About Kivunim
Kivunim: New Directions for Special Needs Youth in Israel is a new organization which was founded in 2003 by and for disabled young people who are living with motor and sensory challenges, commonly Cerebral Palsy.
The main goals of New Directions are to advance and empower this at-risk but promising population through innovative programs that emphasize the capabilities and strengths of the youth, rather than focusing on their weaknesses.
To reach its goals, each New Directions program combines volunteer community service, academic, professional and/or life-skills learning, and an independent living component.
New Directions programming works to address the needs of this population, children, teens, and young adults who often suffer from lack of basic life skills and feelings of alienation, insecurity, and frustration at always being “different” and requiring the assistance of others.
Each New Directions project encourages independence and enables identity exploration and development by the disabled children and youth in settings with their own special needs peers, while always expecting them to live up to their full potential as actively contributing members of society.
With an emphasis on the celebration of diversity, New Directions programs are open to disabled young people from across the spectrum of Israeli society, regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic or religious affiliation.