About the Carmel Tunnels
Carmelton assists dozens of teenagers in navigating towards a better future, as well as in better understanding and helping preserve and cultivate the Carmel forests.
As part of our fruitful collaboration with the Gal Sheli organization, whose goal is to support teenagers in risk situations and help them develop coping mechanisms for life’s challenges, we purchased dozens of surfboards for at-risk youth this month. We have been supporting the organization and its commendable activities for several years.
The Gal Sheli organization, composed of educators and sea enthusiasts, provides at-risk youth with life skills through surfing lessons. They believe that just as in the sea, so too in life – even if you fall, it’s important to muster your strength, get up, and continue forward with determination and optimism.
The Gal Sheli organization was established approximately 8 years ago by Yaron Veksman and Omer Tultshinsky, with the goal of providing a real opportunity for at-risk girls and boys through a formative encounter with the forces of the sea – through surfing. Thus, alongside learning to surf and the formative experience at sea, the participants acquire practical tools that assist them in their studies and personal lives. The organization conducts diverse activities for boys and girls from all segments of Israeli society: Jewish, Arab, secular, religious, immigrants, and long-term residents, girls and boys.
In addition, in recent months, we have conducted activities in collaboration with the Nature and Parks Authority and students from schools in the Haifa and Kiryat areas. The focus of the activity was: in-depth familiarity with the activities of the Nature and Parks Authority, and hands-on work in the field, including a visit to Ein Afek Nature Reserve and a walk along the marsh trail, an experiential learning activity about the natural world, flora and fauna in the reserve, and familiarity with Ein Afek as a model for a nature reserve threatened by environmental development. We also visited the Carmel Tunnels control center and Ein Sadeya next to it, and took a tour of the Heroes’ Wadi as an example of urban nature sites. It is important to note that for decades, the wadi in the Heroes’ Wadi has been hidden from view, despite its location in the heart of Haifa. Most city residents are almost unaware of its existence, both because of its shape and because of the difficult access to it. Parts of its area have been damaged due to uncontrolled dumping of construction waste. With the start of the Carmel Tunnels construction, a new path was paved in the heart of the wadi, and the garbage was removed from the site by approximately 200 trucks that transported the waste to organized sites. These tours highlighted the integration of development work in the area with nature conservation.
The students also participated in practical volunteer work in the reserve, such as removing invasive species. The schools that participated in the activity were: Ri’ali Hadar Elementary School (4th grade), Rabin Kiryat Motzkin Middle School (7th-9th grades), and Rabin Kiryat Yam Middle School. Each school had five meetings.
Carmelton is proud of these collaborations, which contribute to both environmental quality and the young generation residing, living, and studying in the Carmel Tunnels area, and looks forward to conducting a variety of educational and engaging activities for the benefit of the residents of Haifa and its surroundings.