ABOUT THE HEBREW SCOUTS
The Hebrew Scouts Movement in Israel (Hebrew: תנועת הצופים העבריים בישראל, Tnuat HaTzofim HaIvriiem BeYisrael) is an Israeli Jewish co-ed Scouting and Guiding association with about 100,000 members. The Hebrew Scouts Movement is now the largest youth movement in Israel.
It is a member of the Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation, which is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). The Federation is an umbrella organization which includes six youth organizations from different communities and religions in Israel. The federation invests a lot of resources in order to promote joint activities, mutual respect and co-existing educational programs among the Hebrew, Arab, Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic and Druze Scouts.
The Hebrew Scouts Movment Established in 1919, and was the first Zionist youth movement in Israel and remains today the largest "National Youth Movement" in the country. The Tzofim is a non-political youth movement, famously known as the first egalitarian Scout organization in the world, where boys and girls participate together on an equal basis.
The Tzofim has a strategic plan and goals which implement Diversity and Inclusion, Social Activism, Sustainability and much more. The movement encourages all kids in Israel, religious and non-religious, kids with special needs, kids from big cities and from small rural towns from the periphery of the country, to become Scouts. The movement encourages its members to volunteer in the community, to help the elderly, help children and people in need and so forth, anything that the community requires, the Tzofim is there to help. The Tzofim educates its members to become good citizens and to be active and aware of social, economic, political and cultural issues pertinent to Israel and the world at large.
The informal education program of the movement emphasizes boys and girls youth leadership based on complete gender equality. The Scouting program includes boys and girls ages 10-18. At the age of 15, they participate in a leadership training program for a whole year. At the age of 16 they become the leaders of the young Scouts, under the supervision of a unit leader. All Scouting levels emphasize weekly activities, community service, camping and hiking. At the age of 18 the movement leads a year of service before the army (Shnat Sherut). About 500 high school alumni participate in one year of community service all around the country and abroad in different tasks and missions.
