Empowering Israel’s Children to Dream Since 1976 ITECenters.org
THE NEED
Israel’s will is strong, but its conflicts are many; phyiscal and existential threats heighten stress levels and exacerbate personal and familial hardships.
Children are the most vulnerable and are often impacted disproportionately; 32% of children in Israel live in poverty.
THE PURPOSE THE WAY
ITEC’s mission is to strengthen communites that have been underseved and build a more unified and peaceful Israel. Our youth development programming embraces and empowers children from all religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, as well as abilities.
Tennis! We use the sport of tennis to mentor and teach life lessons, giving children the opportunity to create lasting friendships, build self-esteem, dream big and live their best lives.
THE TENNIS CENTER IS A BIG PART OF MY FAMILIY, AND ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I BELONG AND AM NEVER ALONE.
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- Noya, Girls’ Empowerment Program participant
BECAUSE OF ITEC, I HAVE LEARNED TO ALWAYS WORK HARD, BE POSITIVE AND GIVE BACK TO OTHERS.
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- Inbar, High Performance Program participant
ITEC POST OCTOBER
7TH SUPPORTS
Whereas most places shut down after October 7th, ITEC reinvented itself as a network of community hubs for families to gather and find essential services. Even more than tennis, our centers provide unique opportunities for socialization with friends, adult mentorship, and moments of normalcy and joy.
Leveraging nearly 50 years of experience, ITEC knows how to adapt to changing times and meet the needs of Israeli children now and in the future.
600 children have received counseling 1
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1,500 check-ins over the phone & in-person with children & families
1,750 total hours of mental health support via zoom & phone calls
160 vouchers & 100 food packages provided to families
35,000 km driven in ITEC’s Emergency Vehicle to help families across Israel
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600 children received toys, outside of Oasis of Joy
OASIS OF JOY
The center is open six days a week during the critical out of school time, allowing the children to play tennis, socialize with friends, speak with adult mentors, and, most importantly, find moments of normalcy and joy during these extremely stressful times.
After October 7th, ITEC extended our services to our wider community through our Oasis’ of Joy. Space inside the centers was converted into community areas to offer warm food, toys, board games, crafts, and entertainment. 10 Oasis’ have been created thanks for generous sponsorships from donors, resulting in 3,000 the Oasis’, many who would not have otherwise done so without the new program.
@israeltenniseducationctrsfdn @IsraelTennis EMPOWER CHILDREN. TRANSFORM ISRAEL. ITEC is a not-for-profit, section 501(c)(3) EIN: 13-2961273 ITECenters.org LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR STORIES OUR IMPACT OUR EVENTS FOLLOW US!