4 months after October 7thth Arab youth from East Jerusalem were playing against a Jewish team in a soccer tournament when the tragedy occurred.
The event was hosted by Equalizer, a nonprofit organization that provides a sense of purpose to boys and girls living on Israel's social or geographic margins.
The tournament, held at a stadium in Jerusalem, was no different from the hundreds of others that have been held since the organization's founding 15 years ago.
That's the point. The Equalizer takes its name from the goal that equalizes the scoreline, and is associated with people of all backgrounds, including secular Jews, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Christians, Bedouins, and Druze Arabs. We give underprivileged young people an opportunity to shine.
Within a few days from October 7thth, The youngsters took part in virtual training sessions via Zoom (originally produced by The Equalizer during the coronavirus pandemic) and within weeks were being coached on a pitch near the bomb shelter.
“We had managers who were evacuated, and they volunteered to go to hotels with evacuated families and start sports sessions with the children,” said Yaniv Kusevitsky, the group's director of finance and partnerships.
“After a couple of weeks, we started working with local authorities and building our team because we understood this was going to be for the long term.”
Kusevitsky transforms lives through soccer, helping children develop confidence to succeed on the field and thrive in school.
Although it's a far cry from the 10 years he spent as a helicopter pilot in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), he says many of the skills he learned, such as working under stress, teamwork, leadership and discipline, have come in handy.
10,000 children
Equalizer was founded in 2009 by 24-year-old Lilan Gerassi after seeing children smoking and drinking on the streets of Jerusalem and wondering if he could offer something to them.
He told them he was a soccer coach (though not entirely true) and that for every hour they were together on the field, he would help them with homework for an hour.
By the time Koussevitzki joined in 2019, the program had 3,000 young people participating, training with professional coaches twice a week after school, playing in tournaments, and providing social and educational support. I was participating in a session. Last year it was 10,000 people.
Equalizer works closely with schools and community centers in impoverished areas. They identify the young people who will benefit most from the confidence, resilience, and confidence that The Equalizer provides.
“We have a team of all backgrounds, which creates social cohesion,” Kusevitsky says. “They get together for tournaments, shake hands, warm up together. They wear the same shirts with the same logo. They're proud. They're part of the family. Last year they had 186 tournament and received the President's Award for volunteer work in promoting education, equality, and social change in Israel.”
take responsibility for the future
Since the October 7 massacre, the organization has taken on a special role, bringing soccer to thousands of children displaced by the war from the north and south of the country.
“One of the mothers from Sderot [the closest city in Israel to Gaza] I was exiled to Eilat,” Kusevitsky says. “She said that after what happened to her son, she was scared and didn't want to leave her room. The first time he was able to go outside was when the equalizer came. Ta.
“She said the last three months have changed his life. Playing soccer has given him back his confidence. For him and others, it gives him normalcy in a time of turmoil when he needs it most. That was important.
“We all feel more responsible for Israel's future than ever before. We have a mission and we feel we can have a huge impact on what the next generation of Israel will become.” Although we are very diverse socially, we need to find ways to live together and share the same basic values.”
Not just soccer
“The Equalizer'' isn't just for boys, and it's not just for soccer. Currently, there are 100 women's teams. Most of the people are playing soccer for the first time or have never seen a match, but that doesn't matter. They learn life lessons, learn about female empowerment, and have a lot of fun.
There are also men's and women's basketball programs (supported by Josh Harris, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team), and players are encouraged to explore Israel's high-tech world.
There are also programs for children on the autism spectrum and a “safe swimming” program for children with limited access to pools.
role model
Equalizer provides role models for children, says Kusevitsky, a 38-year-old Jaffa resident who was an avid basketball player in his youth.
He recalls that of the thousands of people who applied for his pilot course, 500 were selected and only 40 qualified.
“When we completed Flight Academy, we were able to invite people who influenced us to the awards ceremony,” he says.
“Seventy percent of the course participants brought a sports coach. That's their influence. The rest brought a teacher.”
There are some excellent players, including a player from southern Tel Aviv who made it to the Premier League, but Equalizer doesn't value winning.
“Even a kid who's not good at sports can become a captain for the first time in his life,” Kusevitsky says. “Kids with social issues suddenly start having friends, start talking, start empowering themselves.”
There are more kids who want to participate than there are slots available, but it comes down to funding.
The annual cost for each team is approximately $8,000, including hiring a professional coach, regional manager, and instructor.
One-third of the funding comes from government, one-third from donors and one-third from local authorities and schools. Last year, 500 teams participated. They were supposed to have 600 men, but the war in Gaza intervened.
“We believe we can reach 1,000,” Kusevitsky said.
measuring success
How does The Equalizer measure success? “We have specific goals for every program. Operationally, for example, if a boy or girl attended 60 sessions in a year; It’s easy to measure if you’ve played in five regional tournaments.”
Impact goals are more difficult to measure. Children and teachers will be interviewed and fill out questionnaires before and after the program. This information will be incorporated into the annual impact assessment report.
“We see a huge increase in confidence and self-belief. Initially, many of them said that their teachers didn't think well of them, that they didn't have many friends, that they didn't feel like they were leaders. At the end of the year, you'll see big improvements in all of these areas. They'll be better behaved at school,” says Kusevitsky.
“And I found that because they met through sports, they weren’t as afraid of kids from outside of their community.”
Maximize your impact
Kusevitsky said she finds her work challenging but rewarding.
“When you know you're doing something you really believe in, it makes a difference. When I was a helicopter pilot, I felt like I was doing work that meant so much to the country, but I'll never be in the military forever.” I didn't want to stay there.
“I learned how to scale, how to process, how to manage. I wanted to do the best I could and have a different impact on society.
“It’s similar to maximizing corporate profits, but here we maximize impact. Donors are investors. You have to show it to them every year,” he says.
“We are responsible for Israel's future. Through sport, we can change society in a unique and natural way.
“We hope that one day we won't need an equalizer because everyone will be equal, but we want to solve it while the need is still there.”
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