The Meeting Project

Think about what it feels like to be the child who is always left out. The one who eats lunch alone. The one who isn't invited to join the game. The one who comes home from school without a single friend to talk about. For many children in Israel, this is their reality. Children with autism, ADHD, and other disabilities. Children who struggle with social anxiety or communication. New immigrant children (Olim Hadashim) who are trying to adapt to a new country, a new language, and a completely new life. Many of them feel isolated, misunderstood, or simply invisible. We believe that every child deserves: A place where they feel they belong. A place where someone is happy to see them. A place where friendships can grow naturally. That's why we created The Meeting Project. Every week, children and teenagers with and without disabilities meet in inclusive groups led by trained facilitators. Through games, conversations, creative activities, challenges, and shared experiences, they learn how to communicate, work together, solve conflicts, and build real friendships. Today, The Meeting Project includes 14 weekly groups in 8 cities across Israel, reaching hundreds of children and teenagers every week. The Meeting Project is operated by Magen Mishpacha, a registered Israeli nonprofit organization serving children, teenagers, and families, with particular experience supporting Russian-speaking immigrant families and children facing developmental, social, and communication challenges. We regularly receive messages from parents, schools, and municipalities asking whether we can open a group in their city. Unfortunately, we can't always say yes. One child's story After a difficult experience integrating into school, one boy became increasingly withdrawn and eventually stopped attending. His world had narrowed to the walls of his room, and his mother was desperate to help him reconnect. She discovered The Meeting Project through an advertisement asking a simple question: “Do you need friends?” At first, he agreed only to join an online group meeting with his camera turned off. During the meeting, he eventually turned it on. A month later, he agreed to attend an in-person group. Today, he is one of the most active members of his teenage group and is preparing to volunteer with a younger children's group. He also made a close friend through the project whom he now meets outside the group. On his way home from one meeting, he called his mother and said: “Mom, I used to think I would never be able to communicate and that nobody would be interested in me. It turns out I'm actually very social and I'm always in the center of attention. I never expected that from myself.” Opening a new group means recruiting and training facilitators, providing ongoing professional supervision, renting a space, organizing activities and outings, maintaining insurance, and providing the administrative and professional support necessary to create a safe and welcoming environment. Operating one Meeting Project group costs approximately $2,790 per month, or $33,500 for a full year. Our immediate goal is to raise $33,500 to open and operate one new Meeting Project group in Nahariya for an entire year. The new group is expected to serve approximately 12–18 children and teenagers, giving them a consistent, professionally supported place to meet, develop friendships, strengthen social skills, build confidence, and experience a genuine sense of belonging. Magen Mishpacha is planning two new groups in Nahariya. If we exceed our initial $33,500 goal, additional funds will help make the second planned group possible and allow The Meeting Project to reach even more children. U.S. donations are processed through JGive's American charitable giving channel. Eligible U.S. donors receive a U.S. charitable-contribution receipt. This is why we're asking for your support. Your donation will help make the new Nahariya group possible, giving 12–18 more children and teenagers the opportunity to make friends, build confidence, develop social skills, and experience what every child deserves—a place where they belong. Together, we can make sure that more children grow up knowing they are accepted, valued, and never have to face the world alone. Together, we can build a future where every child belongs.