Education for Life

Researchers around the world agree that in order for children to succeed in our fast-changing world, they need to augment the knowledge that they receive at school by developing life skills: resilience – persistence and the ability to cope with failure; self-directed learning, problem solving, and teamwork; social networks; a sense of belonging and identity; and a future-oriented mindset. These skills are best acquired through extracurricular activities: youth organizations, enrichment studies, sports groups, and more.

The social mobility levers of informal education

Informal or experiential education refers to activities in which children and youth participate after school hours by their own choice. It is often seen as a leisure pursuit for personal development, and its potential contribution to social mobility has not yet received sufficient recognition.

While evidence points to the great importance of experiential education, investment in this field in Israel is far from adequate and the participation rate is low, especially in the periphery. In response, the Rashi Foundation has launched a wide-reaching initiative to advance informal education through cross-sector partnership.

The Education for Life initiative focuses on several investment channels:

» Working with local authorities to strengthen their ability to provide accessible opportunities in informal education
» Raising awareness of the importance of informal education among youth, parents, and decision makers
» Developing initiatives to expand the variety of activities and adapt them to content relevant to teenagers’ lives
» Human capital – personal and professional development for leaders in informal education
» Policy and regulation – setting national goals, expanding budgeting and staffing standards, and more

Partners

Government | Local authorities | Philanthropy | Business sector