Young Adults (17 and up)
YALLA: LETS GO!
Be sure to see the New Funded Campus Programs below.
Experience Israel in a way that few tourists do. Imagine living and working as a civilian volunteer on a non-combat IDF base. Volunteer alongside Israeli soldiers about your age, and fellow volunteers from around the world.
Program Details
- FREE room and board: sleep in barracks and enjoy hearty, kosher meals in the mess hall with the soldiers.
- Repair machinery or tank parts; refurbish helmets; restock paramedic kits, etc.
- Work in army-issue fatigues (which could possibly fit!).
- Enjoy cultural programs and tours arranged by the army.
- Spend weekends as you wish, visiting friends & family, or exploring Israel.
Your work really matters! It allows IDF reservists to stay at their jobs, their schools, or their homes, instead of being called up for duty.
“It was a great opportunity to participate in Israeli culture in a way that you can’t as a tourist. It was also a cool way to give back and show my support.”
Nicole Crabtree, Oregon
Choose the program that works best for you.
TRAVEL SOLO OR WITH FRIENDS
Choose any 1- 2- or 3- week program which runs Sunday morning through Thursday afternoon. Since programs are available throughout the year, this is our most flexible scheduling option. You are responsible for the costs of airfare and weekend activities.
SUMMER INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAM (IYP)
Open to volunteers ages 17-25.
If you prefer summer travel and you’d like to join a group of volunteers about your age, sign up for one or more of three multi-week programs. You are responsible for the costs of airfare and weekend activities.
EXTENSION AFTER BIRTHRIGHT TRIP
Open to volunteers ages 17-32.
If you will already be in Israel on a Birthright trip or other Israel Experience tour, you can extend your trip and see more of Israel – from the inside – by volunteering on a base. This adventure-filled, economical, add-on to scheduled VFI programs costs only $55.00 for the application fee.
Sign up for a 1- 2- or 3- week program. When available, enjoy a FREE weekend stay at an IDF hostel near a Tel Aviv beach–after volunteering. Birthright extensions may start and Sunday immediately after the end of the Birthright trip.
Refer to our 2019 Schedule for dates of all programs. http://www.vfi-usa.org/schedule
For more information, contact your local VFI representative at http://vfi-usa.org/contact/
YALLA: APPLY NOW!
Please note that the application is time-sensitive. Check with your regional manager for appropriate deadlines.
Additional information and answers to many more questions are in VFI’s Program Handbook, which is given to applicants once they are accepted on a program.
NEW! FUNDED CAMPUS INITIATIVES
If you loved your Birthright Trip, check out these subsidized opportunities to GO BACK & GIVE BACK.
CAMPUS TRIP
Open to Birthright Alumni (freshmen to seniors)
- Join 9 other college students on a highly-subsidized* one-week trip to Israel.
- Begin with an orientation weekend at a soldiers’ hostel near a Tel Aviv beach.
- Work for 5 days alongside Israeli soldiers in army-issued fatigues.
- Enjoy tours and cultural activities specifically arranged for your school.
- *VFI pays up to $1000* towards price of your plane ticket.
- Your total cost only $350-$450+, depending upon departure date and city.
To see if your campus is participating, contact: rbernstein@vfi-usa.org
CAMPUS AMBASSADOR’S PROGRAM
Open to Birthright Alumni (freshman to junior year)
If your campus does not currently have a trip planned, why not plan that trip yourself? If you are a leader who is passionate about Israel, apply for VFI’s new Ambassador Program, where you can earn a fully-funded trip by organizing your own group of volunteers.
- Recruit fellow Birthright alumni to travel to Israel with you as VFI volunteers.
- Help with their application process.
- Work for a week on the base and enjoy cultural activities as described in the Campus Trip above.
- Enhance your leadership skills and build your resume.
- Assume a young leadership role in the Volunteers for Israel organization when you return.
For more information about the competitive application process, contact rbernstein@vfi-usa.org
Check out this video of Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman for ideas about how to have fun in Israel on weekends off the base.
