Summary of the Embrace Programme, 2020 At the Israel Tennis Centers, children learn life skills that enable them to demonstrate adaptive, positive behaviour to deal effectively with the challenges and demands of everyday life. Towards this end, the “Embrace” Program is built on a foundational curriculum of 10 themes designed to teach methods of communication, socialisation, normative behaviour, team work and discipline. The recreational, sports and educational activities for each month focus on one of these themes, with an emphasis on setting personal goals, understanding rules and boundaries, taking personal responsibility, making the right decisions relevant to drugs and alcohol, developing patience and tolerance/acceptance of others, participating in sports and healthy living, developing trust and care, dealing with emotions and feelings, learning effective communication and coping with pressure. In addition, the children receive academic tutoring and homework help, promoting learning and study skills that lead to academic and ultimately personal success. Since COVID-19 had started, we have made several moves to keep in touch with the children: We have bought tablets for all our children at risk so that they can connect to social networks and Zoom activities. We maintained telephone contact through the managers and staff on the ITEC – Jaffa. We sent videotaped tennis training via WhatsApp and Facebook messages so that training could continue at home/in the yard/garden. We started a Zoom support group with a Social Worker. We plan to continue with the activity through the social networks and add lectures and additional activities this year in case we need to stay closed outside the tennis centers. Also, we intend to combine Chigong activity with Batsheva Mandel (President of the IC of Israel) to give Psychological Counselling if needed in ITEC – Jaffa, or by Zoom.
