Established in 2004, MENIFA is a nonprofit organization instigating programs for the prevention of high school drop outs, as well as for at risk youth that have already dropped out. MENIFA works to reduce educational gaps and return these youth to a purposeful and meaningful life. MENIFA works in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other authorities (see section of website on partners).

Our operating model is inclusive and comprehensive with goal of returning the youth to normative social structures. Our programs stress personal empowerment and identity development of the teens. We believe in instilling in them tools such as: motivation, taking responsibility and trust, which will lead them to reintegrate into normative society.
MENIFA provides emotional and educational support, in the community, with continuous escorting of many professionals, these include: supervisors, teaching team, educational coordinator, psychologists, counselor and more. Out teaching team consists of teaching interns taking part in a comprehensive training program with the aim of improving the future teaching force in Israel.

So far approximately 1500 teenagers all over the country have returned to regular attendance and functioning through our different programs.

In many places around Israel various drop out prevention programs and models are operated by multiple players – the Ministry of Education, the local municipality and non-profit organizations. MENIFA’s unique initiative emphasizes the importance of coordinating all these different programs and solutions. The main goal is to train agents of change within the educational system. These agents can then focus on the teen and his or her needs and on how to better use the resources of the educational system and municipality to help the specific needs of each teen. The training program meets once a week for 12 weeks and offers participants a full and rich program including group work (in small groups) and practical work with a teen. More detailed information can be found on our website in Hebrew and will soon be found in English as well.

The clean up activity, part of an effort to raise environmental awareness, included a lecture from a representative of the “Tzalul” organization about the importance of the environment, with particular emphasis on the sea, animals who live in the sea, the plants in the area, and of course about the people who use the area.

After the lecture, and the clean up activity, an impressive ceremony was held and participants received certificates and small gifts.

Ziv Neurim participants, youth at risk of dropping out of school, participate in recreational boating activities as a means assisting these youth in experiencing success. This activity was part of an ongoing process to help these youth develop personally and socially; being social responsible and contributing to their own communities are an important of the changes these youth undergo.