OUR MISSION
To promote the development of social and emotional skills such as:
- effective communication,
- empathy and awareness of others,
- self-awareness,
- respect for diversity,
- reflection,
- team building,
- and the ability to make constructive decisions.
Research shows that when schools foster the development of these skills, they succeed in creating a caring and supportive environment, resulting in positive self-esteem, reduction in aggressive and violent behavior, understanding and appreciation, improved academic achievement, and overall well-being.
Our goal is to create these environments, thus enhancing our children’s lives socially, academically and ultimately professionally.
OUR APPROACH
The Kaleidoscope approach is integrated in a variety of programs called Kaleidoscope Initiatives that are implemented in Arab and Jewish communities throughout Israel and the world. These initiatives are composed of workshops for educators, parents, and children in all educational settings – nurseries, kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior and senior high schools. The Kaleidoscope formula includes experiential learning and processing that helps participants internalize their newfound skills. This formula helps them apply these skills to a variety of situations at home and at school, at work and at play with friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors with people of different, as well as similar cultural backgrounds.
OUR BACKGROUND
Founded in Israel in 1992 by its mother organization, The Rosh Pina Mainstreaming Network, Kaleidoscope has been adapted to serve children from early childhood through high school in Arab and Jewish sectors throughout Israel. At first, the approach concentrated its efforts on integrating children with special needs into the normative social activities of students of the general track. In light of the programs success, the approach was adapted to foster understanding between other groups of children – Arab and Jewish, religious and secular, and new immigrant and native Israelis.
The achievements of The Rosh Pina Mainstreaming Network have helped foster ongoing relationships and cooperative efforts with municipalities, educational authorities and pedagogic centers throughout Israel. Rosh Pina is proud to note that a cooperative effort has begun to develop with the Center for Social and Emotional Education and with the Bar Ilan University Lookstein Center for Education in the Diaspora.
Since its inception, approximately 30,000 children, parents and educators have participated in a variety of Kaleidoscope initiatives.