Green Horizons’ Outdoor Leisure Program
Green Horizons offers outdoor leisure activities for youth in grades 5 through 12. The program offers a variety of activities, including challenging hikes and informal lectures about the country. All of our activities are designed to promote self-confidence, social responsibility, leadership skills and a connection to nature and the Land of Israel.
The teenagers who enroll in the program are organized in small groups of 10 – 15 participants, which remain together over the years. Each group is facilitated by one or two guides with the guiding staff consisting of counselors who completed the Green Horizons leadership program, guides in their National Service Year as well as adult guides.
The groups meet once a week in school facilities to acquire theoretical knowledge in map- reading, botany, geology, history and topography, which prepares them for outings. Once a month the teenagers undertake a two-day hike, usually in the area where they live. During school vacations the groups leave, together with adult guides, for longer treks and camps all around Israel.
The hikes take place in simple, close-to-nature conditions: walking on foot, carrying the gear on the back, sleeping under the stars and cooking meals on bonfires. The children are actively encouraged to be adventurous and to explore unmarked trails relying on the skills and judgment they have acquired.
Through the close contact with nature and the land, teenagers connect with their country, environment and themselves. The adventures they live create concerned and responsible citizens who volunteer for the State and Society with the values that have been instilled in them.
After the 12th grade, the teenagers can participate in the young leadership program that prepares them to guide Green Horizons groups by themselves. The overwhelming majority of Green Horizon graduates go on to serve in the Israeli army with many of them assuming leadership roles. Moreover, there is a long tradition of Green Horizons graduates being actively involved in social and civic initiatives
Green Horizons reaches out to youth from all the various social sectors and communities in Israel. The organization is divided into six regional branches that are located throughout the country. Currently, we have more than 2,000 participants.
With the help of JNF, Green Horizons offers its activities free of charge in Israel’s economically weaker periphery, so teenagers from all social backgrounds can benefit from the program.
Click here to help sponsor Green Horizons activities in the periphery.
