ByHADASSAH BRENNER

The US Embassy in Israel has awarded the organization, HaGal Sheli (My Wave), which brings together at-risk youth to surf, a grant of NIS 70,000 to support its Young Mentors Program. The embassy's department of public diplomacy invests in civil society and educational projects that aid Israeli citizens.

The department visited HaGal Sheli on Tuesday, where they received a surfing lesson, and heard a panel, led by Elias Saba, an Arab instructor at the organization's Jaffa site, along with the organization's CEO and founder, Yaron Waksman, and participant testimonials. The US Embassy Public Diplomacy Section of the US Embassy: (left to right) Jessica Tesoriero, Nicole Colameta, Elias Saba, Dunia Kahlul, Omer Benziony, Yaron Waksman, Alison Brown (Photo Credit: HaGal Sheli).
 
"HaGal Sheli and the Young Mentors Program, in particular, implement values ​​that the embassy wants to promote, including shared citizenship, diversity, empowerment and providing opportunities for all Israeli citizens wherever they are, through fun and unique sports activities connected to the sea, which is a key resource in Israel," said Alison Brown, the embassy's deputy cultural attaché. 

HaGal Sheli brings disadvantaged teenagers from all walks of Israeli society - Arabs and Jews, religious and secular, etc.- in a surfing program intended to educate and provide them with the tools they need to succeed in life.

"We operate out of the belief that creating a positive environment and a sense of belonging, while using the therapeutic elements of the sea, will provide the participants with a real opportunity to ‘catch a wave’, on their way to a better life," the organization boasts.
 

The Young Mentors Program trains graduates to become mentors and certified instructors who, in-turn, can help younger participants in the Lighthouse Program, which teaches life-lessons through surfing experiences, and the Al Hagal business that offers workshops and surfing. They undergo an assistant instructor's course at the Wingate Institute.

"We see every day the tremendous value created here in hard and strenuous work. Together we prove that there are other possibilities, and despite challenges and disagreements, in the end we are all equal and we all have a place," Waksman said.

"I thank the representatives of the US Embassy for their support of this important project. Support, beyond its financial significance, is an expression of trust in our path for at-risk youth and in our ability to promote proactive processes for all youth in the country," Waksman expressed his appreciation.