Inclusion Through Education
ARDC's educational program is the core of our activity. The program aims to strengthen the capacity and autonomy of African asylum seekers in Israel through education, training, professional guidance and action toward a more dignified life.
Our educational activities can be divided into four branches:
1
Languages
2
Vocational Training
3
Pre-Academic Studies
4
Academic Studies
Through partnerships and on our own, The ARDC offers various opportunities to study both Hebrew and English, using special materials and methods designed to increase access to education, ease the transition to life in Israel and address the community's special needs.
The ARDC partners with certified institutions in various fields of studies in order to create unique learning opportunities for asylum-seekers that will ensure their employment and will enable them to lead a dignified life.
The ARDC designs and offers programs to enable asylum seekers to access higher education in Israel or anywehere in the world. This includes courses to enable asylum seekers to receive their high school diploma (such as GED) and pass language proficiency exams (such as TOEFL or IELTS).
The ARDC provides tailored assistance in order to enable asylum seekers to apply to institutes of higher education, in Israel or online. To date, the ARDC has more than 20 partnerships with Israeli and international institutions, in order to facilitate and increase learning and scholarship opportunities.
Additionally, we operate an extensive tutoring program, which serves as a supplementary component of each of our branches.
Languages
Learning a language is the first step in the effort to adjust and prosper in a new surrounding. Through partnerships and on our own, we offer opportunities targeted for specific groups of asylum-seekers to study Hebrew and English. Our mission is to help refugees overcome the language barrier quickly and effectively. Our current projects include a Hebrew course for women, tutoring services in both languages, advanced Hebrew classes for fluent asylum-seekers focusing on reading and writing, an English study group for the TOEFL test, and an English course for women.
Over 100 asylum seekers have been enrolled in language learning courses so far in 2019.
Vocational Training
The ARDC partners with certified institutions in various fields in order to create unique employment opportunities for asylum-seekers. Some of our latest courses include manicure-pedicure training for women, coding classes and a car repair course. For more information, click here.
Pre - Academic Studies
Due to instability and violence in their countries of origin, many of Israel’s asylum-seekers arrive without documentation of their secondary education, or with little formal education. Eritrea intentionally doesn’t print educational documents as a way to discourage people from leaving. Many other refugees lost their documentation on the long journey to Israel.
After facing displacement from their home, our organization is dedicated to providing a smooth transition back into the classroom for refugees. Pre-Academic studies are essential to the success of refugees in Israel in their search for jobs, stability, and comfort. At the ARDC, we operate programs that prepare asylum seekers for higher education, such as preparation for the GED - an internationally accepted equivalent to a high school diploma, preparation for the Israeli SAT test, courses for English proficiency tests, and more.
The ARDC is currently working with 61 asylum-seekers in their journey to achieve a secondary, high-school equivalent, education.
Academic Studies
According to the United Nations’ High Commission on Refugees, just one percent of displaced persons have access to higher education opportunities. The ARDC partners with more than twenty Israeli educational institutions to increase educational options for asylum-seekers that are devoted to their personal, professional and educational development. In addition, the ARDC assists with the application process for both universities and the scholarships that make college more feasible for asylum-seekers.
Students that have worked with the ARDC are studying a variety of subjects in both English and Hebrew, including African Studies, Agriculture, and Business Administration. Many refugees are interested in attending the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Sapir College, and certified online universities such as the Israeli Open University and the International University of the people.
In the first half of 2019, forty-one asylum-seekers have received university assistance from ARDC.
Tutoring Program
Our clients are able to enjoy tutoring services provided by volunteers at no cost––adding an additional layer to each of our branches of education. Locals, internationals, and asylum-seekers alike volunteer their time to give one-on-one lessons to asylum-seekers interested in learning a language that will help them adjust to life in Israel.
Topics include language classes,
preparation for pre-academic tests,
assistance with university materials,
and even DJing and graphic design
classes. It is a wonderful way for
members of the asylum-seeking
community to help one another, and
in the process, for others to build
friendships and personal acquaintances
with community members.
Over 68 matches have been made in a variety of subjects between tutors and students in 2019.