Pre-army program gives disadvantaged teens a leg up

For a city like Jerusalem, where some 40 percent of the children live in families with per capita incomes below the poverty level, finding ways of offering opportunities to teens from low socioeconomic strata is imperative if they are to succeed in Israeli society.

Aharai, an innovative nonprofit supported by the Jerusalem Foundation and Bank Leumi, attempts to do this. It provides pre-army service programs for youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods, designed to give them a chance to realize their potential and to become future leaders.

Taking the rallying cry of the Israel Defense Forces — Aharai (After me!) — whereby military commanders do not send their troops into combat but rather lead them, the organization prepares youth ages 15 to 19 for comprehensive and substantive army service and young leadership. The aim is to increase their motivation and readiness for the army and encourage them to volunteer in their own communities.

Aharai's programs, which are heavily subsidized and take only token fees, focus on education for active citizenship, community involvement, democracy, tolerance, Zionism and love of Israel.

Founded nine years ago with five groups, Aharai has grown to encompass 75 groups throughout Israel, serving more than 2,000 youths. Its participants (60 percent boys and 40 percent girls) come from all sectors of Israeli society and include new immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, school dropouts, at-risk youth and former delinquents.

The organization has four basic programs. Aharai IDF works with high school students during the year before they enter the army and is designed to enhance their willingness and preparedness, both mentally and physically, for meaningful military service.

Aharai Patrol is a preliminary framework for younger teens, exposing them to positive values and providing them with scouting experience.

The Learning Centers work with high school dropouts, or those on the verge of dropping out, giving them a chance to earn an Israeli high school matriculation certificate.

And the Community Service program allows high school graduates to postpone their army service so they can volunteer for one year of community service in disadvantaged areas.

Aharai has been operating in Jerusalem for the last seven years and now has three IDF groups with some 90 participants, one Patrol group with 30 participants and a Learning Center. Its counselors are newly demobilized soldiers from elite units and university students who, while old enough to serve as role models, are still close enough in age to the participants so they can relate to one another.

Aharai's Jerusalem IDF and Patrol groups are supported by the Jerusalem Foundation; the Learning Center is supported by Bank Leumi.

"Reality has shown us that significant, comprehensive army service is a springboard for excellence and integration into society, as well as a ticket out of the cycle of poverty," said Jerusalem Foundation President Ruth Cheshin.

Yosi Gimmon, deputy director of Aharai, agrees. "Military service is a gateway to Israeli society. The teens who come to Aharai are on the margins of that society.

"Doing significant service gives them the chance to start afresh and become part of the mainstream. It is a key to their succeeding in civilian life after military discharge and becoming contributing citizens."

Aharai also seeks to educate its participants to take responsibility for their communities and become leaders. Programs combine physical and mental preparation, academic studies and enrichment with community volunteering and training.

"Aharai's underlying philosophy is that industriousness and commitment can overcome social and educational obstacles, ultimately leading to self-esteem and self-confidence," said Ella Mano-Ben Yoseff of the Jerusalem Foundation.

Moran Eliyahu is a case in point. Five years ago, in her senior year in high school, she joined Aharai.

"I wanted to go into a combat unit, an area just opening up to women," she recalled. The program "gave me a good idea of what I should expect. Since I knew what I was getting into, I was much better able to cope with the rigors.

"This was one of the best periods of my life. I saw a new way. I realized I could be involved and could make a difference."

After graduating, Eliyahu postponed her military service for a year to do community service with Aharai. She went to a poor Beersheva neighborhood to set up and run an after-school program for children. "Before we came, the kids would just hang around the streets and get into trouble. Their parents could not afford to pay for clubs. We organized activities and provided a place where the kids could get help with their homework."

She then went into the army, served in a combat unit and then returned to the program as a counselor. Today, she is a youth counselor and program coordinator for the Galilee town of Hatzor.

"I feel that in Aharai we are giving kids values — teaching them to care, to give of themselves, to become involved," Eliyahu said.