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Moadon Shoham

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The Challenge

At Shoham, we have created a formula that takes youth at risk of dropping out, and enables them to achieve greatness. From elite army units to international contests, our students fulfill their potential and dreams, raising themselves, their families, and their communities.

The Ethiopian community has come on aliyah despite tremendous hardship; however, that adversity has not ended with their arrival.

141,000

Ethiopians live in Israel

19% VS 10%

Ethiopian families are single mothers vs. the general Israeli population.

43%

Ethiopian youth express an interest in studying in higher educational institutions.

33% VS 66%

Ethiopian high school students achieve a Bagrut matriculation degree, that qualifies them for entrance to university vs. the general Israeli high population.

50%

Ethiopian students have parents born in Ethiopia who don’t understand Hebrew, Israeli culture and the educational system.

X7

Ethiopian youth were convicted of crimes than the general population. Ethiopians suffer from racism.

These factors significantly impact the ability of Ethiopian students to excel academically and achieve their potential. This is a tremendous loss to Israeli society and the Ethiopian community. These students need significant support in order to succeed and overcome these challenges.

In Beit Shemesh there are 4,000 Ethiopian Israelis. While their children attend the same schools as the general population, in seventh grade a downward spiral in attendance and performance begins that leads to a sharp drop in the number of Ethiopian students eligible for university entrance as opposed to the general Israeli population.

If this failure is not stopped, the Ethiopian community will remain in the lowest socio-economic levels of the community and will not integrate into Israeli society. This doesn’t have to happen.

At Shoham

In 2012, veteran community activist and Chairman of Tiferet Orot, Miriam Zussman and Dr. Meir Ekstein, recognized that many Ethiopian students who performed well in elementary weren’t reaching their potential by the end of high school.

Via talks with educators and a detailed analysis of the process at Ulpanat Amit Noga school, it became clear that the students lacked the academic support and home environment needed to keep up with the demands of school. Furthermore, it became clear that the government gave minimal support to these students who were assumed to be “okay”.

Shoham was born to give these students the educational support, academic resources and cultural knowledge to thrive.

Ethiopian students were interviewed and selected according to the following criteria:

were in the top 25%- 30% of their class in elementary school
able to read and write at grade level,
motivated to attend, and committed to the program
Expressed interest in personal interview
Parents were interested and committed to the program

The program operates as a dormitory, but without a dormitory. It runs four days a week for three hours a day after school, 45 weeks a year. There is an 89% retention rate, and attendance is approximately 95%.

The program emphasizes excellence, persistence, curiosity, reading, the ability to use dialogue to solve problems, exposure to the world and “habits of mind.” We adopted and adapted proven educational methods to achieve distinction and to prepare the students to attend university and to achieve eventual success in their chosen careers.

Looking Forward

Shoham is a program of Amutat Tiferet Orot, an educational incubator that strives for educational excellence, social impact and empowerment for disadvantaged populations. We adopt, develop and implement proven methods and templates to help students, teachers and parents achieve their maximum potential. The Amuta and its staff have gained considerable expertise in running and implementing educational programs for excellence in the past nine years with its pilot programs. At this point we are ready to institutionalize, and expand our impact and programs nationwide.