Repair the World has announced that it will enhance its service efforts in Israel, bolstering existing programs and working to increase the number of North Americans who participate in longer terms of service. The work is made possible in part by a $215,000 grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation and an $80,000 grant from The Morningstar Foundation.

In 2011, Repair’s support enabled 450 North Americans to take part in service opportunities in Israel. These latest grants will allow Repair to more than double that number to 1,000 by 2013 and support opportunities for North Americans and Israelis to serve together throughout the world. A particular area of focus will be placing American young adults into volunteer roles in which they teach English to school-aged children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn English. English language skills are viewed as critical to social mobility in Israel. Ambivalence by American young adults toward Israel will also be addressed through this work.

In the coming months, Repair will identify the strategic direction and partners for this initiative while also bolstering its current work with Israel-based programs which will include a range of organizations such as MASA: Israel Journey, the Jewish Agency for Israel and other NGOs. In partnership with the Jewish Agency, Repair will also conduct in-depth research about service-learning participants in Israel.