Yadid Lachinuch

Yadid Lachinuch (Hebrew for “Friend of Education") is an Israeli charity established in 2007 in collaboration with the Rothschild Foundation and the Gottesman Fund. The guiding principle is to address two significant Israeli issues: (1) the need to enhance the quality of education in Israel’s overburdened and under-staffed elementary schools and (2) to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for a growing number of Israeli senior citizens who would benefit from engagement in volunteer work opportunities. Two other objectives derive from the activities: 1. Changing public view of senior citizens - facilitate intergenerational encounters in order to encourage respect for senior citizens. 2. Encouraging volunteerism - The students, parents, educational staff, principals and the various municipal agencies are all exposed to the challenge of volunteerism. Yadid LaChinuch has developed a unique model mostly operated in elementary schools across Israel; the model has been certified and approved by the Ministry of Education and is operated in partnership with the relevant municipalities' Education Departments. Our senior citizen volunteers do not replace teachers, but work alongside them. In our experience, the very presence of an adult with meaningful life experience enhances the classroom learning atmosphere and the school environment, as well as the children's sense of efficacy. The result of this process is improved educational achievements in those particular schools. Furthermore, we emphasize to the volunteers the importance of providing the children with valuable life-skills, thus nurturing a generation of good and productive citizens.