Between 2007 and 2008 20,085 teens in 9th to 12th grade dropped out from the Israeli education system (data from the mentioned Annual Statistical Abstract). These teens are 4.5% from overall pupils in the system.
They often find themselves on the streets and develop self-destructive behavior.
Many of these teens turn to drugs while some even become drug dealers. Many of them begin committing crimes and some have a criminal record. We see numerous cases where alienated teenage girls who drop out of school become victims of sexual abuse and subsequently experience severe emotional crises, often accompanied by suicidal tendencies.
MENIFA's holistic approach offers these teenagers an opportunity to re-enter the education system. The alienated teens are gathered up from the streets and encouraged to join the MENIFA Center. The Center is located in a building within school grounds in order to maintain that they are part of the normative educational system and are expected to function and live in their communities.
The Center provides these teenagers with a holistic environment that addresses their academic, social and emotional (therapy) needs.
Academic Habits: Under the supervision of intern teachers, the teenagers study in small groups to prepare for normative goals such as taking their matriculation exams. The curriculum is set, together with the school, under the pedagogical guidance of a MENIFA facilitator.
Social: A full-time educational coordinator at each MENIFA Center runs a program aimed at fostering a strong sense of identity and values. The coordinator monitors the progress of the group as a whole as well as the progress of each individual student.
Emotional Needs: The students are provided group and individual therapy sessions with a team of professional therapists on a weekly basis throughout the year. In addition, they participate in workshops relevant to the issues being addressed in the therapy at the time. The program involves both the parents and the school in the process, thereby easing the integration of students into normative frameworks which also enhances a sense of natural progression.
The MENIFA Learning Center for Teen Drop-outs has enjoyed a high rate of success at relatively low cost in comparison to other such programs.
1. Success: The percentage rate of the program's success for reintegrating graduates into normative frameworks is very high (90%) in comparison to the 20% success rate of other rehabilitation and detoxification programs.
2. Low Costs relative to placing at-risk teens in welfare programs.
