Community project in Israel pairs Global IT staff with underprivileged teenagers and youth at risk
The articles in this newsletter generally focus on outstanding Global IT staff and the complex technical and integration projects they are working on. It is, therefore, a pleasure to also highlight a team of exceptional Teva IT employees who are bringing their skills to another significant project: mentoring underprivileged teenagers and youth at risk in an Israeli boarding school not far from Teva’s headquarters in Petach Tikva.
The project, being run by Shirley Azouri from Corporate IT’s Human Resources department, is called “Touching People – Uniting Worlds” and involves 50 Teva people who have agreed to volunteer in a variety of ways – from cheering up the children with birthday celebrations, games and field trips; to one-on-one tutoring with homework.
“This is a project where we really feel we can make a difference,” says Azouri. “It’s not just a slogan. I’m very excited to be involved.”
The initiative launched in May, 2011 with a festive party. Global IT staff assembled a band and, together with some of the more talented singers from the boarding school, put on an emotional performance. The band is continuing to rehearse and perform.
The launch event also included a “treasure hunt” game where both students and volunteers participated; the winning team was rewarded with a trip to the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem.
The Teva partnership with the “Gan v’Nof” boarding school takes place after hours in order to minimize the impact on staff workloads.
When the Teva team arrives for the monthly birthday celebrations, they bring homemade cakes and bunches of balloons. Afterward, the birthday boys and girls are treated to a movie together with the Teva team.
The key component of the program, however, is the personal tutoring, in which 11 Teva staff are participating. “The children involved are in grades 10-12,” Azouri explains. “It’s an age when their self-identification is being developed and they often lack a positive role model in their lives.”
The Teva volunteers are paired with students with the most serious learning needs and they visit twice a month for two hours each time. They are also in continuous touch via email, Facebook and the phone.
Another highlight of the program so far was a trip for all the students in grades 10-12 to the “Teva-Tech” visitor’s center at the Ramat Hovav plant near Beer Sheva. “The children complained a little about the long journey,” Azouri admits, “but they immensely enjoyed the event!” Coming up in 2012: a sports day and end-of-the-year party.
How would Azouri rate the success of the program so far? “It’s really too early to tell. We are just at the beginning stage,” she says. “But step by step, and with determination, we are creating a bond with the children. We already feel a difference after each meeting.”
That difference can be summed up with one question. “When one of the students asked me to help him get a job at Teva after he grows up, I knew we are on the right path,” Azouri says with a smile.
Azouri is always looking for more volunteers to join the program. Please contact Shirley at Shirley.Azouri@teva.co.il or by phone at +972-54-888-6877 .
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