At Yemin Orde Youth Village, children live and learn according to a balance of principles: Tikkun Halev, healing the heart or the individual, and Tikkun Olam, healing the world or serving the community.
The Village sponsors many outreach programs that are designed to build self-esteem and self-confidence (Tikkun HaLev) as well as encourage leadership, excellence in education and volunteerism (Tikkun Olam).
These programs include:
- Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel – African-American high school youth from Baltimore, MD, visits the Village and partners with Yemin Orde children to deepen understanding, leadership and build friendships.
- Nesiya – Children from different streams of Judaism come together and share responsibility for building a caring community. They meet Israel’s leaders and travel throughout Israel.
- Diller Teen Fellows Program – a year long leadership program bringing together Jewish children from the United States and Israel.
- Bima – a one month program at Brandeis University focusing on the creative and performing arts and bringing together Jewish teenagers from all over the world.
- Havayah – Older children participate as counselors for Jewish youth in Ukraine.
- Disabled children from Israel – visit and stay at the village for a week as our guests. Children from the Village are partnered with their young counterparts.
- Hineni – takes place in Holland, where participants are busy each day learning about the Jewish community and seeing the country.
- Miracle Corners of the World (MCW) – in New York and Vermont and gathers together young leaders from all over the world to help them bring about change in their own communities by helping them build a plan for action.
Paying It Forward
During the regular school year, the children participate in innovative community service activities that are often incorporated into the government’s national service opportunities or by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
In the summer, it’s “business as usual” at Yemin Orde as the Village is a hub of activity. New graduates are moving into our Graduate Home; indeed, Yemin Orde is their only home in Israel. Additionally, younger children stay at the Village throughout the summer months. These youngsters are closely supervised with fun daily activities throughout the summer. As a result, our staff is always with them to respond to their needs.
Many Yemin Orde children participate in summer programs overseas. For example, older youth work as counselors at two summer camps in the U.S., while others participate in the Miracle Corners of the World program in New York City. All of these summer programs offer enriching experiences that are great for developing self-esteem. Indeed, summer is a special time for our children.
For more information on Yemin Orde’s year-round programming, email [email protected] or call 202.237.0286.