27 Dec
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

Mechinat Matzpen

As part of our education program, HaEmek Mechina promotes tolerance and compassion towards those who are different, and works to strengthen the participants’ sense of mission and commitment towards society and its needs. One of this year’s leading social projects were the meetups with the members of Mechinat Matzpen, in accordance with COVID-19 regulations.

Mechinat Matzpen is a course of continued education for medium-to-high functioning young adults on the autistic spectrum. It is a component of the Nave class program, located on the premises of Geon HaYarden Darca School. The course comprises preparation for meaningful service, working life, and vocational study, along with additional subjects, which include self-management, civics, civil rights, community institutions, communication, self-representation, problem-solving, financial management, and relationships, among others.

The first meeting this year took place in the Neve classrooms at the Geon HaYarden School. An impressive ceremony in remembrance of Yitzchak Rabin was conducted, following which members participated in a joint activity about tolerance. The second meetup took place at the Eden Farm, where participants were handed assignments requiring the necessary cooperation as a team, in order to tackle tasks such as erecting a shed according to diagram instructions.

Future meetings will also take place at Eden Farm, for the opportunity to further deepen  the partnership between the two mechina programs, such as joint hikes and more task execution projects.

27 Dec
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

The Kfar Ruppin Community

About three years ago, the mechina found its new home in Kfar Ruppin. It was a perfect fit and right away, it became an integral part of the kibbutz community life.

We consider the kibbutz our home, and our connection with the community is an inseparable part of everyday life at the mechina. We have discovered a warm, welcome environment, where we have been received graciously and wholeheartedly by everyone. The community welcomed mechina participants with gifts they had prepared and through circle discussions with kibbutz residents, who told them about its history, current times, and the future outlook.

A  mechina staff team, which was established at the beginning of the year, is responsible for maintaining the ties with the Kfar Ruppin community, and together they organize a range of activities. These include educational activities involving the participation of kindergarten and school-age children; social and communal activities and events; and singing and dancing together before the onset of Shabbat and festivals. There are also discussion circles, which take place before special events, and communal learning of subjects such as current affairs and society, among other topics.

Additionally, mechina participants take part in joint projects at Mauricio’s Grove, next to the Kibbutz, which involve tending to its communal garden, running activities, and individual meetings and mentoring with the children, as well as long-time kibbutz members.

21 Jul
Goodwill in the Emek

Beit uri

As the COVID-19 crisis deepened, participants at Mechinat HaEmek commenced their volunteer work at Beit Uri in the city of Afula. Beit Uri serves as a home for over 100 children, youth, and adults with mental developmental disabilities. The approach to daily life at Beit Uri is in line with the anthroposophical idea that regards each person as a regular, healthy individual since, as stated in our Jewish tradition, “in the image of God He created him.” Behind the veil of mental limitations is a healthy, spirited soul that blossoms and thrives in a warm, supportive, and creative  environment. The participants fell in love with the place and continued their volunteering until the end of the year.

Mechina participant, Adi Halper, wrote touching words about her experience:
“I’d like to tell you about a magical place called Beit Uri, a village-style home for special people that employs the most amazing approach in caring for their residents. The place operates in accordance with a central value of mutual respect, by simply giving them their rightful place and observing how everything turns out as a result.

And I fell in love; I fell in love with the place, the pastoral atmosphere, the staff team who give their heart to this place, and is so devoted to their work. And each and every resident is simply gorgeous. I have learnt a lot from them.

I have to admit that at first I was turned off. Time after time, seeing people much taller than I am as they approached me with the inquisitiveness of a child frightened me, and I was on constant alert for every person walking past me. However, the moment I realized that they are just people after all, acting out of pure curiosity, I laid down all defenses and started getting to know them from up close, and their personalities are astounding! All they need is warmth from other people, and since we’re living in times where they’re stuck indoors, all they need is something to lift their moods. And that’s what we actually do. I come to their homes as part of their schedules and simply try keep them happy and laughing.

I wish everyone had the opportunity to get to know and experience being with these amazing people and to understand that they perhaps need more of our support. I wish everyone would just regard them normally, because after all, they are completely like us…”

24 Mar
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

Association for Seniors and Holocaust Survivors, Beit Shean

The Mechina volunteering program also offers volunteering at the Association for Seniors and Holocaust Survivors in Beit Shean. Mati Garama, talks about the special connection between the seniors and Mechina participants, and the importance of volunteering at the organization:
“The collaboration over the past two years between the Mechina and the Association has helped us scale down the loneliness experienced by the seniors in Beit Shean more and more, through ongoing visits at their homes and helping them, including assistance with activities that they are unable to carry out daily.
“Of the many projects organized with the Association and the Mechina, the most exciting is the ‘Loneliness Relief Project’ – where program participants and seniors of the city of Beit Shean forge emotional connections; wonderful connections upheld through till the end of the volunteering year, and which are maintained to this day with phone calls at festival times, and short visits at their homes.
We have collaborations with many organizational bodies, but I have to acknowledge that partnering with you is the greatest – you are our beacon of light. Well done!”

