The Darna Safe Home for At-Risk Youth is an Israeli boarding school like no other. Darna takes in emotionally scarred youth who have suffered violence and neglect, resorting to aggression and a life of crime – and who are sent there under court orders or by the Social Welfare Ministry – and offers them one last chance to escape what often seems like a predetermined path.
Established in 2015, the Darna Association is the brainchild of Tomer Bohadana and Udi Gelbard, successful entrepreneurs coming from totally different backgrounds.
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Bohadana became one of the symbols of the 2006 Second Lebanon War for making the "V" sign as he was rushed off the battlefield after being seriously wounded in the fighting.
A graduate of a boarding school himslef, Bohadana brings to the project his own firsthand experience of what it is like to grow up in a cold institutional environment. After his close encounter with death, he decided to dedicate himself to changing the lives of at-risk youth by starting a different type of boarding school – one that would offer them a true chance at starting over.
"The youth who come here lack a sense of belonging, of continuity. A boy who enters a boarding school where everything is preset and defined feels as if he is an insignificant part of something bigger, a product on an assembly line in a factory," he said.
"A sense of belonging is an integral part of emotional health. Darna tries to create a sense of belonging and continuity for each of our boys."
Gelbard was the CEO of a leading venture capital company. After selling the company, he decided to study education and delved into the civic sector, where he quickly learned that in order to succeed, one must relate to and fight for each and every child as an individual.
"When I retired from the capital market I went to work in several boarding schools as a teacher and counselor. I didn't always like what I saw and decided that I wanted to establish a place that would function differently, that would relate to the youth with a more personal and humane approach, giving them the feeling of a home," he said.
The staff at Darna wages a daily battle to change the future of the youth staying there, they explained.
"When the system gives up, we are here to fight for the future of each individual child. Darna gives each teen a chance to change his path in life."
According to Bohadana, "A boarding school is an enterprise that deals with money, procurement and priorities. Setting up a good educational institute requires good educators and administrators. The food must be tasty, the rooms pleasant, comfortable and clean, the teaching staff, counselors, therapists, cooks and housekeeping staff have to be highly skilled and suited for the job.
The school, they said, sees itself as an intensive care unit, seeking "to give intensive attention to the body and soul and to generate success, a form of rebirth. We regard each boy as a world of his own, teaching him to believe in himself and his surroundings and to experience success, often for the first time in his life."
Darna's philosophy places the emphasis on the personal approach. The boys are embraced with love, given comfortable living conditions, tasty meals and above all, they are given the feeling of being related to as individuals – not as a group. At the same they boys are required to follow a strict set of behavioral rules.
Darna invests extensive resources, adapting a personal program for each youth to ensure their progress. The teachers at Darna are dedicated to seeing all students successfully complete at least 10 years of schooling, with the aim of seeing them continue on and achieving a full matriculation certificate or professional diploma.
The boys are also offered a wide array of extracurricular activities, such as biking with volunteers from the community, surfing, taking care of horses and challenging field trips. They learn to overcome personal hardships, how to cooperate with their friends, and to contribute to society by guiding autistic children who come for therapeutic horse riding, as well as by volunteering at a farm for rehabilitating animals that have been violently abused.
Recently, the boarding school moved into a spacious building at the Rupin Campus, which was built according to Darna's needs.
Bohadana serves as director of the boarding school and Gelbard is the fulltime chairman of the executive board on a voluntary basis.
The new boarding school offers an excellent basis to change the future for more youth, but also requires greater maintenance, management and fundraising efforts, prompting Darna to launched a crowdfunding campaign.
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The money raised will help them employ the best possible staff, continue funding special therapy programs and complete the equipping of the new building.
"The mission we have undertaken to change the future of these youth," Bohadana said. "We all know how expensive it is to raise a baby. We are raising 24 children who require extensive financial investment to ensure their success."
To donate to Darna, click here.
