Mifalot Education and Society

Mifalot Education and Society is active in 250 Jewish and non-Jewish communities nationwide in Israel, mostly in the communities that have long remained on the margins of Israeli society and borne the burden of social and economic inequalities. It reaches more than 20,000 children ages 3-21 through eight different sport-for-social change programmes. These not only provide free equipment and coaching, but also citizenship and values education, enabling youth as local change agents and collaborative team leaders.

In its earliest days, Mifalot sought to bring some of Israel’s most renowned and influential football stars into direct interaction and mentorship with disadvantaged youth, and has trained and used thousands of coaches, chosen based upon educational criteria and commitment to social equality, to work with its youth. As the programmes target marginalized communities, it is critical for Mifalot to fully mobilize local support networks to sustain the goals of the sport and education programmes. Therefore, Mifalot engages local small and medium enterprises to sponsor youth teams, which encourages local economies and provides a mechanism for the private sector to champion the next generation.

Mifalot's local partners usually finance 50% of the activities in their respective regions, and municipal authorities express eagerness to cooperate under such a scheme since the costs are lower than public sport and education programmes. This is largely due to Mifalot’s use of highly-motivated young coaches and staff who serve on a rotating basis. Since its inception Mifalot has provided mentoring, sport and education programming to about 150,000 children and at-risk youth in Jewish and non-Jewish communities, as well as children and adults with special needs. Mifalot’s activities have been exported to Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon and Haiti, with plans for expansion to other regions in the near future.