24 Mar
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

Beit Alfa Absorption Center

Since 2007, Kibbutz Beit Alfa has been home to an absorption center for Ethiopian immigrants run by the Jewish Agency. There are about 400 Ethiopian immigrants residing in the center who have arrived in Israel over recent years. The center serves as their home for their first years in the country, a period during which they undergo a process of acclimatization to Israeli society and learning Hebrew at ulpan. At the same time, the adults go out and work and the children attend schools in the area.
This is the second year of volunteering, where Mechina participants arrive twice a week in the morning and afternoon and become part of the system that facilitates the immigrants’ acquaintance with Israeli culture and lifestyle. They assist in Hebrew practice, specifically speaking with the adults in ulpan, and in the afternoon they meet with the children and youth and teach them social and box games. The participants assist in bringing the Israeli experience to them and tell about the special, emotional encounters and rare connections forged between them and the immigrants.
Ron Bruchis, a Mechina member, summarizes his experience:
“I’d come volunteer regularly Sundays and Wednesdays throughout the year, which were days full of purpose for me. We met with 10-13 year old children at the center, and enjoyed being a friend or brother figure for them. The process I went through with one of the boys was amazing and very meaningful to me. It took time, though, but it was worth every minute. Listening to him share his problems at the center or at school with me, playing soccer with him, doing homework with him , or simply advising him or practicing with him was sometimes my weekly “fun.” Slowly I noticed the boy also undergoing a process, and a few weeks ago he even contacted me, which was very touching to know that he still remembers and takes interest in me.”

24 Mar
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

Idan Technology

Throughout the school year, Mechina participants attend the Idan Educational Technology Center in Emek HaMa’ayanot, a joint regional center for technological development, educational innovation, and employment. It is attended by children from schools across the valley (the Emek), who come for enrichment workshops held on various technological subjects.
Inbar, a participant of the Mechina describes the experience:
“We’d come to Idan Technology twice a week. For me, as a newcomer to the Emek, Idan Technology depicts a place that inspires technological progress in Emek HaMa’ayanot. Indeed it is. It forms an outlet for original creation, independent self-expression in the full sense of the word, and in my eyes, it breaks conventions in all respects. It perpetuates the expression, “when there’s a will, there’s a way.” We usually see this phrase represented easily in other disciplines but here Idan Technology has a place on the team. They burst the social convention that construction tools belong to the realm of the “adult world” only. There children learn, recognize, discern, think, draw conclusions, and develop wisdom by using all their senses, and foremost using their hands as the main means. The overall place, the designed space, which encourages creativity to soar, and the staff of course, enable each boy, girl, or teenager to discover the space to develop, experiment, make mistakes, fix them, and finally, to enjoy the active experience.”
The participants help plan lessons or workshops at the center, and act as assistants to the guides for groups of students. “We met children and youth from the Emek, accompanied them through Idan’s unique learning program, and tried exposing them to technology in a positive light. One of the programs in which we participated included personal mentoring. I was privileged to get to know a group of intelligent girls, who were rich in laughter, love, and creativity. They provided me with the opportunity to observe and discover other people, to open up the possibility of expressing themselves with confidence, while enjoying it. At my first mentoring meeting, I expressed the simplest fact about Idan Technology in front of them – everything at Idan takes place with the purpose of serving you. Although this is a technical statement of allegiance as part of presenting the place to them, it did, however, penetrate a deep realization within me as to how anything can be possible.”
The students and Mechina participants formed a special and long-lasting connection, which ended in an emotional farewell at the close of the year. Beautiful messages bestowed by the students were presented, that touched the hearts of all involved.
“I concluded the Mechina year equipped to continue in life with all kinds of tools. Idan Technology gave me inspiration and realistic hope that the field of education can be more. A lot more.”
Mor Karassin, the director of the center, talks about the work with the Mechina participants:
“Inbar, Noam, Amir, and Ziv, are four Mechina members who were a part of the team at Idan Technology during the course of the year, which has now ended. Twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, they’d arrive with immense motivation to lead activities and perform unique work in the Idan Technology arena.
“During the year, the Mechina participants gained a great deal of knowledge while operating a wide range of technological tools, and passing on their knowledge in the encounters with children from Emek HaMa’ayanot and the region. These encounters allowed for personal mentoring in small groups in line with the requirements of the schools, and as guides for classes that attended lessons at Idan as part of their school curriculum. The participants became significant figures at Idan and for the school children.
“This is the third year we’ve had Mechina participants join us, and from year to year, we learn how to improve our work together. We really enjoyed working with them, and we wish everyone success on their new path. We’ll always be happy to welcome them when they come visit the Emek.”

24 Mar
Goodwill in the Emek, Uncategorized

The Neve Classes at Gaon HaYarden School

The “Neve classes” at Gaon HaYarden High School in Neve Eitan, are special education classes for students between the ages of 13 -21 years, who are on the autistic spectrum (ASD). There are seven special education classes which accommodate a total of 48 students, in line with their level of functioning. They are also integrated with the regular classes according to their abilities. The school utilizes the diversity of its students, teachers, and other employees in all activities, to create a shared life based on mutual contribution among all elements in society.
Participants of the HaEmek Mechina arrive each Wednesday to participate with the Neve classes in their various workshop activities. “We accompany them in their workshops, participate in workshop discussions each week, and enjoy creating meaningful projects with them. There is no experience more satisfying than to work and create something from scratch together with them! The atmosphere is electrifying and we are really good friends with each other. They feel absolutely comfortable telling us about themselves and we enjoy sharing our daily lives with them.”