Aharai! – Follow Me!
Founded in 1997, “Aharai!” is a social educational organization that develops young leadership and promotes social involvement among youth from projects, development towns, absorption centers, boarding schools and shelters, by connecting them to important milestones in the Israeli culture.
The organization provides youngsters with a sense of achievement and capability and encourages them to become contributing members of the Israeli society
Aharai! IDF Military Preparation Program
Military service is mandatory and extremely socially significant in the state of Israel. Having a meaningful position while serving in the IDF vastly impacts one’s chances of integrating successfully in the Israeli society. Aharai!’s military preparation program is designed to enhance the motivation and readiness of young men and women between the ages of 16-18, to complete a significant military service. The program is based on the belief that such service in the IDF is key to success in civilian life.
Aharai! Youth Challenge Program – Facing life’s challenges by confronting challenges in the field
The Aharai! field and patrol program brings youth together with the beautiful country of Israel and applies field skills as a tool with which to build character and confront hardships. The program accompanies young men and women from ages 16 to 25.
Aharai! Learning Centers
The matriculation diploma is the main gauge of an individual’s high school education in Israel and the entry ticket to Israeli adulthood. The Aharai! Learning Centers are located in Israel’s peripheries. Their purpose is to prepare those who are struggling through high-school for the mathematics matriculation exam and to provide them with a sense of competency, allowing them to duplicate this success in other walks of life.
Aharai! To The Path
The Aharai! To The Path program for integrating immigrant youth, conducts IDF preparatory courses for Ethiopian and immigrant populations prior to military enlistment and provides them with support during their military service. Aharai! To The Path provides a sense of success and competency by preparing these young adults for a significant military service and supporting them throughout, while reinforcing their identity and enhancing the ability to fit in with the heterogeneous Israeli society.
Aharai! In the Community
The program provides guidance and support to high school graduates who opted to postpone their military service by one year and volunteer in the community. Volunteers are incorporated in communes throughout the country and take part in a wide range of activities with various populations –children, special needs individuals, the elderly, animals and more. The one year of community service provides volunteers with meaningful experiences while actively contributing to society.
Gal Pre- Military Academy
In cooperation with “Ma’ase” Movement, the military preschool is designated for 18 year old high school graduates who decide to postpone their army service for one year and focus on Jewish and Israeli identity studies. The program constitutes a basis for development of social leadership among youth from the peripheries, who have very limited opportunities for joining leadership-development frameworks. The pre-army academy combines an educational program of the highest level, leadership training and educational volunteer work in the community.
Aharai! To the Top – The “Aharai!” Alumni Organization
With 11 alumni centers, the purpose of Aharai! To The Top is to assist and support 20,000 Aharai! alumni who lack family support, who are lone soldiers, immigrants or members of high-risk populations, complete a meaningful military or civil service and to prepare them for later academic, business and personal success.
The alumni organization provides guidance and support during and after military service. The program aims to ensure that those who come from the geographic and social periphery maximize their full personal and civic potential, as they take their first steps in adult lives.
Aharai! Leadership and Empowerment Program for Women
This unique program is designed for young women who attend Aharai! Educational programs nationwide. The purpose of the Aharai! Leadership and Empowerment Program for Women is to reinforce young women’s sense of capability and responsibility by developing their leadership skills and preparing them for a meaningful service in the IDF.
Aharai! To Entrepreneurship
Aharai! believes that the future of our alumni lays in their own hands and that it is our responsibility to provide them with the proper tools to realize their aspirations. It is to that purpose that the Aharai! To Entrepreneurship program was founded. The program enables Aharai! Alumni with a business or social idea to develop that idea to a complete business plan. Participants receive close support and guidance from experienced businessmen and entrepreneurs, thus creating a diverse grid of entrepreneurs, committed to the development of young talent. Business plans are assessed by a team of judges, a winning plan is selected and its developer receives a prize of up to 100,000 ILS in funding.
ShaiFund has been donating, operationally contributing and working closely with the Aharai! organization since its establishment in 1997.
For more information about Aharai! and the Aharai! programs, please visit the organization's homepage