About

The Israeli Council for Youth Organizations is a national umbrella organization comprised of 18 youth organizationsthat operate in the field of informal education and reach every sector of Israeli society. The Council is a non-profit organization that unites, represents, and coordinates the efforts of the various organizations that tackle a wide variety of issues in Israeli society – from health and emergency services to LGBT+ rights, and environmental education. The youth organizations united in 2014 to establish one of the largest councils of after-school educators, with 7,000 educators and over 12,000 volunteers who work with some 200,000 children and youth a year, and stay in touch with thousands of graduates. The Council and its organizations partner with government ministries, Knesset members, and with over 150 local authorities across Israel.

The Council’s mission is to provide Israeli youth and children organizations opportunities and meansto expand their influence and accomplish their vision, separately and together. The Council works to promote informal educational activities in all the different population groups composing Israeli society.

The Council is a registered non-profit according to the Voluntary Associations Act. The activity of the Council is funded by various institutions (KKL, The Jewish Agency, Ministry of Education) and philanthropic foundations, as well as by the member organizations, as declared in the Youth and Children Organizations Act.

Since its establishment, the Council has emphasized cooperation and synergetic action in the spirit of democracy, based on the understanding of the immense importance of solidarity among the different population groups in Israeli society.

Therefore, member organizations are of different shapes and sizes, and address different populations. These include Jewish and Arab, ultra-Orthodox, religious, and secular – who seldom share values and are often perceived as opposing one another.

The Challenge

 Only 30% of children and youth in Israel participate in meaningful and quality informal educational activities on a regular basis,. This percentage is even lower in the weaker neighborhoods and communities. In the fragmented and divided Israeli society, it is crucial to have large numbers of children and youth participate in values-based informal educational activities that nurture and impart the core values of solidarity, justice, altruism, tolerance and equality.

The Response

• To develop valuable informal education groups among new populations and diverse communities.
• To dramatically increase the number of children and youth participating in youth organizations.
• To bring together youth from different population groups.
• To carry-out significant joint projects and to serve as a multiplier and a platform for nationwide collaborations between the various communities.

Our Specialization

• The spectrum of Israeli society: the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population, the Arab community, the LGBT community, new immigrants, and the general public.
• Countrywide reach: activity centers and groups operating all over the country.
• Geographic-social periphery: 64% of the activities take place in low socio-economic neighborhoods.

The Council’s Four Core Fields of Operation:

• Representation to leverage activity זה מה מבין ל
• Creating strategic partnerships
• Promoting joint ventures
• Knowledge sharing

Main Achievements

• Annual growth of 20% in number of youth and children who participated in activities of the recognized organizations from 2014 to 2018.
• 65% increase in the number of organizations cooperating with the Council from 2014 to 2018.
• Significant growth in government support within the framework of "Children and Youth Groups" regulations.

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Unique Projects

• “Youth connecting to the Knesset.”
• “The 'Other' is Me” activity across the country.
• Israeli “Tu Bishvat” Happening.
• Treaty” ואהבתִ לרעַ ך כמוָך”.
• “The Wandering Branch” of the youth organizations.

Thank you, Toda Raba,

Unique Projects

The Israeli Council for Youth Organizations
Israeli Registered Association – 580587343
Shlomi Castro, CEO. Mob: +972-52-5347067,
Tel: +972-3-5607772 | Email: shlomic@coyo.org.il
Address: 7 Hamelacha Street, Lod

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• IsraeliYouthCouncil

“Educators of the Year" Conference | 2018

In Israel, there are hundreds of youth leaders acting as counselors for the thousands of teenagers involved in the various youth organizations: Ronen Grizak from ‘MDA Youth’ volunteers with thousands of Bedouin and Jewish teenagers every year to save lives; Tasgai Terfa from ‘Aharai!’ who immigrated to Israel at the age of 14 from Ethiopia, mentors graduates of the organization during military service; Samer Tapch from 'Arab Scouts in Israel' leads dozens of youth seminars to promote a shared society.

As part of the “Educators of the Year” conference, which will be held by The Israeli Council for Youth Organizations in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, youth leaders will be honored for their inspirational work in the community.

The Council of Youth and Children Organizations in Israel will hold the “Educators of the Year” conference in conjunction with the Ministry of Education on May 7th. The conference will start at 1pm at the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv. Naftali Bennett, Minister of Education, and MK Merav Ben Ari will attend the conference, as well as other Knesset Members , representatives of the Youth and Society Administration, representatives of the local authorities, the Association of Directors of Youth Departments, the National Union of Israeli Students, heads of agencies, directors of youth organizations, members of the academia, youth leaders, teenagers, families, and other guests.

The Conference

The main theme of the upcoming conference is how youth organizations are paving the way for Israeli society. The conference will include ‘Think Community’ lectures, a ‘Spokenoar’ workshop where teenagers discuss important issues related to Israeli society, a display of strategic work plans in the informal education sector, innovative models for increasing activity in the local authorities, and a meeting of leaders in the education sector.

The conference will conclude with a special appreciation ceremony, presided over by the Minister of Education, where the awards for “Educators of the Year” will be handed out to the leaders of the various youth organizations for the inspirational work their organizations do in the community.

Shlomi Castro, Director of the Council of Youth and Children Organizations in Israel: “Youth organizations – which the Ministry of Education sees as a very significant engine for growth in the field of informal education and values education, and supports increasing their activities – are at the forefront of social educational activity in Israel, particularly in the periphery. In this challenging modern era, there is no replacement for a significant and mature figure that can lead and guide young people in shaping their futures. We proudly pause once a year to give thanks to these wonderful people, and to encourage other young people to act and take part in activities as counselors, volunteers, and leaders”.