Draft:Youth Renewal Fund
Submission declined on 11 December 2024 by DoubleGrazing (talk).
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
|  |
Comment: Primary sources do not establish notability per WP:ORG, and the few secondary ones don't provide significant coverage of YRF. DoubleGrazing (talk) 14:04, 11 December 2024 (UTC)
| Abbreviation | YRF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1989 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| 13-3641489 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3).[1] |
| Headquarters | New York |
CEO | Dr. Gil Pereg[2] |
Chairman | Marc Rowan[3] |
President | Paul Schnell |
| Website | https://youthrenewalfund.org/ |
Youth Renewal Fund
[edit]Youth Renewal Fund (YRF) is a non-profit organization that serves as the philanthropic and strategic funding partner for the Darca Schools Network in Israel. Established in 1989, YRF's mission is to improve social mobility in Israel through educational innovations and investments in underserved communities.
Youth Renewal Fund is headquartered in the United States and works in partnership with the Darca Schools Network, which provides high-quality secondary education to Israeli students regardless of their ability, religion, birthplace, or socioeconomic status.
Through its partnership with Darca, the Youth Renewal Fund seeks to address Israel's significant achievement gap between rich and poor students, which threatens the country's predominantly knowledge-based economy. [4] Since 1989, Youth Renewal Fund has remained dedicated to leveraging education as a means to better quality of life and build a stronger, more prosperous Israel.
Darca Schools is consistently ranked among the top educational networks in Israel by the country’s Ministry of Education (MoE). [5]
History and Background
[edit]The Youth Renewal Fund was founded with the mission of closing educational gaps in Israel by providing resources and support to schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. The organization focuses on ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, have access to high-quality education and the tools needed to succeed.
The Youth Renewal Fund community was originally established in the northeast United States, and has since spread throughout the country. The organization’s first gala was held in New York City in 1990. In 2010, YRF officially launched a community hub in Los Angeles. In 2016, a community hub was established in Miami, and in 2021, another in Aspen, Colorado. Events are also held in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and other cities. YRF hosts various fundraising events and social engagement gatherings for its community, including annual galas, holiday celebrations, sports tournaments, educational speaking engagements, and more.
Partnership with Darca Schools
[edit]In 2014, Youth Renewal Fund and Darca Schools announced their strategic alliance. [6] As a result of this partnership, YRF committed to exclusively support the Darca Schools Network. Prior to this, Youth Renewal Fund allocated funds to various Israeli educational and intervention programs.
Youth Renewal Fund is based in the United States, and it is one of the network’s two largest philanthropic arms, along with the Azrieli Foundation. The network’s growth is also supported by other strategic and philanthropic partners, such as the Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation.
The Darca Model and Results
[edit]The Darca Schools model emphasizes academic achievement and the values of tolerance, democracy, and active participation in national and community life. Darca recognizes education as a tool to improve one’s life, community, and country.
Darca believes school principals are at the root of a school’s success. The network works to attract the most qualified principals and teachers. Through professional development opportunities, Darca focuses financial resources and guidance on enhancing each schools principal's and leading team’s ability to dream and drive success[7].
Darca Schools has grown significantly since its inception, now managing 48 schools in 23 cities with over 3,000 teachers and serving close to 30,000 students. Among these institutions are religious and secular schools, four Druze schools, one Arab school, and one Haredi school in Jerusalem. Darca also operates two innovative English learning centers serving students from different schools and ages, where Jewish and Arab students regularly meet and study English together.
Nationally, only 53% of Israeli students pass the Bagrut (the Israeli matriculation exam that makes them eligible for university, often compared to the College Board’s Advanced Placement tests[8]). In poor communities, that statistic drops to 37%. In wealthier communities, the statistic is higher. In Tel Aviv, for example, it is at 79.3%. In the 2023-2024 school year, Darca achieved an impressive 93% passing rate. Darca students are not only outperforming their peers and the national average, but they are also achieving at the same or higher rates as students in communities with far greater resources and far more money.
Impact of October 7th and the Israel-Hamas War
[edit]The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has caused destruction and trauma to many Darca schools and their communities. Approximately 50% of Darca students and teachers live within the most heavily war-torn areas of the country. As of November 2024, 63 Darca students and alumni have been murdered or killed in battle and one graduate, Omer Wenkert, has been held hostage in Gaza since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023[9].
In response to the October 7th attacks and the ongoing war, Youth Renewal Fund launched its Israel Emergency Campaign. The Israel Emergency Campaign received an outpouring of support and raised $3.6 million. The funds were allocated to welfare support for families experiencing severe loss; emotional and psychological counseling for students and staff experiencing trauma; technology infrastructure and access to support remote learning; and substitute educators to stand in for those displaced by the war[10]
Future Plans
[edit]The Youth Renewal Fund and Darca Schools continue to expand their reach and impact. Plans for the future include increasing the number of schools under management, further developing leadership training programs, and extending their successful models to other underserved communities both within Israel and globally. The ongoing commitment to educational excellence and equity remains at the core of their mission.
YRF and Darca also remain committed to supporting its staff and students in coping with the increased psychological and emotional effects of the ongoing war. Additionally, in preparation for the post-war period, YRF and Darca aim to equip staff and students with valuable skills and tools to overcome future hardships and succeed in their personal and professional lives.
References
[edit]- ^ "Exemption Requirements - 501(c)(3) Organizations". IRS. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Dr. Gil Pereg, who heads the Darca Schools Network, is determined to smooth out the "15 percent" gap between the schools in the periphery and the center of Israel". Darca Schools. September 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Apollo Global Management". Apollo. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Goldlist-Eichler, Hayah (August 17, 2015). "Darca education system thriving across the country". The Jerusalem Post.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Datal, Lior. "The Top High School Networks in Israel: Ministry of Education Rankings Revealed" (PDF). Darca.Org. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Youth Renewal Fund and Darca Form Strategic Alliance to Create "YRF Darca" Anniversary of Successful Education Reform". eJewishPhilanthropy. June 24, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Jaffe-Hoffman, Maayan (October 14, 2021). "Israeli school system suffering from 'major leadership crisis' - Israel News - The Jerusalem Post". Retrieved December 12, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Blass, Nachum (May 2014). Bagrut Exams: Issues and Recommendations for Reform (PDF).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Taken captive: Omer Wenkert, suffers from autoimmune condition | The Times of Israel". The Times of Israel. November 21, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "YRF Israel Emergency Campaign | Youth Renewal Fund". Youth Renewal Fund. October 10, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External Links
[edit]- Youth Renewal Fund.org (Official Website)
- YRF on YouTube
- YRF on Facebook
- Darca Schools (Official Website)
- in-depth (not just brief mentions about the subject or routine announcements)
- reliable
- secondary
- strictly independent of the subject
Make sure you add references that meet all four of these criteria before resubmitting. Learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue. If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia.