Nediva Fenster
It's a Deal Program participant
Meet Nadiva and learn about her role in the It's a Deal Program.
Born in Israel, and the daughter of immigrants from South Africa, eighteen year old Nediva lives in Beit Shemesh, Israel, where she experienced problems in school, because of learning disabilities, low self esteem, and a sense of apathy. Nediva left the normative school framework after ninth grade in order to try a different educational approach, that of Kidum No'ar, the local organization for the advancement of youth.
It was there that she was able to partake in various vocational courses, such as hairdressing, and other study programs, where she was able to learn in a more intimate setting. And through her studies there, she was able to complete her full matriculation exam, blazing a trail for similar students in her city.
Through Kidum No'ar, Nediva was then connected to JDC Ashalim's It's a Deal program, where she worked in a local advertising business. There, she worked in ad sales and with new customers. The program offered her an opportunity to learn a skill set, which will serve her in the future. It also helped her realize more about her sense of self, such as her ambition, her interest in business, and her eagerness to return to this type of program to help other troubled youth in the future.
Nediva realized that with It's a Deal, she was being offered opportunities to be able to succeed, and she grabbed on for dear life. She knew this was her chance to start a positive cycle of success in her life, and the promise of a higher earning capacity. It rekindled her ambition to rise above the limitations of her circumstances and break the mold of financial restriction.
Asked where she sees herself in the future, Nediva is not yet sure in what field that will be, but she is sure she will be successful, confident, and able to deal with what life brings her, thanks to It's a Deal, which provided her with the safe space to test her limits, try new things, and grow.
Nediva will begin her service in the Israel Defense Forces in January 2008.
It's a Deal- Helping Youth-at-Risk into Business
After other alternative frameworks have failed, JDC's It's a Deal program utilizes the power of small business entrepreneurship to return youth to mainstream society, turning their futures around.
Intervening before youth make destructive life decisions, this disciplined program provides at-risk youth with on-the-job training to successfully launch a business enterprise. Each business employs 15-20 youth who are responsible for the successful management of their venture. The program helps participants attain:
• Interpersonal, team building, and other soft skills• Professional business training and education
• Personal growth opportunities, increased self-esteem, and a sense of responsibility
In the last three years, It's a Deal has created 25 new ventures across Israel. Some have won major contracts, such as the silversmith's venture, which is producing silver mezuzot for the new Ben-Gurion Airport and Israeli embassies worldwide.
