How does Shoham enable gifted young Ethiopian-Israelis to reach their potential?
Many young people from Israel’s Ethiopian community face significant barriers to success. Language gaps at home, financial hardship and exposure to higher levels of crime and instability often make it difficult for students to reach their academic potential. While many perform well in their early school years, far fewer go on to qualify for university compared to the wider Israeli population – limiting opportunities and trapping families in cycles of poverty.
Shoham was created to change that reality. Through an intensive six-year after-school programme, gifted and highly motivated Ethiopian-Israeli teens receive academic support, mentoring, cultural enrichment and life skills training designed to help them thrive. Meeting four times a week, participants are empowered to aim high – from elite army units to higher education and meaningful careers. The impact extends far beyond the students themselves, inspiring siblings, families and entire communities to believe in a different future and helping break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.
Every story matters
MEET TAMAR
Tamar was a naturally gifted mathematician and had been placed in the highest grouping for maths at her school. However, she was truant from school 50% of the time and the school had lost hope in her, subsequently moving her to the lowest maths group. Tamar was in ninth grade and on the verge of dropping out when Shoham offered her the opportunity to join their educational programme. She quickly demonstrated her aptitude for learning and would study hard for Shoham’s exams but there was a huge gap between her performance at Shoham and her performance at school where she continued to miss days and consequently received very low grades.
The dedicated staff at Shoham worked intensively with Tamar to improve her school attendance and make up the material she had missed, and they convinced her school to move her back to the highest maths group and provide additional academic support. They also introduced her to a huge range of books which led to a new found love of reading.
Shoham also introduced Tamar to classical music and took her to concerts, which she thoroughly enjoyed. They sent her to a computer programming class once a week and then took her on tours of high-tech companies such as Google, Mobileye and others. It opened up a world for her she never knew existed, and she decided she wanted a future in high-tech. In tenth grade, she began studying computing, excelled in the higher math group, and moved up to the highest group in English.
Tamar’s progress has been astounding and she has transformed herself from being on the verge of dropping out to being one of the top students in her class. Both Shoham and her school are confident Tamar will now excel in whatever she chooses to do in the future.
