In a world that worships achievement, a world that is constantly in motion, where the standards for academic excellence are high and class size is large, every girl finds herself on the front lines. The moral and ethical challenges that we face are more rampant than ever, and the need to establish meaningful inner resilience is imperative.

A wonderful and fine Bais Yaakov student often finds herself without the personalized response, the connection, and the sense of belonging, that will empower her and protect the values and principles that she worked hard to make her own.

Mrs. Batya Rubin encountered this phenomenon in her work as a personalized mentor for teenage girls many years ago.

Batya Rubin is a school guidance counselor (MA), as well as a licensed NLP therapist, who is also trained in the “12 Steps” program that aids recovery from addictive behaviors. For the past 12 years Batya has worked closely with girls in different stages of dropping out of the school system. Batya understood that a listening ear, genuine empathy, and the ability to speak openly with teenage girls, while giving the girls access to relevant hashkafic content streamlined and adapted for this generation, can prevent girls from crossing the line, as well as empower them, build their resilience, and give them the strength to deal with any and every challenge. It is far easier to prevent spiritual and emotional decline than to deal with it after the fact.

Her extensive experience with one-on-one conversations and group sessions with high school girls led Batya to establish “Tovanot” – an educational initiative directed at Bais Yaakov high school girls across the country. Initiated as a pilot program in Beit Shemesh eight years ago, “Tovanot” presents a unique model that synthesizes real content, personal connection, and increased personal resilience, while also identifying and responding to the early signs of dropping out of school, that may otherwise go undetected.

The program endows each student with a safe space to learn and deepen her understanding, marked by emotional availability and personal relationships, and focused on the experiential element of learning. Accordingly, the program conducts weekly sessions – in the evening, in small groups – that discuss and consider different issues that interest the girls and address questions that trouble them. The program also conducts various workshops coinciding with different holidays, group dinners, and experiential encounters.

“Tovanot” provides the girls with a personal anchor. It is a framework that embraces them and gives them the possibility to grow and build their inner selves. It provides them another outlet to connect to the concepts and ideas that we prize while strengthening their confidence in themselves and their ability to make great choices, and remain refined and wonderful Bais Yaakov girls.

Since its inception, “Tovanot” has grown tremendously. Today, under the auspices and in partnership with “Tiferet”, “Tovanot” operates in five different cities and runs programming in a number of leading Bais Yaakov schools.