‘Kadima’ youth center – Neve Sha’anan

The Kadima youth centers network is an educational framework for youths living in the social and geographical periphery of Israel. The youth centers work to ensure the integration of children at the center of Israeli society. The center in Neve Sha’anan, Tel Aviv serves as a second home for children of status-less refugees, they come to the center after school, for a hot meal, attentive ear and a pleasant place to study. At the beginning of 2021 the center moved to a new complex, empty of furniture and the warmth of a home. And that is where we come into the picture!

Thanks to a social impact workshop of Checkmark employees, shelving units for books and games were built, a rack for kitchen utensils and a special corner bench that instantly upgraded the whole atmosphere of the place.

In another workshop, by the people of Libra Loft, who face mental difficulties and regularly volunteer with the children of the center, they created a “Scala” – a large and colorful shelving unit for the entrance.

And finally, the most fun part – we arrived at the center for a workshop with the children of the place, talked with them about our mission, how each piece of furniture was built and taught them how to use basic carpentry  tools.

With a lot of imagination they created wonderful things, including wooden toys, stools and planters. It was fun and exciting!