sending...Kiryat Shmona is Israel’s northernmost city, located near the Lebanon-Israel border. The Kiryat Shmona Learning Community is 
located in the neighborhood of Eshkol, where residents are mostly migrants from the former USSR and North Africa. This area suffers from great socio-economical disparities.
The Learning Community is comprised of forty children, ages 8-12, and 25 students, mostly from Tel Hai College. The Academic Students guide and tutor the children, participate in Community Action Days, work with the resident’s Steering Committee, plan community projects, and help run the Community Garden.
The Kiryat Shmona Learning Community operates 4 days aweek from 16:0
0-21:00. Children’s activities are tailored to their individual needs and planned by the Academic Students together with the parents and teachers. Additionally, Mahapach-Taghir operates a unique youth program in the Branco Wise high school for at risk youth, in which 10th graders receive weekly guidance and enrichment in creative writing and social involvement. Several youth in this class regularly produce a column for the local newspaper.
The Kiryat Shmona Community encourages youth-led community projects alongside active participation by their families. Within a Steering Committee framework, mothers meet every two weeks and serve as a community voice in Mahapach-Taghir, organizing local activities, events and campaigns as well as field trips and excursions.
The Learning Community in Kiryat Shmona has very active student body; students in this community organize on social issues and work with residents to promote activism in the city. The Community also coordinates with other local organizations to form meaningful partnerships for social change. Together, the students, residents, and children orchestrate Community Action Days which occur several times annually.
For more information or to get involved in Kiryat Shmona community contact the Community Coordinator, Naama Ayish, by phone 054-7608121 or E-mail kiryatshmona@mahapach-taghir.org