“I arrange batteries and am proud to be here; really proud to be here!” says Shanni. Her face is beaming and the pride is evident. She is a soldier in uniform; a contributing member of society.
As Adva Suderi, a social worker for the project, explains, ”They were in special education schools. They felt like failures. And suddenly they reach the age when everyone else joins the army and their gates are closed. They can’t join. This project allows them to join the army, to contribute, to give from themselves. Just like everyone else.”
The service is done in a supportive and helpful atmosphere, with the soldiers returning every day to their housing structures, which are located near the military base where they serve. The apartments are spacious and equipped at a high level. All soldiers take part in housekeeping and share cooking and cleaning chores.
This helps them develop independence and the skills needed to take an active part in a social environment. Additionally, each member of the group gets individual plans for personal advancement as well as workshops for enrichment, culture and leisure (such as computers, sport, theater, arts and more.)
Throughout the project, the soldiers are accompanied by experienced and dedicated professionals, who invest much energy and heart into this special unit of soldiers. The team consists of psychologists, social workers and instructors, who give skillful guidance in addition to generous bursts of love and joy.
Col. Ariel Almog notes what is most important about the project he has founded, ”For some this is the first time they leave their house and have to deal with sleeping away, in a military base. They get basic training, learn about the values of the IDF, tour the country and get to know it. Maintaining human dignity; this is what we do here every day.”
What happens when the three years are up?
The soldiers, who complete their military service, move on to the next stage in which they are integrated at workplaces within the area of the hostel. In one recent example, ten soldiers were integrated at a soap factory in the area, and learned to take the bus by themselves to the workplace and back.
A few months ago, the association “Lend a Hand to a Special Child”(an organization established in 2005 by a group of parents with special needs children) joined the project with the purpose to increase the scale of the project and to market it to thousands of young people, who are suitable for the program and are unaware of its existence.
As Rabbi Mendi Belinitzki, CEO of Yad Layeled Hameyuchad, explains, “The Great in Uniform project starts in the army but doesn’t end there. We can clearly see how afterwards it leads to a better integration into the society, the community and the workforce. The Lend a Hand to a Special Child foundation will expand the project so that G-d willing, thousand more teenagers throughout the country will be able to join the project.”