Derech Hateva, an outgrowth of the US-based Teva Adventure, was incubated as a project of the SPNI Jerusalem branch in the fall of 2004, and ran its first program for the Gann Academy in March, 2005.
In June, 2005, 17 participants from Israel and the US backpacked along the Israel Trail, forming the two inaugural groups of the Israel Trail Teen Adventure. During the following fall and spring, several more Israel-based programs enjoyed Derech Hateva's exciting outdoor educational experiences.
2006 marked ITTA's second summer, and was completed successfully despite the situation in the north. Eight of the program's 29 participants were high school students from the development towns of Ma'alot & Netivot, who joined the program as part of the year long Kehillat Natan Youth Leadership Fellowship. Through participation in ITTA and by implementing self-initiated community improvement projects; Kehillat Natan fellows develop the skills to become leaders in their communities and in Israel as a whole. The Leon Shaw Memorial Internship program allows Israeli ITTA participants who received financial assistance during the previous summer to perform various tasks for Derech Hateva, both in and of the office, providing continuity to their summer experience and an enjoyable opportunity to actively contribute to a cause in which they believe.
