PROJECT PROPOSAL

 

ILAN’S YOUTH ENCOUNTER PROGRAM

ILAN – Background:

 

ILAN, the Israel Foundation for Handicapped Children, cares for some 15,000 physically disadvantaged adults and children suffering from diseases that affect the muscles and nerves such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular diseases.

ILAN has 46 branches all over Israel that are in constant contact with the disabled and that represent a channel of information for tracing and assisting this population and its special needs.  When it was founded in 1952, ILAN located child victims of the polio epidemic and organized mass vaccinations for children in Israel. In time, the State has accepted responsibility for providing this service and has freed ILAN to concentrate its efforts and resources on providing assistance and relief for the severely disabled individual and his family, promoting facilities for the physically disadvantaged and their special needs, and developing services for the disabled within the context of the community.  These services include a network of kindergartens, special schools and vocational training centers, sheltered workshops, rehabilitation and occupation units, residential homes for physically disadvantaged adults, as well as social centers and sports facilities.

Contributions constitute the main source of finance for the ILAN projects. 

 

The program was launched in January 1988 and has been operating since then.  The project targets 60 physically disabled youth from the Tel Aviv – Gush Dan area and a similar number of non-disabled counselors/volunteers of similar ages from the same area.  The goal of the program is to engage the disabled youth in activities that interest them and enable them to interact with their non-disabled peers on a 1:1 basis.  The group meets once a week in the Ramat Gan branch of ILAN and activities are aimed at helping the disabled youth function independently in their daily lives.  Activities include cooking classes, creative drama, art and social activities.  The program:

 

    Promotes understanding, tolerance and mutual respect between non-disabled and disabled youth. 

 

    Provides ILAN youth with an opportunity to interact socially with non-disabled youth of their own age on a regular on-going basis and to develop relationships that are welcomed by both sides. :

 

    Heightens self confidence and self-esteem among the participants.

 

    Exposes the disabled young people to meetings,  lectures, discussions that expand their minds and add new dimensions to their lives.

The Youth Encounter Program has been operating with great success but with extremely limited resources since its inception in 1988. 

The program provides a meeting place for disabled and non disabled youth to interact as peers for social, cultural and educational activities.  The non-disabled youth act as volunteer counselors and help their disabled counterparts in various social after-school activities throughout the year.  This provides an opportunity for the ILAN youth to interact socially with other non-disabled youth of their own age and to develop relationships of mutual respect.

Apart from its regular weekly activities, the youth arrange parties at holidays, trips and lectures.  This gives the participants a chance to step outside their regular environment, to travel and broaden their horizons. It heightens the participants’ self confidence and self esteem, thus improving their psychological well being.

This encounter strengthens the disabled persons self confidence and initiates a positive social interaction that cannot be achieved in an uninitiated social environment.

 

The existing program is in need of financial assistance and it would be beneficial to open similar projects in other parts of the country.

 

BUDGET

1.        Transportation

for Counselors/Volunteers and Children                       US$ 30,000

 

      2.   Administrative Project Coordinator
(40 hours per month  x $9 x 12 months)                    US$   4,320

 

      3.   Programmatic Counselors (8)
  (20 hours per month x $9 x 12 x 8)                                US$ 17,280

 

   4.   Weekend trips and activities
  ($500 per month x 12 months)                                         US$  6,000

 

   5.   Study and work materials                                                 US$  6,000

           Total annual expenses                                                  US$ 63,600

q       These expenses are based on financing one group of approximately 50 physically disabled youth and 50 non disabled youth.