Teens Make a Difference
Teens Make a Difference is a program that aims to bring together students from different sectors of Israeli society. At the same time, the program improves students’ overall English skills, and their ability to communicate in spoken English. This unique program takes three forms moving from the individual realm to the international realm in the Poetry Slam, Social Entrepreneurship, and Model UN formats.
We aim to bring the world into the classroom, preparing students for the future as responsible and active citizens and leaders. To this end, the program goes beyond training students in a particular set of skills and includes elements of social entrepreneurship. Participants from different sectors work together towards a common goal.
The program promotes tolerance and mutual respect between students of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. It provides students from different backgrounds an opportunity to communicate their perspectives and beliefs in a neutral and unbiased setting. Furthermore, it gives students an opportunity to examine their views on controversial issues, current events, social equality and co-existence.
The program was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, Branch Office, Tel Aviv.
As part of the Model UN program, classes from pairs of Jewish and Arab schools participate in an 18-hour Model UN workshop. In addition, each pair of schools participates in a mini-conference hosted by one of the schools. The program culminates in a special event, a Model UN conference, with the participation of students from classes from all the schools.
2023
Amal MUN 2023 at the Rabin Center
Today, January 15th 2023, Amal Taybe held a mini Module United Nation conference with Amal Lady Davis from Tel Aviv. The topic of the conference was single-use plastic. The students represented ambassadors from different countries and had to agree on a resulotion to the matter at hand. Their resolution included alternatives to plastic educational programs, and cooperation to reduce plastice usage. In addition to their endeavors, they created new friendships and ate delicious food.
http://www.panet.co.il/article/3711379
2021-2022
In the Model UN international context 2022, students participated throughout the year in workshops which entailed the acquisition of basic theoretical knowledge and practical tools in relation to the work of the UN, an understanding of international politics and familiarity with the intricacies of the world of diplomacy; improving discussion, analysis and expression skills; a noticeable and significant improvement in the use of the English language (reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension).
Participants were exposed to a wide range of fields with practical importance that will greatly assist them in their future personal and professional development. These include the art of speaking in front of an audience, rhetoric, use of body language, use of humor in a constructive and positive manner, organizing and writing an argument, conducting negotiations, improving the decision-making process and more .
The year culminated in a highlight event that took place at the Yitzhak Rabin Center and Museum. It was planned as a ‘Model UN’ conference in which participants discussed Global Access to Healthcare.
Yitzhak Rabin Center and Museum, 2022
2018-2019
Prague, 2019
International Model UN Conference, Prague, 2019
Students from the Amal Multidisciplinary High Schools Lady Davis., Tel Aviv and Taibeh.
Gdansk, Poland, 2018
See Amal Students Participate in Model United Nations Conference, Gdansk, Poland, November 2018
2022-2023
We were pleased to have 6 high schools participating in the fourth and only Poetry Slam program in Israel in the 2022-2023 school year. This program integrated Druze, and Jewish students, providing an opportunity for them to learn from one another while promoting creativity and playing with language.
We are proud of our students’ ability to express themselves creatively in public about their dreams, hopes, fears, and issues that are meaningful and relevant to them in a foreign language, making use of intonation and body language in communication.
2021-2022
Originating in the U.S., a poetry slam is a competition in which poets perform spoken word poetry. Students participate in workshops and learn about the aesthetics of wordplay and intonation and voice inflection. The students write their own poetry, drawing on personal experience, and learn how to read it effectively. The program culminates in a poetry slam event, which will be judged by a panel of students and experienced performers.
In the ‘Poetry Slam’ personal context, students learned the principles of ‘spoken word poetry’ in English and were exposed to written examples of this genre. Here, they too learned to express their thoughts and feelings through writing poetry in everyday language. In addition, they practiced using poetic language to write about any topic concerning their lives and their environment.
As a result of the program, participants developed thinking and writing skills in English and acquired tools for standing in front of an audience and overcoming stage fright.
During the culminating event at the end of May 2022, students read aloud personal poems written in relation to their experiences, feelings and thoughts. The event was chaired by Alfie Gelbard, a poet and ‘spoken word’ artist, who also read a selection of his own poems. In addition, the audience enjoyed a performance by the singer and composer Yuval Bilgorai.
The following competition winners were announced during the closing event, according to various categories:
- The most inspiring poem – Shira Itah, Ulpanat Harel Multidisciplinary High School, Nahariya
- The most personal poem – Leen Swateri, Yanuh-Jat Multidisciplinary High School
- The best written poem – Ridan Halavi, Yanuh-Jat Multidisciplinary High School
- The best videotaped performance – Emily Shway and Shereen Hreesh, Alwjdan Multidisciplinary High School, Kisra Smea
Students participate in an 18-hour social entrepreneurship workshop, learning about the stages of planning a successful project that meets the needs of their communities. The program culminates with a special event at the Rabin Center, where representatives from each school present their projects. A team of judges grants awards to the most outstanding projects.
2022-2023
Winners of the Social Entrepreneurship Program
1st Place- Amal Ygal Alon Ramla
2nd Place – Kefar Qasem High School
3rd Place- Amal Lady Davis Tel Aviv
Amal Yousef Shahin Taibe
Honorable Mention-Amal Petach Tikva ( Bet)
Crowd Favorite- Amal Shimon Peres High Tech and Arts Tel Aviv
Amal Shimon Peres High Tech and Arts High School students attended a study day at the Center for the Study of the United States at Tel Aviv University.
In the ‘Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Program’ community context, students participated in workshops where they learned about innovation and social entrepreneurship, as well as about models for identifying needs and their solutions. They planned a social enterprise and implemented it as an integral part of their English lessons.
Participants acquired tools for creating a social enterprise, constructing a workplan, advertising and marketing, and presenting their enterprise. They also acquired tools for standing in front of an audience and overcoming stage fright.
The program’s closing event was divided into two parts. Designed to encourage students to participate in social activity and contribute to their communities, the start of the day was dedicated to undertaking voluntary work within various NGOs and included distributing food to the homeless, carrying out activities with disabled adults, visiting seniors in sheltered housing, and picking and packing produce.
The second part of the day took place at the Yitzchak Rabin Center where the students participated in a tour of the museum and presented their unique entrepreneurship projects to an audience made up of other competing students, teachers, judges and delegates from the US Embassy and Amal.
The winning enterprises in the competition:
- 1st place – Lady Davis Multidisciplinary School, Tel Aviv: Voluntary work with seniors – teaching and assisting in the daily use of technological developments (mobile phone applications, computer typing, search engines, email and more).
- 2nd place – Aljadida High School, Kfar Kasem: Raising awareness, mobilizing public opinion and the authorities, and resource development for making public places accessible for people with disabilities.
- 3rd place-
- a. Amirim Multidisciplinary School, Ofakim: Planning, designing and selling identical school bags for elementary school students and designing and selling designed accessories for schoolbags for the purpose of reducing schoolbag costs, preventing competition and showing consideration for underprivileged students.
- b. Shimon Peres Amal Hi-Tech and Arts High School, Tel Aviv: The development of an educational application for interesting and attractive learning.
- Audience’s Favorite-
- Yanuh Jat multidisciplinary High School: an activity involving both young children and seniors for the preservation of culture and tradition throughout the generations.