Best mechina for anyone who wants a meaningful experience before college or the army!!

I'm finishing up the '20-'21 Kol Ami gap year group and I would say that this is exactly the experience I needed before I go to college next year. Corona definitely had an impact on the program and yet I can say with confidence that the whole group is leaving Mechina having learned countless skills for their future, with so many amazing new friends and incredible experiences. I learned this year how much I want to travel the world. I was able to meet people from Norway, Holland, England, Italy, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Israel and form deep meaningful connections with them all. I've learned so much about the world and gotten to have so many cool experiences that you can't get on a generic gap year program. I plan on staying in Israel to intern or volunteer for a few months before returning to the US.

Coming to Kol Ami, I was looking to enrich myself in the culture of Israel, learn about myself as a Jew and as a person, and meet people from around the world. I was able to do all these things but so much more as well! When I say I've come out with so much more I mean I've learned things I never expected to learn here. When living in such a close setting with 30 people, problems arise that the group needs to work through and you learn about yourself by observing how you react to those situations and the role you play in resolving them. This is just one of the many examples through which I learned more about myself in the end.

As a whole, this program is for anyone who needs a breather between high school and their next step but also wants a meaningful experience that they'll grow from. This is the only time you'll have a chance to spend a year just learning about yourself and improving, and this program is literally designed to help you do just that.