Social and recreational activities for persons with disabilities and their families
- Solution
- SAME (Skills Activity Mediation Environment)
- Organization
- Shekulo Tov Group
- Country of Implementation
- Israel
- Region
- Asia & Pacific
- Subregion
- MENA
- Start Year
- 2005
- First published
- 10.02.2023
Solution details
“Over 9,000 recreational activities every year promote social inclusion and reduce loneliness.” Offer Cohen, CEO, Shekulo Tov Group
In 2005 the Shekulo Tov Group, a major service provider in Israel, launched SAME (Skills, Activity, Mediation, Environment), a large-scale and government-funded social and recreational programme for persons with disabilities. SAME aims to give its beneficiaries a maximum choice with regards to skills training, activities, support, and the environment they want to be in. Activities are held online and in-person, and they include recreational activities like movies and shows to skills trainings. In 2021 and 2022, SAME provided services for over 3,000 beneficiaries.
Problems Targeted
In many cases there is a lack of diverse social and recreational activities for persons with disabilities and their families.
Solution, Innovation and Impact
SAME reaches thousands of participants across Israel with activities and services – offered in both Hebrew and Arabic – that consider different disabilities, cultural backgrounds, ages, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Shekulo Tov Group encourages broad participation by offering SAME activities through multiple channels: in-person – through recreational centres across the country, including in remote areas – and online. Events range from movies and theatre shows to skills training like on how a achieve a healthy lifestyle and digital proficiency. In 2019, Shekulo Tov Group launched MYWAY, a mobile application that allows users to see and filter all the activities available around them. In 2020 the organization developed ALLGOOD, a website offering recreational and educational content such as courses and workshops. Both are in line with the core principles of SAME, ranging from encouraging independence to reducing loneliness. Service users are involved in designing SAME programme activities and managing the centres where they are provided, thereby contributing to service improvement.
Funding, Outlook and Transferability
The SAME programme is funded by The Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs (Sababa) and the Ministry of Health (Yalla and Sawa), as well as with funds from the Shekulo Tov Group itself. Over the next five years the programme aims to further expand its offering of social and recreational activities, reach more participants in remote areas of Israel, and cater to new population groups. The nationwide activities of SAME are managed by the social division of Shekulo Tov and has more than 100 employees.
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Life Story
THE STORY OF FAKHRIYA ZAYED, PARTICIPANT IN THE SAME MODEL PROGRAMME
“Today, I know how to express myself, and I claim my rights without fear.”
My name is Fakhriya Zayed and I am 37 years old. I have a psychosocial disability and receive services from Sawa, a SAME Model programme designed and adapted for the Arabic-speaking society in Israel. In SAME, I enjoy a wide range of activities. The support I receive is face-to-face and via WhatsApp. SAME also offers Arabic online workshops where I meet people from all over the country and am exposed to different fields of knowledge. Through either of these channels, the main thing is that the coordinator is interested in me and my well-being and cares about me. I prefer those activities that include discussions and self-expression. I feel I am in a safe place for sharing, and it has strengthened my self-confidence. I also enjoy recreation days. In SAME the amount of support changes according to progress. Today, I no longer need reminders and encouragement because I have found my inner drive. The greatest gift I received from SAME is my life partner, Amer. We met at a social activity, got married, and went on an overnight trip organized by SAME. I started using the service in 2018. Today, I know how to express myself, my desires, and my opinions, and I claim my rights without fear.
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