A call has been made throughout Israel, and a surge of students in need of English are hoping to receive help. The Israeli educational system begins teaching English in third grade, and many young Israeli children have not mastered the language with ease. Depending on the community they live in, and perhaps how much English music and television they are able to pick up, the most major issue seems to be that they simply have no one to speak to in English.
There are valuable programs which exist through organizations such as MASA , bringing hundreds of qualified students to volunteer to teach English in schools on the outskirts of the cities. Though Israel, and especially the big cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, can be considered universal places to feel comfortable to speak any language, it’s when one steps into the smaller communities where English learning begins to lack.
A new program, Give Me Five, hopes to encourage native English speakers to volunteer up to two hours per week to speak English with students, from kindergarten until high school. With a strong handle on a universal language, it can be a life changer to feel comfortable speaking and fly free with opportunity, better communication, and a multi-talented mind.