Last December a unique program began operating at the Yachad Modiin elementary school. The program is designed to encourage and advance children with different needs through animal therapy in an animal center. The program runs with the assistance and support of ESRA.

Michal Bar - Hirschfeld, the main animal therapist, says that at the initial stage the educational and therapeutic team decided to divide the children into groups according to issues, in order to address needs such as family crises, emotional problems, social difficulties, behavioral difficulties and so on.
The animal corner room was built taking into consideration the right animals for the conditions in the room. Animals were selected to symbolize the various issues, i.e. the family of rabbits helps expose and deal with problems in the family, the social relations between the gerbils are used to help children explore their relationship with their environment, and the lizards and stick insects teach the children an important lesson in being gentle and moderating aggression.

The room soon became the focus of interest in the school. During recess, many children of all ages come to visit the animals and a significant multi-age meeting point has been created.  The children can now accurately explain about each animal – its habitat, what it eats, what it does and how the room works. Says School Principal, Lisa Levy: "The children say that the room is an important place for them, and we receive feedback from parents that their children will not miss their time slot with Michal in the room. Even parents and teachers who were reluctant at first about the idea, have undergone a process of change in their approach to the animals on the basis of one visit to the room. Something magical happens in that room that cannot happen anywhere else."
Michal talks about some of the unique qualities in the work with the animals: "The animals help to create a connection between the members of the therapy group. They 'break the ice', and constitute a topic of conversation so that the therapy is less threatening to the children and they feel comfortable to communicate and collaborate in the room. Some children in the groups experience difficulty in creating social relationships as a result of the fact that their relationships with those around them are affected by external appearance, prejudice, peer pressure, mood swings. But animals do not judge children by their shape, dress or manner of speech. Children receive from animals much love and unconditional acceptance. In school, children sometimes experience frustration in their communication with their surroundings, but with the animals they have experiences of success and control which add to their confidence. Some children in the group find it difficult to cope with boundaries and rules. In their communications with animals, children receive immediate feedback on their actions which enables them to practice and improve their communication skills with the animals and later with their peers and those around them." Michal says that for children who are coping with various problems, the contact and communication with animals are a good experience and are accompanied by a feeling of success.

Thanks to ESRA, the first steps have been taken towards the establishment of a larger animal center at the Yachad Modiin - Gvanim educational campus. This will enable many more children to enjoy being with animals, and will also contribute significantly to the integration of the Yachad children with the Gvanim special education school children, and will strengthen the integration program that operates on the campus.

Alon More is the executive director of the Yachad Modiin Association.