Learning to navigate in the world

Kulanu Academy students going to Israel in October

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For the past seven years the Kulanu Academy in Cedarhurst has traveled to Israel five times as a small group of special needs young adults aged 18 to 25, ready to take on the tasks of living and learning on a kibbutz, a communal farm.
To integrate the traveling into Kulanu’s curriculum for the new school year, a new division in Kulanu’s adult services program has been created known as Kulanu Travels. The trip to Israel known as Kulanu Ba’aretz, along with other local excursions, are part of the new division.
Kulanu graduate Jordan Scharf is the coordinator for Kulanu Travels. He is working with Evan Wollis, a special education teacher and the coordinator of Kulanu Ba’aretz. Together, they have planned a three-month long trip with at least five students to Kibbutz Shluchot, located in northeastern Israel near the Jordan border.
The trip’s goal is for the students to build upon four different pillars — live, work, learn and travel — Wollis said. “We want the students teaching other students. When we travel to other cities, they will each have something individualized to learn about and share.”
Each student has individual learning goals they must meet, and different tasks they will take on during their stay, whether it’s taking care of the animals or cooking in the kitchen. Before the trip, the students learn Israel’s history, basic like skills and about the places they will visit.

“Cost is dependent upon how many students are able to go, the estimate being “between $20,000-$25,000, like a semester at college,” Wollis said. “It includes twenty day trips and entrance fee to museums and theatres. It also pays for supervision.”
Not every student who applies to go on the trip is eligible, Wollis said. “It depends on their level of physical endurance and behavior,” he said. “Can they keep up with the group? Sometimes they need a [different] trip that better meets their needs. A slower-paced trip group down the road is a better option for them. The other trips that Kulanu Travel plans throughout the year are going to be a better fit for them, as they could be more localized or shorter in length, depending on their developmental needs.”
Scharf said he went on the Israel trip the first year the school visited the Jewish state, which was a different kibbutz from the one that Kulanu visits now. “It was a great time, as I got to experience different cultures and cooperative farm living,” he said. “I worked in a kitchen. People from my kibbutz were from all over the world. I spent time in the Dead Sea, on a banana boat, and the Old City where I spent Shabbos. During our free time we got to do fun stuff together in the den.”
Esther Weinstein, the director of Kulanu Works, said Scharf was a perfect fit to lead Kulanu Travels. “It was his dream, his vision and his idea to start this program,” she said. “He’s well traveled, and has the skills and knowledge for doing this. Jordan has always wanted to be able to travel and help people with special needs who want to learn and be more independent.”