"Improving the social atmosphere within the nation and the State," and "bridging the gaps between various population sectors." These are just two of the goals set by the "High School Seniors Facing Israel" program, a new volunteer organization for 12th graders around the country.
Just another volunteer program? Not quite. This one encompasses 40 different schools, an agenda that is an intrinsic part of the school curriculum, and a packed weekly schedule of hessed (kindness) activities around the country. Another 40 schools are slated to join up for the 5765 (2004-5) school year.
Rabbi Benny Vurtzman of Beit El, who directs the program, met recently with 20 principals of secular high schools who also wanted to become involved with the program. Though most of their schools are not yet ready to commit themselves to the program's fairly rigid requirements - full school backing for the program, regular attendance with almost no exceptions, etc. - "their interest alone is very significant," he says. "One of our guiding principals is that education does not end within the walls of the school, but rather must manifest itself in the students' involvement with society at large - and here we see that we have made this impression in non-religious schools as well."
The program includes various types of familiar volunteer activities, such as hospital visits, helping the elderly, tutoring, teaching, and the like. The principals are asked to visit their students during volunteer hours at least once a month, in order to experience what their students are experiencing, consider what can be improved, and show the students how important their activities are. In addition, each school must appoint a coordinator to be responsible for all the technical aspects of the project, as well as a student representative who will take part in regular meetings of the umbrella organization.
"In short," Rabbi Vurtzman says, "although each school could, if it wanted to, run the program on its own, we make sure it happens. We visit with them, encourage them, help them find appropriate projects, coordinate matters with the Education Ministry and other offices, and convene them all for national get-togethers such as Shabbatonim and seminars. For instance, a yeshiva high school that has always been well-known for its total dedication to Torah study at the expense of extra-curricular activities wants to join up next year. We will make sure to find them an appropriate setting, probably one that will enable the students to be involved in teaching or other educational work."
"We take a period of the students' lives," Rabbi Vurtzman notes, "in which they have a strange combination of much unused time as well as intense preparation for their bagrut (matriculation) exams, and direct them to use it for the welfare of the society around them. They thus develop traits of leadership, patriotism, responsibility, sensitivity, generosity, and much more."