New Film Documents the ITEC’s Work With Youth Throughout Israel
New York, NY – The Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation just announced that its recently completed video has been nominated for a prestigious Telly Award by the production company Audio Vistas LLC who was responsible for filming and editing the ground-breaking piece.
Filmed entirely on location at five of ITEC’s 14 centers in Israel, the video is a moving and deeply personal look through the children’s own words and actions of the tremendous impact that the ITEC and its social impact programs have had on their lives. It also speaks to the positive influence of these programs on their friends, family and teachers in each of their communities. The ITEC has been a welcoming place for over 20,000 children of all backgrounds every year since its first center opened in Ramat Hasharon almost 4 decades ago.
Award-winning Audio Vistas Director Charles Wantman introduces the viewer to five different children who have adopted the ITEC as their second home in a way that offers a very intimate peek inside the minds and hearts of these kids. He shows how the ITEC provides the necessary life skills in the essential areas of confidence, perseverance and independence that they might not otherwise have been able to achieve. “I knew a bit about the ITEC and how it serves so many young Israelis before I started the assignment,” said Mr. Wantman. “But I had no idea the level of support this organization provides any kid that walks through its doors. Their stories really made this project a labor of love.”
One such child is Riva, an aspiring young Israeli girl whose father was killed by a suicide bomber when she was just three years old. He always wanted her to grow up to become a successful tennis player, and she is living out those dreams, currently ranked #2 in her age group in Israel. But what makes the story even more inspiring is the bond that has formed between Riva and her best friend Sewar, an Arab girl, who she met at the ITEC. Sewar recounts how she wants to be successful like Serena Williams, but with equal enthusiasm and sincerity she describes her close friendship with Riva.
“To see how these kids really care for one another is a true living example of the work that our organization does for thousands of other youth every year throughout Israel,” said Larry Greenspon, ITEC International Chair. “It is really the greatest hope for peace in this volatile region of the world.”
This example of coexistence is but one of five important programs that the ITEC offers as the largest social service organization for children in Israel. The video also documents kids who are part of the ITEC’s youth at risk, special needs, immigrant and high performance programs, all under the banner of “Empowering Israel’s Children…Beyond Tennis”. It is a remarkable amalgam of stories involving kids, parents, coaches and counselors, all coming together in the pursuit of a better, more peaceful and harmonious environment for not only their communities, but for the whole State of Israel.
The Telly Awards honors the very best film and video productions, groundbreaking online content and outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs. All winners of this year’s 35 annual event are announced later this spring. For a look at the Israel Tennis & Education Centers submission, please click on the link below or visit the ITEC website at www.itecenters.org.
About the Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation:
The Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation (ITEC) is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization that works tirelessly through the medium of sport to enhance the development of Israeli youth. Since opening its first center in Ramat Hasharon in 1976, the ITEC has helped over 400,000 children, many of whom come from outlying development towns throughout Israel. The ITEC’s 14 centers stretch from Kiryat Shmona on the Lebanese border in the North to Beer Sheva bordering the Negev Desert in the South.
Contacts:
Jacqueline Glodstein
ITEC Vice President/Global Development
646-884-7450
jglodstein@itecenter.wpengine.com