Education and Treatment through the Agricultural Farm

WIZO youth villages believe in the importance of education and therapy through agriculture.

The youth villages therefore all have agricultural components, and we believe that agricultural activities have many aspects and elements that support the wellbeing of the children at our youth villages. Farm work strengthens their self-esteem, gives them a sense of belonging, and rebuilds trust in themselves and in their environments through active learning and good experiences.

Working in agricultural farms enables youth to form social connections in a friendly and informal way. It provides opportunities for success, develops a sense of responsibility, and opens the student to learning.

Befitting WIZO`s ideology, education and therapy through agricultural work helps narrow the learning gaps between the youth, and allows equal opportunities for all.

We would like to provide examples from two WIZO youth villages. The first one is WIZO Gan Vanof Youth Village, where the treatment of abandoned dogs is incorporated into its rehabilitation program. The second one is WIZO Nachlat Yehuda Youth Village, where programming includes a combination of agriculture and science studies.

Both youth villages are similar in most characteristics. They are located in cities in the center of Israel. Each youth village has about 400 students, half of whom live in the dormitories. The characteristics of the internal and external youth is very similar with both reaching matriculation scores over 75% in both youth villages.