A Hessed Unit is a neighborhood youth group that sets up and leads its own regular giving activity in its neighborhood — guided by youth counselors (known in SAHI as “chiefs”) and a supportive adult team.
Every week the unit heads out on a mission of giving: finding people in need, delivering food anonymously, visiting isolated elderly people and Holocaust survivors, renovating homes, running activities to prevent the social exclusion of children, and more.
In addition, national projects that have already become traditions take place throughout the year, such as “I'm Your Brother,” which promotes unconditional love between people in the days before Tisha B'Av; “A Meaningful Independence,” which thanks the generation that founded the state; and “My Brother – the Hero,” which salutes IDF soldiers wounded in body and spirit.
The unit is built like a volunteer commando unit — with roles, ranks and uniforms that are awarded only after proving commitment. This structure creates unit pride and long-term commitment.
Giving leads to personal growth and leadership development. Teens learn to open their eyes to the needs of others, take initiative and lead meaningful action — and they develop a sense of meaning, belonging, capability and social responsibility that makes them a real force in their community.
SAHI's support doesn't end at 18.
We see our alumni as ambassadors of giving as a way of life. We keep accompanying them and encouraging them to go on giving in their adult lives, wherever they go.
Many of our alumni continue to volunteer, and see SAHI as a meaningful part of their identity. Some join the organization's national activity as counselors and educators — passing the values on to the next generation.
The organization also supports alumni as they face the challenges of life after 18 — military service, studies and employment — and provides ongoing support and empowerment.
A gap year of service for SAHI alumni before their military or national service, in partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation.
The year lets alumni continue on the path of giving they began in their unit, while developing personal leadership and taking another step toward adult life. The program is built on three core components:
A year of service centered on giving and connecting to the community, through wide-ranging volunteering for communities and neighborhoods across Jerusalem — including communities that other service-year programs have not reached, such as special-education schools and kindergartens across the city.
An integral part of the year's training program is building leadership skills, enrichment studies to broaden horizons, and preparation for participants' military or national service.
A strong emphasis on giving participants a toolkit of life skills to help them adjust and find their place — in adult life, in their military or national service, and at the many crossroads they will reach along the way.
As part of their leadership development, the organization runs young leadership training throughout the year — at both the regional and the national level — to deepen the teens' ability to lead and give them additional leadership tools and skills.
This model creates a long-term continuum in which teens aren't just participants in the program, but grow into community leaders, educators and staff members who pass the values and the way on to the next generation of participants. Over the years, many young leaders who grew this way have gone on to roles in education and community service, and many of them have returned to the organization as adults, in educational and leadership roles.
“SAHI is so much more than volunteering, and honestly — I don't know how I'll enlist and not keep coming like I do now. I want to pass this on to the next generation. That's me: someone who moved to a new school in 10th grade and had no friends, and the kids in my class didn't make life easy for me — insults, fights, and from my side too — SAHI kept me from going downhill, from getting lost. SAHI is also part of the reason I didn't drop out of school.”
N., program alumnaWhether you'd like to join as a teen, volunteer as an adult, or support our work — we'd love to hear from you. You can also email us.
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