S.H.A.L.E.M.
National Service for Adult Volunteering
About us
All around the world there is a growing recognition of the value and beneficial effects
of volunteering by seniors - beneficial both for the volunteer and for his community.
Indeed, desiring to continue leading a meaningful and productive life, retirees
constitute an an ever growing human resources reservoir at hand. By volunteering,
they benefit from enhanced self-respect and a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
They "feel needed"!
In Israel, this awareness led to the launching, by the Ministry of Education and
the Association for Community Centers, of the S.H.A.L.E.M. movement.
In Hebrew S.H.A.L.E.M. stands for – The National Service for Adults.
The Movement was founded in order to channel the talents, skills and experience
of retired Israelis into volunteer programs, designed to meet a wide range of
community and societal needs.
The S.H.A.L.E.M. objectives and the way to achieve them
Since its inception, S.H.A.L.E.M. has grown in response to societal changes,
while remaining true to its basic objectives:
- To instill volunteering as a culture, as a social norm.
- To help meet pressing community and educational needs.
As a grass roots voluntary movement, S.H.A.L.E.M. contacts citizens about to retire, and offers them membership and participation in a variety of volunteer missions, according to their abilities and wishes.
Potential volunteers are recruited mainly through retirement preparation seminars, held at various private and government workplaces, at which the participants become acquainted with S.H.A.L.E.M.'s activities and programs.
Today, the movement encompasses more than 4.500 volunteers, active in 80 volunteer centers opened throughout the country, mainly in peripheral towns -both Jewish and Arab.
Organizational structure
Built solely on the basis of individual volunteering, the movement is activated by the Department of Adult Education at the Ministry of Education and the Association for Community Centers.
Headed by a Board of Directors, the S.H.A.L.E.M. organization consists of a National Administration Office, a number of Topic Areas Coordinators (nationwide), and five Regional Offices operating through Community Coordinators.
These Regional Offices guide and supervise the running of the local Volunteer Centers in their respective region, and each such Center has its own coordinator and topic areas volunteer staff.
The spectrum of volunteer missions
The S.H.A.L.E.M. movement offers its members a broad spectrum of missions in diverse fields, based on local needs in each Center, such as:
- Filling organizational and administrative positions at the national, regional and community levels, as topic coordinators, recruiters, training coaches, etc.
- Closing social gaps through education - tutoring school-children and new immigrants, within the framework of schools and community centers.
- Assistance at schools, by providing teaching aides, libraries, and exercising violence reduction influence.
- Assistance within the framework of kindergartens.
- Assistance to teenagers at risk.
- Assistance to population with special needs - seniors living alone, handicapped or disabled persons.
- Road safety trustees at schools, neighborhoods, community policing.
- Health education and assistance at hospitals.
- Legal assistance and mediation (alternative disputes resolution) services.
- Programs offering consulting services and mentoring - by expert retirees - in the fields of industry, commerce, banking, accounting, household finances, etc.
- Relief work during emergencies.
Training and guidance program for S.H.A.L.E.M. volunteers
At S.H.A.L.E.M., volunteering is regarded as an area which requires a professional approach, just like any other profession. Therefore, the Organization places a strong emphasis on providing its members with ongoing orientation and training programs relevant to the role they fulfill, in line with the S.H.A.L.E.M. vision and mission.
At the national level, training is provided at the "Carmela Even-Ezra Center for Volunteering", established and made possible with the donation of the Even-Ezra family. The Center focuses on spreading the spirit and vision of volunteering, and on developing the professional skills of the volunteers. It also hosts national, regional and international conferences on volunteering issues. There are also various local training programs which are developed and implemented at the community level.
S.H.A.L.E.M. and the global volunteer community
Sharing the belief that "Age is just a number, while life is what you make of it" with many volunteer organizations throughout the world, S.H.A.L.E.M. strives to develop close contacts with such organizations and encourages cooperation and the exchange of information, ideas and knowledge.
Contact Details:
S.H.A.L.E.M, "Kiryat Ha'Zeyirim" Community Center
Shvtei Israel corner Beit Ha'shoeva Str., Ramat Ha'Sharon
P.O.Box 1726 Ramat Ha'Sharon
Tel. +972-(0)3-7600145
Fax: +972-(0)3-5407138
Email: Shalem@matnasim.org.il
