Jerusalem, 23 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Ministry of Social Affairs’ youth shelters won second place in the World Robotics Championship last week. The robotics team of the “Mountain View” residential home, a closed residential home of the Youth Welfare Authority of the Ministry of Social Security and Welfare for at risk youth, was the runner-up of the tournament in the Canada Cup of Robotics 2026.
The team competed against 80 teams from around the world and defeated them all on their way to the grand finale. At the same time, the girls’ team from the “Al Bustan” residential home, which also participated in the competition, recorded an extraordinary achievement and qualified for the world quarterfinals.
The Youth Welfare Authority’s robotics program operates in a variety of settings across the country and provides young men and women with the opportunity to develop technological skills, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership skills, creative thinking, and a sense of competence. Some of the young people participating in the program came to these settings with complex criminal histories and no family background, and found robotics to be an extraordinary rehabilitative tool.
The boys and girls worked for an entire year under the close supervision of mentors, staff members, and the First Israel Association in collaboration with the Technion, building “from scratch” sophisticated, autonomous, remotely controlled robots capable of performing highly complex dynamic tasks in accordance with the conditions of the global competition in a special laboratory established at the residence.