אחריי

Aharai! ("Follow me!")

The "Aharai!” goal is to develop and cultivate a young leadership cadre among youth from underprivileged communities. These youths will serve as an example to their peers and propel them forward. The program aims to educate and motivate young adults to be involved in society in general, and in their communities in particular, by encouraging them to help themselves on a personal level, whilst being involved in the community as a whole.

Eleven years ago, we established a small project with five “Aharai!” groups. Our organization is the result of an initiative of a group of people who care about Israeli society and wish to impart a spirit of action to the younger generation. The “Aharai” projects currently comprises a nationwide network of 140 groups, located in underdeveloped communities, boarding schools and immigrant centers serving over 2,500 youth from all sectors of Israeli society. Our participants inculude average teenagers, new immigrants from Ethiopia and the FSU, school dropouts, at-risk youth, former delinquents and many others.

“Aharai!” participants learn how to recognize and utilize the opportunities that will present themselves while obtaining the knowledge, values and skills that will enable them to pass their matriculation exams, prepare them to serve in positions of leadership during their military service and become valuable citizens who can contribute to the State of Israel.

Organisation Vision

  • Every Israeli child will receive as many tools as possible with which to design his or her own future.
  • Every Israeli individual will be responsible for his or her future and the future of their communities. The Israeli society will be democratic, unified and peace seeking.


Organisation Aims

  1. Develop and cultivate a young leadership cadre among youth from underprivileged communities.
  2. Motivate young adults to make the most of their military service.
  3. Educate young adults to be involved in society in general, and in their communities in particular.
  4. Provide opportunities for at risk teens, uniting them with mainstream society and directing them on the path to personal success.
  5. Instill the values of democracy, tolerance, Zionism and a love of country

Projects Title and Definition:

To obtain the abovementioned objectives, the organization operates joint integrated projects, all simultaneously active, and involving the same target population.

“Aharai! - IDF”

 The movement’s core project is designed to enhance youth’s willingness and preparedness for a meaningful military service stemming from the belief that meaningful service in IDF is the key to success in civilian life following military discharge and a springboard into the heart of the Israeli experience.

"Aharai! - Patrol”

 is a preliminary framework to all other organization projects. Here, the target population is exposed to “Aharai!” values for the first time. The patrol groups keep youth off the streets and introduces them to the beautiful facets of Israel. The patrol groups are designed to show the young men and women that they can effect a change and be changed themselves, by carrying out activities designed to better ourselves and the communities in which we live.

“Leumi -Aharai - Learning Centers”

 is designed for high school dropouts or students on the verge of dropping out, with an emphasis on underprivileged communities. The project’s objective is to study and take matriculation exams in math, English or Hebrew grammar and create a sense of self-capability among students and to repeat scholastic achievements in other arenas – home, society, military & hobbies.

“Aharai - Community Service"

 represents another type of citizenship under which communities exercise their rights and build their futures together under a collective responsibility. This extends to active work by young adults who postpone their military service in order to contribute to the community and to society.

The Projects respond to requirements on three levels :

Personal Level :
Most teens want to succeed, to better themselves, to wipe the slate clean, and start fresh. However, they don't necessarily have the tools or the required understanding for implementing change. We provide them with opportunities with which they can acquire certain life skills that will help them reach their goals.
Community Level :
The communities where we are active need positive role models and leaders. "Aharai!" educates participants to take responsibility for their environment and community. The motto of “Aharai!” is “What we do is what will be”.

National Level :
Israel is still developing its identity. Even in 2007 there are many that feel that they are outsiders, that they don't belong. We believe that it is extremely important to include everyone and especially troubled teens. By helping them find and build their identity as Israelis, we hope to help them engage in the national experience.

Target Population

 The projects targets 15-19 year old boys and girls - youth from high schools, boarding schools, at-risk youth and former delinquents as well as their peers who have completely dropped out of the educational system. Many of the participants are new immigrants who find the course an excellent means for successful integration into Israeli society.
  • 40% of participants are young women.
  • Integration of average youth with at risk youth is both a challenging and fulfilling experience for all participants
  • We work together with the military so that all of our participants will serve and reach their full potential.
  • Participation in the “Aharai!” projects entails a symbolic fee.
The groups include orthodox, conservative and secular boys and girls, normative youth alongside formerly delinquent youth, new immigrants and veteran Israelis.

Development and training team

Instructors are students who have completed their military service in elite units. Their proficiency and identification with the values enable actual implementation of the various projects. The instructors are meticulously selected. Their common denominator is their ability to enrapture a group of youths and wholeheartedly declare “Aharai!”.

Activity deployment 2005-2006

The success and vast demand for projects in recent years encourages the association to add activity centers in order to add as many youths as possible to the movement and provide everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.

Guidelines

  1. The underlying philosophy of our group is based on the belief that industriousness and commitment can overcome social and educational obstacles, ultimately leading to self esteem and self confidence.
  2. “You are not alone” – The Aharai! movement constitutes a supportive environment for youth and family so they do not feel they are alone facing the country, facing their future.
  3. “Role model” – The instructor goes to the youth, in their neighborhood, their street, and even their home. He takes their hand and guides them, one step at a time, towards fulfilling their potential. The instructor must be someone who walked a significant path in his life as well as an upstanding citizen.
  4. “Supportive environment” – The instructor will create empathy for the activity among parents, family and friends.
  5. “Replacement” - boredom, wandering and delinquency are replaced by the project’s theoretical and practical subject matters.
  6. “Comprehensive and complete preparation” – Aharai!’s ability to combine the various projects and to build a model in which youths take part in the patrol groups, make use of the matriculation study centers and go on to IDF preparatory courses. At 18, they can either choose to join combat units or postpone their military service and join a one year community service program.
  7. “Care for the individual” – At the end of the day, one must take care of every individual and find a solution to the individual youth’s problems.
  8. “Heterogeneity” – From the early days, Aharai!’s activities were heterogenous. Combining youths of various backgrounds, with different attributes, has proven itself. The combination provides a challenge both for the “strong” and “weak” youths. Heterogenous groups have contempt for both the blatant and concealed discrimination towards population groups. Heterogenous groups better resemble the environments the youths will face in the future.
  9. “Representation” – “Aharai!” must be conceived as a warm, loving environment on the one hand and a representative of national institutions such as the military, school and law enforcement authorities on the other. “Aharai!” will be the bridge. If “Aharai!” is not perceived as representative of the outside world, the youths will not feel they are crossing the bridge.
  10. “Integrating program graduates in the instruction array” – The integration will initially be carried out by announcing the graduates’ success, situating them as role models and subsequently as young instructors.
  11. “Mapping” – The push provided by local individuals and the instructor’s inducement to participate in the program are equally important. To ensure recruitment to utmost capacity, maximum mapping is required.
  12. “Organizational experience” – Success is conditioned upon drawing conclusions from each activity and constantly improving the program such as Aharai! does. Conclusions must flow from the field to program directors. Conclusions must be removed from the instructor and the mentor to ensure they are based in reality.