2024 Children’s Village: Volunteer to make an impact!

March 16, 2024 - March 28, 2024

March 16, 2024 - March 28, 2024:

Applications COMING FALL 2023!


Make an Impact! Community Service Teen Trips to Israel:

Applications Open Fall 0f 2023!
  • Make a difference in the world
  • Positively Influence an underprivileged Child
  • Make life-long friends
  • Embark on a journey of self-exploration out of your comfort zone
  • Interact with Israeli Peers
  • Visit Key Sites to Western Civilization
  • Learn about
  • Environmental Issues in the Desert
  • Enhance your leadership abilities
CWB has created a service learning program that brings Jewish and non-Jewish U.S. teens to Israel to volunteer in a special communal environment, known as a Children's Village where they assist underprivileged Israeli youth who live in the framework of large adoptive families. While living and volunteering in the community, the participants also participate in study tours both in the region of the village – the Galilee - as well as other parts of the country, such as Jerusalem, the Judean and Negev Deserts and Tel-Aviv. On the tours the students become acquainted with Israel's diversity – religiously, ethnically and socially – while at the same time they learn about the core ideas and values that have shaped our world – such as the interaction between the great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The students will visit archaeological sites that relate to the Bible, to Roman civilization and to Christianity and Judaism. The program will also tackle environmental issues that challenge the modern state of Israel. Finally, an important component of the trip works on enhancing the participants' leadership skills. As part of the volunteer program, the participants will work together with their Israeli peers, which will enrich both sides of the partnership highlighting their common values on the one hand, and their cultural differences on the other – all this in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Overview

CWB has created a service learning program that brings Jewish and non-Jewish U.S. teens to Israel to volunteer in a special communal environment, known as a Children's Village where they assist underprivileged Israeli youth who live in the framework of large adoptive families. While living and volunteering in the community, the participants also participate in study tours both in the region of the village – the Galilee - as well as other parts of the country. On the tours the students become acquainted with Israel's diversity – religiously, ethnically and socially – while at the same time they learn about the core ideas and values that have shaped our world – such as the interaction between the great monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As part of the volunteer program, the participants will work together with their Israeli peers, which will enrich both sides of the partnership highlighting their common values on the one hand, and their cultural differences on the other – all this in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The children's village is located in the north of Israel and it takes care of some 275 children and youth between the ages of 5-18. They are counseled to join the village by social workers from all parts of the country primarily due to socio-economic reasons. The majority of the youth come from distressed families. They are all evaluated as to their ability to fit into a normal school framework and the necessity of removing them from the community in which they have been living in order to give them a chance to fulfill their potential. The Israeli kids are placed in foster homes in the village that are first and foremost normal functioning nuclear families in their own right. The family group is run by a married couple residing in a home with their own children and 10 children from the village. The couple's role is to conduct a normal, everyday lifestyle with this extended family which will serve as a model for the children in their future lives. Most of the house mothers come from the field of education; their husbands from various professions. All the students attend regular schools in the city of Carmiel. After school the kids participate in many activities, and many also receive tutorial assistance with their studies or are provided with a supervised homework support environment. There are also music, art, handcrafts, sports, and nature programs, all with an emphasis on interaction between the children. In addition there is a large petting zoo (also open to the general public) where the children learn to care for the animals. The "job" of the Service Volunteers from the United States is to give valuable help and support in many of these after-school activities.

So what are the goals of the Service Learning Program to Israel?

  • To foster a sense of belonging, commitment and responsibility to a community
  • To promote the value of volunteering
  • To awaken a desire to bring about change
  • To teach about the values of civic society
  • To advance the idea of mutual responsibility
  • To take the participants out of their comfort zone and challenge them
  • To help put things into perspective
  • To facilitate a process of self-exploration and consolidation of identity
  • To provide an opportunity for true intercultural encounters
  • To experience Israel – its diversity, its values, its society, its history

What benefits will the participants gain from the program?

