaged in transformational work with an incredibly deep track record.
Impacting Every Sector of Society
ORTHODOX
SECULAR
ARAB-
ISRAELI
NATIVE
BORN
MARGINALIZED
IMMIGRANTS
Our success lies in the Village Way educational methodology, developed at Yemin Orde and now implemented across the country. By impacting every facet of society, it helps to create a stronger Israel.
Transformational
WE ARE
98%
of Yemin Orde graduates serve in the military or national service, higher than the general population
88%
of Yemin Orde graduates feel that Israel is home
of graduates say that their time at the Village had a positive influence on their self-esteem
79%
Agents of Change
WE CREATE
870
Students at Israeli universities have been trained in the Village Way
8,460
IDF and police officers utilize the Village Way
3,850
Educators are a part of Village Way communities
Strong track record
WE HAVE A
44,000+
Youth impacted by the
Village Way philosophy
Lowered rates of violence, truancy and dropouts at Village Way schools
81%
Of graduates at Village Way partner schools serve in the army, higher than the national average
YEMIN ORDE
ALUMNI STORIES
Roi Etenesh
"Yemin Orde was a magical place for me."
Roi Etenesh grew up in Ethiopia and made aliyah to Israel at 12 years old with his mother and 6 siblings, fulfilling the family's lifelong dream. Roi’s father died before the family came to Israel; his mother tragically passed away only a year after they arrived in Israel.
Now on their own, Roi heard about Yemin Orde Youth Village from others at the absorption center where they lived. Roi immediately felt welcomed at Yemin Orde and thrived. He received an excellent education and became active in the Yemin Orde Children’s Choir. He proved to be a role model among his peers because of his warm personality and outgoing demeanor.
After graduation, Roi enrolled in the prestigious Technion-Israel Institute of Technology where he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017. He joined the IDF’s naval forces as an officer following graduation from Technion and is serving today.
YEMIN ORDE
ALUMNI STORIES
Liora Zenou
"I realized I was
not alone in this situation."
At the age of 16, Liora Zenou was uneasy with fielding questions about her religious beliefs from classmates in her Toulouse, France community. Liora and her family were thrilled to learn about Yemin Orde’s program and its excellent school and, in 2014, the Village welcomed her.
Liora’s teachers supported her learning and always made time to ensure she understood the day’s lessons. She excelled in math and science and enjoyed extra-curricular activities. These outlets helped her relax and work through her emotions.
Liora graduated from Yemin Orde’s high school in 2017. She decided to become an Israeli citizen, officially made Aliyah and joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Liora served as an artillery fighter and, thanks to the self-confidence she learned at Yemin Orde, Liora applied and was accepted into Israel’s prestigious officer training school.
VWEI Facilitator Stories
Daniel Topaz
"The Village Way methodology turns my thoughts into words."
Daniel Topaz is one of the facilitators in the Village Way Educational Institute, guiding partnering educational communities, Village Way leadership programs, and the organization’s work with Israel’s security forces. Daniel is a graduate of the prestigious Revivim program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has worked in the formal educational system as both a teacher of Bible and Jewish Thought and as the principal of a high school, and has held leadership positions in organizations in the field of education that engage in teacher training and development as well as strategic change on a national level.
“I decided to become a part of Village Way Educational Initiatives because I found an educational methodology using terminology that reflects the feelings and intuitions I’ve always had as an educator. The Village Way methodology turns my thoughts into words.”
VWEI Facilitator Stories
Lara Kfir
"In order to help the kids, we needed to help the teachers."
Lara Kfir is a Village Way facilitator with a background in psychotherapy and social work. Her responsibilities include guiding the organization’s partnering educational communities and leading programs that provide knowledge and tools for emotional support to educational community leaders who guide educational teams working with at-risk youth, and to IDF staff commanders who command officers working with special populations.
Prior to joining Village Way Educational Initiatives, Lara worked as a psychotherapist at the Yemin Orde Youth Village, guiding educational teams and providing treatment for teens. It was here that she learned about the Village Way educational methodology and made the decision to become a Village Way facilitator so that she could focus on educators. “I understood that in order to help the kids, we needed to help the teachers,” she explained.
“What I love about the methodology is that it allows educators to look at the kids in a holistic way – to see the entire person and not just their past or their future. It provides a window into their spiritual world, their values, their place in the community,” she adds.