Activities
Our programmes help create a cohesive
and empowered community.
Our Programmes & Activities
We offer programmes for all residents of Akko to bring people
together during the day and throughout the year.
Daycare
- Six days-a-week, subsidised.
- Meets social, developmental, and learning needs of children from low socio-economic Arab and Jewish homes.
- Carers are Arabic-speakers, so Jewish children learn to associate this language with joy and love.
- Staff teach parents essential child-rearing skills.
Educational Enrichment
In Israel, where school finishes early in the day, it is essential that children have a safe and productive place to continue their learning. Our after-school programmes have steered many children from the streets into a world of friendship and creativity, as well as preparation for a better future.
Transitions
Early-childhood intervention programme prepares Arab and Jewish preschoolers to successfully transition to elementary school. Focusing on language development, communication skills, identifying numbers and letters, and classroom behaviour.
Languages
Support in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, for our students to overcome academic gaps. Arabic-speaking preschoolers and first-graders receive basic Hebrew lessons since they don’t study it in school until 2nd grade.
Psychometric Preparation
University entry in Israel requires a high score on a psychometric exam. Most students in Israel take expensive private classes. At the Centre, our classes are offered at a reduced rate.
ADHD Training
Students who have ADHD can participate in a new therapeutic course in neurofeedback to help them learn to self-regulate and better manage their condition.
Recreation and Culture
Music and Art
- Our music centre offers group and private lessons. Ensembles of young Arab and Jewish musicians perform together.
- Art lessons using different mediums.
- Dance: ballet, modern and traditional.
- Martial arts.
Summer Camp
Partners in Peace Summer Camp for at-risk children promotes trust and friendships through positive interactions and shared experiences. Counselors are alumni of the Centre.
Arab-Jewish Youth Activities
School systems and youth movements in Israel are separate for Arabs and Jews. Because of this, other than some sports, there are few places for them to come together as teammates and friends. Therefore, each joint after-school activity creates memories of positive experiences. This is a critical antidote to the distrust that can grow when there are no one-on-one interactions.
Programmes have included:
- Building Young Leaders: Leadership training programme.
- Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Young leaders volunteer to support their community.
- Young Enterprise Competition: Business and empowerment programme teaching basic business skills and meeting with other aspiring entrepreneurs across the country.
- Arab-Jewish Theatre: Teens learn about each other’s community through readings and performances.
Women’s Programming
Many women in Akko are the first in their families to work outside the home. We developed empowerment programmes to help them navigate the demands of being a working parent, knowing how to access services, as well as standing up for themselves, both inside and outside the home.
Programmes have included:
- Hebrew: In cooperation with the Ministry of Employment, the Centre has offered a comprehensive course in Hebrew for Arab and FSU women.
- Training for National Service for Young Arab Women: Training in a range of skills, so that these women can later find good employment, such as in schools and hospitals.
- Women’s Dance Group: Our Centre has hosted a competitive women’s dance group which had great success on the national level.
- Mid-Life Women: Identifying a gap in services, we created a support group for women between the ages of 30 and 50. Workshops and activities focused on their needs.
Adult Programmes
- Recreational: aerobics, pilates, yoga and language acquisition.
- Intergenerational: art and puppet theatre.
- Retiree: music, dance, theatre, day trips, and Kabbalah study.
We also provide a fully-subsidised cultural programme for retirees from the Former Soviet Union, which includes Holocaust survivors.
Community Meeting Place
The Centre has become the natural place for inter-communal dialogue and mediation in times of tensions. We have often responded to local events by bringing together residents to hear from each other and share their experiences.
We also offer space to any inclusive community organisation to hold their meetings.
Since October 7th, we launched our Families Coming Together programme for daycare families. The goal is for them to go beyond casual conversations at the daily drop-off and pick-up. We plan activities for the entire family, such as: trips, cooking across cultures, and holiday celebrations at Christmas, Purim, and Eid. In this way, friendships will deepen and the community will strengthen.
