Approximately 75% of the university students active in PERACH serve as mentors on an individual basis, while the remainder carry out specialized group activities.
Mentors meet with the pupils assigned to them twice a week, each meeting lasting a minimum of two hours. Some of the encounters take place at the pupil?s home, in order to acquaint the mentor with the mentee's family background and home environment, while others take place at the mentor's dormitory, the university campus, playgrounds, libraries, museums or at PERACH's enrichment centers (see below), which have been set up in various towns and cities throughout the country. The informal setting is geared towards the establishment of personal ties between the two.
The choice of activity is left open to the pair: the possibilities are
infinite, such as providing help with homework, playing computer games, or working on a creative project, such as building an electrical circuit.
Years of experience have demonstrated that the personal relationship that develops between mentor and mentee, in which the mentor serves as a positive role model, does wonders for the child's self-image and self-esteem. The activities focus on scholastic assistance and enrichment activities, through which the child becomes acquainted with new notions and challenging new experiences.
In addition, a growing number of high school pupils now receive extra tuition to help them complete their matriculation exams and graduate from high school. They also receive guidance, preparing them for adulthood and encouraging them to assume their civic responsibilities.
In certain circumstances students now mentor fellow university or college students. Academic guidance is extended to blind students, dyslexic students and students identified as being in danger of dropping out.
Specialized Group Activities
In order to address the needs of the communities and the schools, PERACH takes advantage of the diverse abilities of its students by assigning a growing number of university students (approximately 25% of its tutors), with specialized fields of study, to instruct various programs in schools throughout the country, thereby reaching a wide range of pupils. The syllabuses of these programs are prepared by professional educators, and written materials are provided as teaching aids for these instructors. The programs are generally offered as extra-curricular activities, either in the afternoons or in the course of school hours. Among the many specialized programs operated by PERACH are the following:
Health and Dental Care
This course promotes knowledge of preventive medicine, teaching elementary school children about cardiovascular functions and disease, about the dangers of smoking and about cancer. Pupils are equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to maintain good health, and the underlying message is that children like adults are responsible for their own health and quality of life. An extension to this program promotes awareness of oral hygiene and preventive dental care, as well as of the importance of healthy nutritional habits.
Science Education
This course presents scientific phenomena in a fascinating manner, encouraging the child?s natural curiosity and using unconventional techniques, such as presenting physics as magic tricks and enhancing mathematical knowledge through calculating games and logic. The students of science who instruct the course are specially trained and equipped with educational materials prepared by the Department of Science Teaching of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
PERACH in Nature and the Environment
This program provides a theoretical background on the landscape, flora and fauna of the land of Israel, coupled with field trips and excursions throughout the country. Children learn about ecological problems, such as pollution, the need to safeguard our natural resources and the need for careful environmental planning. This afternoon program, prepared in cooperation with the Arim Union for Environmental Quality, is geared towards elementary school children.
Law and Order
This program, developed in order to curb the mounting violence amongst children and youth, deals with issues pertaining to the legal system, human rights and violence. Pupils learn about the role of the legislative authority in democracy and about the basic tenets designed to safeguard society and to serve as a buffer against violence. They are taught about the concept of a constitution and about the judicial system and are exposed to different means of settling conflicts. In addition to classroom activities, the program includes a tour of the judicial courts.
PERACH Sports
This program, which combines sports activities with classroom studies, improves the pupil?s self-image by providing a feeling of accomplishment and a sense of control over his or her body. In addition, the social interaction in a sheltered group environment helps develop the child?s social skills. The two-year-long course is offered in small groups after school hours. Some of the junior high school pupils participate in a diving course, developed in conjunction with various diving clubs, an activity that greatly contributes to their self-esteem.
PERACH Computers / Communications
One of these programs provides junior high school pupils with basic tools for building websites. Participants are taught a number of programming languages and learn how to work with Java script and HTML.
Another program exposes children to the world of mass media, providing hands-on experience in diverse media, such as newspapers, radio, cinema, television and the internet.
PERACH Art and Drama
These programs are designed to enrich children in various artistic fields, providing both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, and including museum visits and field trips. Enrichment is offered in the performing arts, and pupils are exposed to basic concepts from the world of drama and theater and are encouraged to give reign to their imagination. The children?s sense of accomplishment is enhanced through creative projects, such as writing a play, acting and directing.
The PERACH Facilities
Over the years, the number of enrichment centers and libraries established by PERACH has grown and expanded, in addition to an increasing number of science and technology centers, called Havayeda.
Enrichment Centers and Libraries
These centers, open in the afternoons, offer a quiet setting where mentors and mentees can ?hang out?. The facilities are equipped with a wide variety of educational games and toys, books, videos, art material and computers. Extra-curricular activities are offered as afternoon lessons and courses at these centers by students who devote two afternoons a week to the cause. The list of extra-curricular activities is extensive, including topics as diverse as story telling, photography, kickboxing, carpentry and origami.
Havayeda: PERACH now has a number of science and technology centers in several locations throughout the country, established in conjunction with the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israeli National Museum of Science and the Rashi Foundation. Unlike most museums, where visitors are warned not to touch, at the Havayeda centers children are encouraged to play with the interactive exhibits, which teach them about natural phenomena. The name "Havayeda" (a fusion of two Hebrew words, knowledge and experience?) reflects the "hands-on" approach to learning about science. Funding for these centers is provided in part by the local authorities and by donations designated for this purpose.
