Breaking the Barriers of EFL in Youth Villages in Israel - the Secret to Success

Most of Israel’s at-risk youth live in Youth Villages, which include a secondary school, a boarding school and in most cases an agricultural farm. The Youth Villages, which are spread out all across the country are under the auspices of the Ministry of Education under the Supervision of the Rural Education Sector. Many of our at-risk students arrive in our Youth Villages with little or no English as a Foreign Language. Even worse, sometimes they arrive after so many failures that they simply refuse to enter the classroom. For the past 5 years, The Rural Education Sector has invested great resources into creating an immersive atmosphere where the classroom walls have disappeared and English has become a language of relevance, fun, curiosity and creativity. The barriers of failure, refusal and frustration have been replaced with an openness for learning, success and self-worth, which trickles down in every other aspect of their lives. The methodology of success in EFL in Israeli Youth Villages is impressive and worth trying.