Creating Global Citizens in Closed Communities by Connecting Children with Tools to Interact With the Outside World: Serving the Children of Ben Shemen Youth Village

Ben-Shemen Youth Village is a year-round boarding school located just twenty-five minutes south of Tel Aviv. The community consists of children ages 10-18, living together in a safe environment where they can learn. TALMA is both an English-immersion program for low-income Israeli elementary schoolchildren and a Fellowship for international teacher-leaders in the movement for educational equity. Following the belief that English proficiency is essential to unlocking a better future for Israel’s low-income youth, TALMA brings teachers from all over the world to teach English to elementary school students currently living in low-income communities in Israel.

Because the children living in Ben Shemen are secluded from the outside world, TALMA focused on experiential learning. Ideas that were important takeaways from the program included making sure that students were exposed to all aspects of life: for example if children in these secluded communities have never been exposed to a lawyer’s office, or even met a doctor in person, the idea would be to bring doctors and lawyers to the community to speak with the children so they are exposed to new people, subjects, ideas, beliefs, than ever before.

Alon’s presentation will focus on why the program was so successful in the Youth Village, and how similar teaching models like this can be applied to communities, residential-care settings, residential schools, and boarding schools all over the world. Although the Youth Village community structure is rather unique to Israel, countries and students all over the world can benefit from a teaching model that focuses on connected students who may not be a part of mainstream society, with the tools they will need to eventually succeed in such a global world. Alon will speak to how such teaching models can combat poverty, unemployment, and homelessness for our world’s youth.