Darca is constantly striving to find ways to provide unique opportunities for the students that expand beyond the classroom and guarantee preparation for life after high school.
One of these initiatives is the Darca Fellowship for Young Leadership (DFYL). This program was launched as an esteemed leadership program for the most promising young talents in Darca’s schools. Candidates are selected based on careful evaluation of academic grades, volunteer work and individual interviews and commit to the program for their 10th grade academic year. Each year the opportunity is presented to every student but after careful consideration, only 25 are selected, making this program an honor to those students who get to participate.
The program brings the students together for seminars, trips and activities. They practice interpersonal skills, relationship building and conflict resolution among one another and share tips and best practices for overcoming many shared challenges.
Last year’s DFYL group had the opportunity to attend a leadership program to Spain where they were able to tour the country from the lens of the history of Jews in the country. They received first hand experience and the chance to learn about this rich history right there where it happened. They focused specifically on analyzing the challenges and decisions that plagued many of the leaders in the country during the time when the Jews were being exiled. This year’s DFYL students are going to embark on a similar program, this time to Italy.
The program is a unique opportunity and Darca sees it as a part of its ongoing mission to provide the students with the necessary tools and skills to be influential leaders planting the seeds of a positive change in their community and in Israel.