BeYachad

Based on the success of Gesher Chai, the Canada-Galilee Panhandle Partnership formed a consortium to build a new educational culture in the region. In 2004, the Partnership joined forces with the Israel Venture Network, the Sacta-Rashi Foundation, the San Francisco Jewish Federation, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and Israeli local and national governments to create BeYachad.

Leveraging the resources of each partner, BeYachad aims to:

• raise student esteem and achievement, and narrow the Galilee Panhandle’s major scholastic gaps compared to the rest of Israel; and

• advance education management capabilities and culture by creating a fundamental shift in the education system BeYachad operates over 50 local and regional projects including training programs for teachers, principals and municipal leaders, as well as children and youth programs targeting four primary areas: early childhood, formal education, informal education, and youth-at-risk. Some examples of BeYachad programs are:

• English education instruction

• Core language improvement

• Safe house for girls-at-risk

• Friday activities for youth

Flexible enough to react to emergency and crisis situations, BeYachad is helping implement a recovery program for Kiryat Shmona’s education system, which was hard hit by the war against Hezbollah.

By promoting basic education and leadership skills, implementing standards and enrichment tools, and fostering supportive outreach programs, BeYachad is helping create an educational framework that will provide children with the building blocks needed to succeed in Israeli society.