Youth 2 Israel (Y2i) is an organisation supporting Israel experience programs for Year 10 participants on a life changing journey of Jewish identity, which builds continuity in our Jewish community.
Y2i is partnered with (show 5 logos of ECAJ, JCA, JNF, JBOD, UIA)
“I strongly support the priority your community is placing on enabling every youth the opportunity to participate in a transformative experience in Israel in the critical teen identity building years.”
Natan Sharansky, Former Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency. (view his letter)
International research shows that participants of Year 10 Israel programs have a closer connection to the Jewish Community and to Israel after participating in a program. The timing is considered crucial as this age demographic moves toward young adulthood.
Y2i was established out of findings from the Gen08 survey, together with recommendations from 2013 Touch Points Review. . Y2i’s objective is to position and facilitate high school Israel programs as the pinnacle of one’s high school Jewish education.
The Y2i Committee strongly believes that increased participation in Year 10 Israel programs will have a profound impact on shaping, building and ensuring a strong Jewish identity of our future community.
There are around 500 Jewish children born every year in NSW, QLD and ACT. Today, only 50% of these attend Jewish day schools for their high school education.
In 2013, 91 Moriah and Masada Year 10 students went on IST (Israel Study Tour), a 5-6 week program in Israel. The NSW Board of Jewish Education sent 25 students from non-Jewish day schools on Emet Israel.
In 2014, to test the assumption that cost is a significant barrier to greater adoption, a donor family committed to making $500,000 available through Y2i to provide 100 non- means tested vouchers of $5,000 for any prospective applicant. The vouchers were distributed in proportion to that cohort’s representation in the community. i.e. 50% of the vouchers were for students from outside the Jewish day school system. This resulted in 170 children joining programs in December 2014, 50% more than the preceding year. The most dramatic increase was from Emanuel School which sent its first group ever of 27 students.
In 2015, penetration rates in the Jewish Day Schools reach almost 80% and in the non- Jewish day school system at 15%. Y2i endeavours to increase the latter number exponentially over the next five to ten years so that 75% of ALL Year 10 students have this experience.
In 2017 Kesser Torah College sent its first group of 37 students combining year 9 and 10. It plans to continue sending students every second year.
Since 2015, the participation rates in all programs has increased. Details of the annual growth are published in the annual report, which is available to view here.
Encouraging students to get involved in the community and re-engaging students upon returning is important to Y2i. Doing so, complements and extends the experiences of participants throughout the programs.
Once students return to Australia, Y2i actively works with schools and organisations to increase both the educational and experiential opportunities available. This includes promoting the participation in Gap Year programs as well as volunteering and participation in communal activities.
An Endowment Appeal differs from a Capital Appeal. Rather than funding a building or reducing debt, an endowment provides a corpus to meet an ongoing significant need. The investment income then funds the work of the endowment.
The endowment created by Y2i fosters stability, continuity and generates healthier returns as it grows, allowing the community to act with certainty in planning for the future.
The Assistance Fund was created to provide further means tested assistance to families who cannot afford to meet all of the difference in the cost after they have received the $5,000 voucher. This fund supports students outside of the Jewish day schools which already have their own systems in place for generating extra financial assistance. The goal is to ensure that money is not a barrier to students participating in a Year 10 program.