A day in the life of an Ayalim student

In this post, we will share with you a personal account of what it means to be an Ayalim student:

"Being an Ayalim student means doing 10 things at once- studying, organizing activities, going to activities, thinking about the next event and at the end of the day inviting friends from the village for dinner. It means studying at college or university but mainly learning about the reality we live in.

If we walk around the Kiryat Shmona village on an average day it is likely we will see a few things: children in an activity at the family center- participating in music, cooking, art, international club, magic and more, at the Gymboree across the road we will see mothers with their young children doing activities together with a small group of students in a warm family atmosphere, we will see students with the children they tutor on the way to the basketball court or the student's house, and a student in a car picking up seniors to go to the coffee shop where they will enjoy coffee and an activity organized by local youth and the students.

Besides all the activities (and there are far too many to list here), life in the village is filled with activities for the students- trips, workshops, parties and culture evenings.

Being a student in Ayalim means sacrificing a lot- hours of sleep, free time, study time, but mostly gaining- community life, meaningful life, close friends who are a support system and of course a lot of fun and experiences that remind me every day why the not always simple choice of Ayalim is the right choice.

It is waking up in the morning in the most beautiful area in the country and seeing the gaps between the beauty and the neglect where we live. It means deciding to truly wake up, continue being active, try to close this gap and continue the progress that has already begun in the neighborhood.

Being a student in Ayalim means being excited about even the smallest developments and changes in the residents. It is knowing that we are part of a process and that the little pleasures will multiply and lead to change.

In my opinion, it is seeing the potential and the place we're trying to get to, in the local community and with new communities, not giving up and keep moving forward with joy and good energies."

Chen, Kiryat Shmona student village, psychology and education student at Tel Chai college