During the summer of 2006, as the security crisis in the south peaked, spearheaded by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, all Canadian Federations embarked a joint strategic effort in support of Sderot, as part of the Israel Emergency Campaign.

UIA Canada (known in Israel as Magbit Canada or the Magbit) defined the development of high-attendance youth programs as its main goal and providing a suitable response to the youth’s needs. The process was based on continuous dialogue and a convergence of interests by all the city’s agencies involved in providing youth activities, in parallel with the close cooperation and coordination of the instructional teams in the field.

As a result, the Canadian Federations led by Toronto, became the leading element in the creation of a safety net for those youth in the city, who for whatever reasons, failed to function in their family units. This exceptional and unwavering support by UIA led to the creation of a holistic and integrative system, supporting the youth in various frameworks; responding to a range of needs. In practice, each youngster received an individualized plan that created a support network and included:

• Excellence programs for youth at risk
• Programs treating children, youth and parents suffering from trauma
• Programs encouraging the relocation of young people to Sderot, in cooperation with Sapir College and the Youth Centre
• Respite programs, mainly during vacations and holiday times
• Construction of a Kassam-proof second floor in Sderot’s Community Centre, allowing for the continuation of community activities regardless of the security situation

ACHIEVEMENTS

Championed by UIA, the Canadian Federations succeeded in creating meaningful change in a relatively short timeframe:

• Coordinator on the ground: Magbit Canada's coordinator, Eddy Azran, carries out daily inspections of the youth programs. With his help and with a top quality team guiding and instructing the youth long-term, we were able to successfully create an informal activity framework, which is consistent and stable. The consistent and regular running of any youth program is important, but in the case of Sderot, it is critical when trying to generate a normative environment for the youngsters.
  
• Round table: As a result of the promotion, formulation and implementation of joint processes, a trusting and synergetic relationship has been created – a relationship necessary for the Magbit’s operations in Sderot.
  
  The round table’s mandate now includes overseeing the entry of all new youth programs to Sderot, in order to determine the needs in the field as well as determining the needs of funding entities. It was also decided that the round table will respond to the problem of commuters (students who commute daily to schools outside Sderot).
• Consolidation of Youth Programs: There are three main agencies in Sderot that are active in the field of youth at risk, leading to an overlap of efforts in several areas – the Elem Organization's "Hafuch al Hafuch" program, the Gvanim Association's "Tachlit" program and government's youth development program. In response to the overlapping of efforts, Magbit Canada's coordinator formulated and presented a joint plan, which has been implemented in Sderot as a pilot of the Schmidt Report, for the handling of youth at risk. A collaborative framework for the treatment of youth at risk was agreed upon, as was the transference of authority to the Welfare Division of Sderot. The government will take financial responsibility for most of the activities for the next four years, freeing up CAD 60,000 for other youth activities in Sderot.
• The Ethiopian Community: Within Sderot's Ethiopian communities, several organizations were active, each one working on its own. Magbit Canada's coordinator mapped the community and led a process which resulted in the formulation of a joint plan, involving the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) and Magbit Canada.
• Cooperation – Organizational & Municipal: At the beginning of 2009, a process led by the round table and Magbit Canada resulted in the formulation of three objectives aimed at making all youth related operations more efficient: - Consolidation of resources in the handling of the Ethiopian youth and community - Consolidation of resources and more efficient operation of youth development and handling of youth at risk. - Development of a strategic relationship with Sderot's elected administration.

CHALLENGES

Despite the impressive achievements in both organizational efficiency and levels of service provided to Sderot’s residents, there are still significant challenges to be dealt with:

• The recent improvement in security measures caused many donors and partners to abandon Sderot. The drastic and unexpected cut of financial assistance, done in an abrupt and disorganized manner, has created new anxieties and a situation where much experience, equipment, and massive investment is laid waste. The renewal of projects in the future will entail enormous reinvestment as everything will have to start from scratch. All this can destroy the positive momentum that was generated in Sderot.
• Engaging the municipality to assume responsibility over certain services such as: rent, utilities, taxes and maintenance of structures, whereby freeing up donor’s investment for programming
• Securing matching funds from other resources, i.e. non-profit organizations and the municipality, in order to leverage the continuation of activities and initiate a process which would result in the transference of authority to the municipality