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Each morning, students from 1st through 6th grades in 12 neighboring elementary schools come to the Jaffa Institute for enrichment classes in mathematics, Hebrew, history, Jewish culture, and social studies. The classes are designed to complement and enhance the children's regular school curriculum. As such the Jaffa Institute staff coordinates with local school administrators and teachers to tailor the enrichment classes to meet the needs of the students. Throughout the school year, the staff focuses on various themes such as democracy, cooperation, drug prevention, environmental conservation, cultural awareness, and non-violence through the use of creative techniques such as computers, dramatics, and arts and crafts. Thousands of children participate in the Learning Enrichment Center every year, at both the Institute's Main Activity Center, and at the Schatten-Fishbein Childcare Center.
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 On and About Drugs: Computer Integrated Drug Prevention Program - As is the case in all of Israel's poorer neighborhoods, drugs are highly visible to the children of Jaffa. Therefore, Jaffa Institute staff devotes professional attention to teach children how to say "no". This past year the Institute dispensed its newly upgraded computerized, multimedia anti-drug program to thousands of children. In the program, children are confronted with animated drug dealers, peer pressure from friends, and situations in which a family member has a drug problem. Following each computer session, the group participates in discussions on how to develop the skills needed to avoid dangerous drug-related situations and where the children express why drugs are harmful. For adolescence, the age group most susceptible to peer- pressure, the Jaffa Institute developed a "booster" drug prevention program composed of six interactive animated computer lessons and group work which picks up where On and About Drugs leaves off.
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 Violence Prevention Program - For over five years, the Jaffa Institute has been administering its highly effective Violence Prevention Program to at-risk children who live in Jaffa and South Tel Aviv. Through the use of multimedia software combined with group work intervention exercises, the program teaches adaptive social learning skills to curb and prevent occurrences of violent behavior among the high risk and extremely disadvantaged youth in our service area.
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 Modeled after the success of our Say No To Drugs interactive workshops, the program consists of 10 meetings - each approximately two hours long - where third grade students learn about the triggers and diffusers of violent contact. As a holistic approach to help individuals deal with violence, the program confronts the children with many situations where they may be tempted to use violence while checking each child's preparedness to deal with the situation at hand. The ultimate goal of the program is to reduce instances of violence in schools, playgrounds, and, as the children grow older, the streets.
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Cultural Awareness Program - The Knowing Jaffa Program teaches over 700 4th grade students about their city's rich history through audio visual aids and field trips. Trips to historical landmarks and parks help to illuminate both the changes and consistency in Jaffa's architecture and landscapes. Counselors stress both Jewish and Arab historic and cultural backgrounds which increase the children's mutual understanding and encourage a shared history and responsibility toward the city of Jaffa.
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 Computer Center and Audio Visual Learning Laboratory - As the majority of families in Jaffa do not have computers in their home, the Jaffa Institute computer labs are open throughout the day to Jaffa children. Under the supervision of professional staff, hundreds of children study Hebrew grammar, mathematics, and science, using special educational software programs unavailable in their schools.
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The Audio Visual Learning Laboratory is an excellent medium for teaching current events, safety classes, cultural history, and Jewish traditions. The Lab also serves as a language laboratory, coordinated with the computer education program, and provides hundreds of 3rd and 4th graders with additional lessons in Hebrew grammar and reading comprehension.
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My Green Jaffa, Our Green World - introduces 4th and 5th grade elementary students to basic principles of environmental conservation by addressing environmental awareness and responsibility. The ten-session program uses examples from everyday life, as program staff stress appreciation for the environment, care for Israel's fragile ecosystem, and the importance of preserving green spaces. Children brainstorm community action ideas and then go out into the streets to enact their environmental protection projects. Projects ranged from cleaning a local park, to re-planting flowers, to making recycling bins.
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