The Gelfand Science Enrichment Program sparks curiosity and creates science opportunities for youth in Yemin Orde’s Village Way Educational Initiatives partner communities. Youth who participate in these programs would otherwise never have such enriching experiences.
The program is bringing interactive science workshops from some of Israel’s leading institutes to at-risk youth in partner educational communities, and is 
providing opportunities for these youth to visit museums, laboratories, greenhouses, and other similar sites.
These science activities are fun and interesting, piquing the student’s interest in science and curiosity about the world. Topics discussed in many of the science workshops include engineering, energy, electricity, insulation and conduction, matter and materials, astronomy, physics, magnetism, metal and robots.
Gelfand Science Enrichment Program Provides the Spark
“First of all, I loved the topic and the activity. I finally understand the subject for the first time, and learning through trial and error, experimentation and implementation is much more interesting and challenging than the regular way of learning in class,” said a student. “…Everything I discovered during this activity changed my thinking and knowledge in the field of space and it’s really great …”
In addition to providing science programming in partner educational communities, the Gelfand Enrichment Program offers similar opportunities for the Village Way’s young men’s and young women’s gap-year leadership programs for immigrant youth, or Mechina, in Hebrew.
In Ethiopia, Mark Gelfand recently met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yemin Orde graduate Tamrat Berhanu, and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to discuss science opportunities in Ethiopian schools. Gelfand has a special interest in creating science programs for at-risk youth in Israel and believes that science is the bridge for a better future.
Activities take a hands-on approach to learning and field trips are provided to see experimentation in action. Participants in the young women’s program, known as IsraElite, recently spent two intensive days at the renown Weizmann Institute of Science.
Village Way graduate communities continue to participate in the science enrichment program.