  • They will earn service hours that will enhance their College applications
  • They will physically make a difference in the world
  • They will meet with Israeli peers and learn about a foreign country
  • They will learn and experience something new everyday that will be relevant for their futures
  • They will make life-long friends
For more information email [email protected]

Itinerary

Sample Itinerary: Day 1 - Arrival and Orientation

  • Land in Israel and travel to the Children's Village
  • Orientation, including meeting with the leaders of the Children's Village and our Mishpachtonim, Village families
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 2 - Meeting with Israeli Teens and learning about Life in Karmiel 
  • Visit a local high school for an open dialogue session with local teens
  • Guided tour of Karmiel focusing on environmental conservation, the absorption of new immigrants, and everyday life in the region
  • Visit a special boarding school that focuses on leadership
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 3 - Ancient Peoples of Israel
  • Druze Village, meet with Druze youth in high school
  • Visit Safed, one of Israel's four holy cities and home to ancient history, artists, and Jewish mysticism
  • Visit Kfar Nahum (Capernaum), Jesus’ ‘hometown’, a site where Jesus preached, remains of a town with a large synagogue, and St. Peter's house
  • Continue the service work with the Mishapachtonim
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 4-  From the Galilee to the Desert Wilderness
  • Travel to the desert town of Yeruham
  • Visit a special Army Base where young recruits are trained for their mandatory army service
  • Camel trek in the desert
  • Visit Mitzpe Ramon and overlook the world's largest erosion crater in the world
  • Guided hike in the desert by the light of the full moon
  • Overnight – Hotel - Mitzpe Ramon
Day 5 - Machtesh Ramon and The Dead Sea
  • Learn more about the Machtesh and the area of Mitzpe Ramon, a small workers camp turned town in the 1950's
  • Ilan Ramon Educational Center
  • Visit Spice Route market, a soap and cosmetics factory, and a special Desert Art gallery
  • Visit the Dead Sea, spend the rest of the day swimming and floating in the sea and sulfur pools
  • Overnight – Hotel - Dead Sea
Day 6 - Masada and Jerusalem
  • Masada – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Travel to Jerusalem
  • Mahne Yehuda - famous outdoor market 
  • Welcome the Jewish Sabbath at the Western Wall
  • Festive Shabbat dinner
  • Walk around the Old Train Station, a cultural complex where young and old from diverse Jerusalem neighborhoods come to enjoy the culture, good food, music, and outdoor activities
  • Overnight – Hotel- Jerusalem
Day 7 - Jerusalem and Israel
  • Explore Jerusalem - guided tour of the city
  • Visit the Israel Museum
  • Visit the Biblical Zoo
  • Return to the Children's Village
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 8 - Akko and Rosh Hanikra
  • Travel to Rosh Hanikra, tour the city and learn more about Israel's relationship with its neighbors
  • Tour Akko – recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, here we will take a short boat trip and taste Akko’s most famous hummus
  • Return to the Village and continue the service work with the Mishapachtonim.
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 9 - Personal Narratives from the Region
  • Meet two locals from the Karmiel region who will share with us their inspiring art and life stories
  • Return to the Children's Village and continue the service work with the Mishapachtonim
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 10 - Ramat Hagolan
  • Travel to Ramat Hagolan and partake in one of the most spectacular panoramic views on Mount Bentel, a dormant volcano
  • Workshop at a chocolate factory
  • Return to the Village for lunch and our final evening and farewell dinner with our Mishpachtonim
  • Overnight – Children's Village
Day 11 - Our Final Day in Israel: Holon and Tel-Aviv
  • Dialogue In The Dark at Israel's Children's Museum in Holon - s a sensory experience designed to give sighted individuals the opportunity to interact with the blind and experience everyday life in complete darkness
  • Falafel lunch at HaKosem- the most famous falafel place in Tel Aviv
  • Meet with African refugees to learn about their plight and experience living in Israel
  • Private graffiti street tour
  • Celebrate the end of our travels with a concluding dinner and then leave for the airport to catch our flight home
  • Transfer to the Airport

Resources

Please see below for further videos and resources related to our Children's Village seminar.

Pricing

Estimated Costs and Fees:

All costs include pre-seminar workshops, airfare, lodging, all ground transportation, guides, entrance fees, emergency medical insurance in Israel, and most meals.
Not included: $100 for tips, some meals, spending money, travel insurance.    

Videos

 2023 Children's Village Teen Service Volunteer Program
2022 Children's Village Teen Service Volunteer Program
Children's Village 2015
Children's Village: A Teen Service Trip / Students 2013
Children's Village: Volunteer of Hope / Students 2012  
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