Joint Israel

Social mobility for vulnerable young people in the social and geographic peripheries: As the growing young population in Israel will be the driver of the country's economy in a few decades, this challenge aims to close gaps in 5 main areas of life and improve the ability of today's young people to have a stronger future no matter where they are born or their parents' socioeconomic status. This effort includes increasing opportunities and access to quality services from birth through the young adult years, and improving family and community support. The outbreak of war after October 7 2023 has worsened the situations of already vulnerable children, and many more are now at risk. (cont. on Sched. O)1. Protecting Early Childhood Development: The first six years of a child's life are critical for their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. In 2023 we continued to enhance 250 local authorities' responsibility for young children (birth to 3 years), through developing the role of the Early Childhood Coordinators, advanced professional knowledge by creating pedagogical approaches and materials for parents and professionals, along with building training programs for professionals working with young children, and initiated post-October 7 emergency initiatives for very young children, including setting up daycare centers for evacuees in hotels and providing resilience training for daycare staff who remained in their communities. 2. Promoting Innovative Education: Throughout 2023, program efforts continued in the formal educational system. The STEM for All program aims to increase the STEM skills and creative-thinking processes of elementary school students in Israel's periphery as a means of enhancing their future job prospects and career mobility. In 2023, over 7,000 children in 74 schools in 18 low-income communities in Israel participated in the STEM for All program, where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities are integrated into their school curriculum. The program has trained 10 STEM trainers, veteran science teachers, who worked closely with teachers to design engaging STEM lessons that incorporated the initiative's innovative approach and with principals to cultivate a school environment that promotes STEM skills. 3. Horizons postsecondary education for young adults: After "aging out" of education and child welfare services at 18 years, vulnerable young adults are typically left to their own devices. Without proper support as they transition to adulthood. These young people are at high risk of being trapped in the cycle of poverty and welfare dependence. The Horizons postsecondary education program operated in 25 localities in the north and south of Israel to ease access to higher education or post-high school vocational education for vulnerable young adults (often first generation) and provide them with pre-admissions preparation, mentoring during studies and guidance in entering the workforce as they near graduation. Since its launch in 2022 and by yearend 2023, the program reached 1,500 participants (aged 18-25) with comprehensive assistance to overcome their challenges and access postsecondary education.4. Financial Resilience: To help young adults and families facing crushing debts, the Debt Rehabilitation program provided legal/financial consultation, workshops and interest free loans to debtors, as well as training for over 500 legal aid, judges, social workers and financial counselors. Over 4,000 young adults struggling with debt received legal guidance, 1,500 debtors received financial guidance, 100 debtors received grants or loans to help renegotiate or repay their debts, and 2000 Bedouin or other Arabs received preventative debt guidance. The program's multi-dimensional approach to debt rehabilitation, taking into account the debtor's social welfare, financial and legal needs is succeeding in reducing the debt load of participants 15% of Arab families in the program resolved their debts and 70% entered a process of debt reduction, and the debt burden of young adult participants was reduced overall by 34%. Following October 7, emergency responses were rapidly put into place, that provided therapeutic and educational support to 30,000 children, over 21,000 parents and young adults received assistance with financial needs, emotional support, over 6000 professionals received training and support in addressing trauma and war-related issues in their work.

