National Service
Social Change

Background
Bat-Ami operates 30 National Civilian Volunteer Service (sherut leumi) core groups (garinim) throughout the country in the framework of which 550 young women volunteer in both formal and informal educational settings in both mornings and after school hours.

Program Description

Establishment of core groups (garinim) of sherut leumi volunteers to engage in social pioneering. In each location between 15-30 young women live in a Bat-Ami apartment. Each elected to serve in a specific community in the periphery and proactively promote enterprises that are in line with national priorities in formal and informal frameworks. Each volunteer works 40 hrs./week in elementary, middle or high schools and also in special education. In addition, each volunteer commits to an additional 15-20 hours weekly during afternoon and evening hours: in afterschool programs for children/youth at-risk, in leadership programs for Ethiopian youth, in clubs for local young leadership training, in “warm houses” (for children from very poor families), in clubs for teen girls at-risk, befriending and aiding poor families, working in charity centers, and more.

An emphasis is placed in the garinim on initiating and developing new projects, especially those based upon the specific talents, skills or interests of the volunteers.

integration of professional manpower – These enterprises utilizes volunteer professionals to train and assist the sherut leumi volunteers in the activities, and this adds significant innovation, excitement and professionalism to the entire enterprise.

Connecting with youth – A notable quality of all the volunteers in this program is their ability to develop rapport with local youth; hence they fulfill the role of a “Big Sister” more than a typical volunteer.

Adoptive families – In each location in which an Ami garin exists, Bat-Ami connects each volunteer with an “adoptive family” which is a member of the local garin (a group of families from advantaged backgrounds that settles in a development town or poor urban neighborhood, lives and works there, and volunteers time to strengthen the community through a variety of social, educational, cultural, charitable and Jewish identity projects). The connection between the sherut leumi volunteers and these families is a source of stability and inspiration for the young women.

A two-year commitment – Bat-Ami encourages all volunteers in Ami garinim to serve for two years in the same location. This increases their impact on the community and helps integrate the projects they initiate into a feature that the community will sustain.

Additional hours – All Ami volunteers invest many hours beyond those required by sherut leumi, and as such, they serve as inspiring role models who promote the achievements of the garin as a whole in the community.

Program Partners
The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social services, the Ministry for Senior Citizens, the Authority for National Civilian Volunteer Service, municipal and regional social and educational services, JAFI – Partnership2gether.