About Youth Renewal Fund
The organization was founded in 1989 as the grassroots effort of a number of dedicated individuals with the desire to improve the available academic opportunities for the underprivileged in Israel. It has since grown to become a prominent implementer of supplemental education programs in Israel. A study conducted by the organization found that over 60% of YRF alumni age 25 or older have obtained degrees from institutions of higher learning, compared to a national average of 17%.
YRF targets low-income communities and implements various supplemental education programs serving students in grades 1-12. Its past and present initiatives include:
- After-school programs that provide up to 6 hours a week of additional studies in English, Hebrew and math, and often a nutritious, hot meal
- Single-subject, free-standing learning centers that serve several different school districts within a community
- In-school learning centers stocked with books, computers and other technology resources, located in classrooms within the public schools
- Teacher training and recognition programs
- Initiatives focused on Bagrut (matriculation exam) preparation
- Scholarship programs for alumni attending university
- Programs for parents to help them become better advocates for their children’s education
In August 2008, YRF launched a multi-year Teacher Professional Development Program, one of the first of its kind in Israel. In its pilot year, the program served nearly 200 YRF teachers. By 2011, YRF projects that it will train over 2,000 teachers, who will, in turn, teach 40,000 students.
YRF has implemented over $25 million in programming, reaching more than 75,000 Israeli children. In the 2008-2009 academic year, YRF projects took place in the following communities: Afula, Ashdod, Gan Yavne, Givat Olga, Holon, Lod, Netanya, Pardes Chana, Ra'anana, Tirat Carmel, and Yehud.
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Chained in night
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—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)