Optimal Aging for 100 Years of Life: JDC Eshel's 2023 Initiatives:JDC Eshel continues to address the complex challenges posed by Israel's rapidly aging population, which places increasing pressure on the country's social welfare and healthcare systems. At the heart of Eshel's strategy is a commitment to preserve functionality and prevent decline among older adults at every stage of the aging process. Whether through services designed to help Israel's 800,000 frail elderly stem physical and cognitive decline, or through innovative programs that encourage the 400,000 "young" older adults to maintain their health and independence, JDC Eshel remains a leader in improving the lives of Israel's aging population. (cont. on Sched. O)In 2023, JDC Eshel continued to promote this proactive approach by implementing Large Scale Interventions along the aging continuum. These interventions focus on maximizing individual autonomy, delaying dependency on public services, and reducing social and economic disparities, particularly for vulnerable populations. Key initiatives include:1. Retirement Preparedness: Retirement is often a challenging life stage that can trigger functional decline due to the loss of social networks, routine, and income. JDC Eshel's Retirement Guidance Centers offer workshops that equip retirees with the skills to transition smoothly into post-retirement life, fostering years of meaning and fulfillment. By 2023, the program expanded to 18 centers, serving over 22,000 individuals. The workshops have also evolved to address critical areas like mental health, financial literacy, and social engagement, helping retirees thrive in their new life stage.2. Combating Loneliness: Loneliness is recognized as a serious public health issue, with far-reaching impacts on cognitive and physical health. JDC Eshel's Supportive and Inclusive Communities program plays a crucial role in addressing this issue by offering services that allow older adults to age in place, surrounded by familiar settings and social support. Volunteers form critical social networks, while community activities encourage participation in public life. By 2023, the program had grown to serve 75,000 older adults across 350 municipalities, providing essential services and fostering social connectedness.3. Muni100 - Age-Friendly Cities: Recognizing that social engagement is a predictor of improved health and quality of life, JDC Eshel has driven the rapid expansion of Muni100 - Age-Friendly Cities. This initiative reconfigures city services to better include older adults in the public sphere, ensuring that cities adapt to the needs of an aging population. By fostering accessibility and community involvement, the program promotes healthier, more engaged aging.4. Age-Friendly Hospitals: JDC Eshel has also made significant strides in the healthcare sector by expanding its Age-Friendly Hospital model. This initiative focuses on preserving the functionality of older patients during hospital stays, addressing the negative impact that hospitalizations can have on their physical and cognitive health. The model ensures that hospitals adopt practices aimed at maintaining older patients' independence and well-being throughout their care.5. Upgrading Caregivers: Another critical area of focus in 2023 was the Upgrading Caregivers initiative, which seeks to improve the quality of care older adults receive. By providing training and resources to caregivers, JDC Eshel ensures that the growing elderly population in Israel receives the compassionate and competent care they need to maintain their dignity and quality of life.On October 7, 2023, following an attack on Israel by the Hamas terror group, war erupted on multiple fronts. JDC was forced to respond immediately with emergency programming to support elderly living in cities faced with the daily threat of missiles and elderly displaced individuals evacuate from the border to the center of the country. This necessary shift altered the focus of programming in the last quarter of 2023.

Workforce Development and Productivity: The JDC-Tevet Employment initiative was launched in 2006 as a 50-50 partnership with the Government of Israel to help Israel's impoverished communities rise out of poverty by going to work. Since then, JDC built over 75 job centers and services across Israel tailor- designed for those communities and staffed by locals who understand the community's culture and barriers to joining the workforce. Now, JDC-Tevet's innovated services have helped over 550,000 Israelis to improve their lives through employment through developing pilot programs that have been handed over to the government for scaling. In 2022, JDC-Tevet launched a new strategy of Inclusive Productivity and established a new five-year partnership (2022-2026) with the (cont. on Sched. O) Government of Israel to help Israel's vulnerable citizens rise out of poverty by improving their employment. As part of this new initiative, JDC-Tevet established four main Large-Scale Initiatives (LSIs) to achieve this goal: Lifelong Learning (LLL): Focus on skills, competencies and training for jobseekers & workers Employers: Upgrading and Building Better Workplaces and Raising productivity for Better Careers Regionalism: Inclusive economic growth across Israel's geographical regions Digital Infrastructure: Using data and technology to improve career choices, build networks and measure impactThe war in Israel since October 2023 has reinforced our current goals and need and has created new challenges in the workforce and workplace that JDC-Tevet continues to address. These include establishing solutions for evacuees, the newly injured and other victims of war as well as focusing on struggling sectors and essential businesses that are facing economic challenges as a result of the conflict.

Independent living for people with disabilities - closing the gap in opportunities for full participation in society and independent living between people with and without disabilities in Israel.Teach First Israel - launched in 2010, in partnership with JDC- Israel, the Ministry of Education, Ha-Kol Hinuch Movement and Naomi Foundation with the mission to see that all Israeli children have the opportunity to pursue a future in any field they desire, regardless of the background from which they come. This is done by developing educational programs for children in the social and geographic periphery of Israel, through the professional training program for teachers based on the international "Teach for All" Model. Public System Efficiency and Effectiveness - maximizing the ability of public systems in Israel to provide social services to the residents of the State of Israel in an efficient and effective manner. Together with our partners in government, local and regional authorities, in the social and business sector, we work to identify system challenges and to drive change processes to improve them.Research - Myers JDC Brookdale - Israel's leading center for applied social research.