1. The reality – Thousands of at-risk children and youth currently live in distressed neighborhoods across the country. Many are immigrants, whose parents cannot provide them with basic needs, such as nutritious meals, supervision and help with homework, values, and more. In their current condition, these youths grow up and fall into the social sidelines: few will graduate from high school, fewer still will be drafted to the military, and their chances to acquire a profession are slim. Thus, their likelihood of stumbling into a life of drugs and crime is high.

2. The mission – to cultivate and nurture at-risk children and youth from distressed families, to prevent their deterioration, and to guarantee their future incorporation into society and not its dangerous fringe.

3. The Method – continuous participation of the child every day, every year, each year from first to twelfth grade, in a supplementary educational system, which provides them with the following: lunch, assistance with homework, enrichment activities, lessons on values, and dinner.

4. “Kadima” Youth Center network. As of July, 2010, the network includes 19 centers in the following cities: Kiriat-Gat, Yavne, Rehoboth, Ramla, Or-Yehuda, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Bat-Yam, Kfar-Sabba, Kiriat-Shmone, Ganei Tikva, Hedera, Beit-SheAn and Arad. About 1,000 kids and youths participate each day in activities at Kadima centers. The kids are referred to us by the local welfare department.

5. The youth center team – a paid administrator (must have a B.A in education or related field), 4-5 National Service workers or volunteers from the Kibbutz Movement and the Religious Kibbutz.

6. Activity – Sunday through Thursday 13:00-19:00 in the following sequence: lunch, homework preparation, enrichment activities, lessons on values, light supper.

7. Politics – there is no political agenda at the center. The values-based education focuses on themes of consensus in Israel.

8. Religion – we educate our kids using Jewish tradition and values, but we are not a religious institution, nor do we provide religious education or influence. We do keep kosher.

9. Continuous program – each child or youth stays at the center every day, all year long, every year, including school holidays, as opposed to a single activity, important as it may be, which takes only a couple of hours once or twice a week.

10. Personal Cultivation Program – daily checkup on each child. A comprehensive program tailored to each participant. Each child receives an individual monthly project, and each child assumes specific responsibilities at the Center.

11. Homework Assistance – all our kids prepare their homework every day with our help and supervision.

12. Enrichment activities – include English, Math, computers, as well as internet

13. Teaching staff – fresh, energetic and motivated – volunteers completing their national service, all of whom carefully selected and properly trained for the job.

14. Continuous daily operation even during holidays – including pool-time, shows, museums and trips.

15. Strong connection between the Kadima team and the teachers and counselors at the schools, the parents and the social worker.

16. Daily lessons on values, including the following subjects: making acquaintances, regulations, new year, interpersonal relationships, Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur War, Sukkot, preventing violence, hygiene and health, tolerance, prime ministers, the Hebrew language, children’s rights, the globe, historic world events, the three religions, Chanukah, the calendar, art, science, addiction, navigation using a map, natural sciences, Zionism, Israeli history, family week, Purim, the environment, Passover, the Holocaust, fallen soldiers, Independence Day, Lag BaOmer, communication, Jerusalem, Shavuot, Music, book week, poets, compassion to animals, summer safety, the summer vacation, my city, IDF, farewells.

17. Supervision – Kadima centers are under strict supervision of the Education and Welfare division of the local municipalities. In addition, we constantly monitor our kids’ achievements in school, through the steering committee headed by Dr. Aharon Zeidenberg, former President of Beit-Berl College.

18. Kadima youth center network is one of the organizations under LaSova Foundation, #58-0169530

19. LaSova Foundation maintains all formal permits – certificate of good standing, certificate of not for profit org. tax-free status under Section 46 of the tax code, permit to conduct business with public institutions.

20. The Foundation’s activities are funded solely from private contributions of individuals, companies and charity funds. We have never asked for – nor received – and form of government or other public funding.

21. All contributions to the Foundation are made at the donor’s initiative with no solicitation or fund-raising events. We do not employ fund-raising employees and do not pay any commissions on donations.

22. All Foundation managers and its members act as volunteers.

23. Our relatively low operating cost is a result of the following:

1. Each youth center employs five workers who are completing some form of national or public service, and therefore their cost of employment is relatively low.
2. Local municipalities provide, at no cost to us, the youth center facilities, as well as the related operational cost (insurance, utilities and social service supervision)
3. LaSova Foundation supplies food at no cost.
4. The Prison Service refers to us workers to perform maintenance and cleaning services.
5. A significant portion of our activities are conducted by volunteers.