October 2018
An exciting graduation ceremony for the project Promoting Women in Management and Politics took place this week in Givat Haviva. This is the third consecutive cycle of a project that aims to instill profound gender thinking, to bring about social change, and to help women advance into women in management positions and politics in Israeli society. This last round was held in cooperation with the Adva Center.
Ms. Anhar Masarwa, Director of the Unit for Gender Empowerment and Equality at Givat Haviva, said: "We can see the signs of this important project’s impact by looking at the map of the recent election results for the local councils, in which 19 women from the Arab sector were elected to serve.” The participants expressed hope and desire to bring about real change in society and to integrate quickly in activities to promote women in Israel.
September 2018
Ministry of Education Director-General Shmuel Abuav's visit to schools participating in the program "Yihyeh B’seder" Hebrew Language Enrichment for Arab Schools
On Wednesday, August 26, the Director-General of the Ministry of Education visited the program "Yihyeh B’seder” in seven schools in the Arab sector. Mr. Shmuel Abuav’s visit began at a school in Meisser and included a class with program teacher Osnat Fleishman. He wished the students success in the coming school year, in Hebrew. The visit continued to schools in Kafr Kara, Umm al-Fahm, Ma'awiya and Musmus.
July 2018
Soccer:
Givat Haviva held its fourth consecutive Soccer for Peace Camp, bringing together more than 60 Arab and Jewish boys ages 10-12 from Menashe, Baka, Wadi Ara, and Iksal for 3 days of soccer, dialogue and social activities. They stayed at the Givat Haviva campus, played soccer at nearby kibbutz Maanit, and gathered to watch the World Cup semifinals on the campus plaza with parents, counselors, and friends in the evenings. The last day of camp featured the playoffs and an exhibition match with representatives from the American, Canadian, German, and Argentine embassies. Team USA won the Final, and a large delegation from the American Embassy was on hand to congratulate them.
This year’s camp was privileged to have Ahmed Nahia as a counselor. Nahia, from Muawiya in Wadi Ara, has played for the Palestinian national team and for Hapoel Umm al-Fahem. In his own words, “I’m amazed by the camp! When I was their age, I was scared to speak Hebrew. To think that Arab and Jewish kids are working together like I see here today, is inconceivable. I started to learn Hebrew in 8th grade. It was hard. In school they don’t teach spoken Hebrew. … Here I see 10-year-old kids working together, hearing the other side…” He said that he began learning Hebrew in earnest thanks to soccer, when he left the village and began to play in a nearby team with Jews. “But I’m most astounded by the Jewish kids. I’m sued to the looking at Arabic differently. Here they’re cooperating toward a common goal. There’s a sense of equality…” The emotion showed in his voice when he described how an Arab boy spoke, and a Jewish boy who didn’t understand wanted to know what he had said. “I believe in helps coexistence when kids grow up with meetings like this from a young age.” He thinks more should be done with soccer to bring kids together.
Another of the counselors was Dekel Tiram from Maanit, an alumnus of Givat Haviva’s Children Teaching Children and Heart to Heart programs that bring Jewish and Arab youth together. Here is what he had to say about the camp, “The most important thing here is to see how a person accepts the other, how he treats to other side and how much openness and cooperation there is between the two sides. … You have to educate both sides from a young age to accept each other and that can enable a deep connection. I believe that if we start to work with kids when they’re small, we can leverage the relations in a positive direction. That the parents of all these kids signed them up for this camp is amazing. Because many would balk. This is very encouraging.” He also spoke of how very important it is that each group has both a Jewish counselor and an Arab counselor, who serve as an example to the kids and help them connect.
January 2018
BARA'EM HIGH-TECH
AT A MEETING OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE KNESSET
The Givat Haviva high-tech program offers students an academic framework for a bachelor's degree in computer science and is one of the most successful programs in the country.
On Tuesday, January 9, 2018, the students of the program were invited to a meeting of the Finance Committee on the subject of "High-Tech Entrepreneurship in Arab Society", initiated by MK Dr. Ahmad Tibi.
Participants included Mohammad Darawshe - Director of the Center for Equality and Shared Society, Joseph Jabareen - Director of the Bara'em High-Tech Program, and about 50 students who participate in the program.
Other participants were MK Ahmad Tibi, Minister of Science, Ophir Akunis (Likud), MK Aida Touma-Suleiman (Joint List), Tsofen (High Technology Centers) CEO Sami Saadi, Government Relations and Communications Director for Facebook-Israel Jordana Kotler and others.
:Summary of what was said at the meeting
MK Ahmad Tibi called on the government to promote the establishment of two hi-tech campuses in Arab cities and to promote employment tracks through wage subsidies and grants from the Authority for Innovation to high-tech entrepreneurs in Arab society.
Minister of Science Akunis said that the Ministry of Science has set a goal of making technology and high-tech accessible to all sectors, and allocates considerable resources to encourage study and employment in high-tech in the Arab sector.
Mohammed Darawshe spoke about the gap between Arab society and Jewish society, stressing that there are two areas that must be strengthened in order to narrow the existing gap: high-tech and the financial sector. In these two leading areas, Arabs are almost nonexistent. He called on the relevant ministries in the country to invest in the foundation - education.
Lynn Al-Salah, a second-year student, participated in the discussion and spoke about the importance of integrating young Arabs, as the Bara'em High-Tech program allows. Lynn stressed that she expects the state to support and invest more in the Arab sector.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE EDUCATION MINISTRY MR. SHMUEL ABUAV,
AT A CONFERENCE IN GIVAT HAVIVA
On January 30, the second conference of the teachers of the program Yihiye Beseder (It Will Be All Right) was held with the participation of 38 program teachers. The conference was honored by the visit of Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Shmuel Abuav, who spoke with the teachers and heard about their experiences in the schools in which they teach. The conference opened with a lecture by Ashraf Gabor on the theme: Making the academy accessible to students in Arab society.
Summary of Yihiye Beseder (It Will Be All Right) second teachers' conference for the 2017-18 school year, Jan 30, 2018
The conference was attended by 38 teachers and teachers. It was divided into two parts.
Part 1 - Lecture by Mr. Ashraf Gabor: Making the Academy Accessible to Students in Arab Society
Ashraf is the director of the "Rouwad" program to make Israeli academia accessible to high school students from Arab society by means of preparatory programs that advance language proficiency and provide effective time management tools.
Attending Israeli academia is worthwhile for the Arab student because of its geographic proximity, the lower cost of studies at universities (in comparison to the alternatives prevalent in Jordan and Turkey), and mainly because of the higher application of the degree in Israel in general (and not only within Arab society). However, students perceive it as difficult to achieve - mainly because of language and culture barriers. In addition, there is widespread understanding among many of them that the English language is more important to them than Hebrew, and opens more doors for them.
Israeli academia also poses significant obstacles to the Arab student, which s/he first encounters with the psychometric test. Anyone who takes a translated version of the test has to follow up with the YAEL Test - Hebrew Proficiency Test. In fact, it is required to demonstrate comprehension and expression ability in three languages – Modern Standard Arabic (written), which many students are not proficient in, as well as Hebrew and English.
When s/he is accepted into the academy, the student is confronted with his/her lack of fluency in spoken Hebrew (which is probably not tested in the psychometric exam) and finds it difficult to cope with the expectation of being completely independent. As a result, there is a growing trend of Arab students dropping out in the first year. In conclusion, the academy misses the Arab student, and the Arab student misses a critical opportunity to integrate into Israeli society.
The aforementioned Rouwad program operates in two spheres:
The Informative Focus – meeting at high schools:
• Explaining the importance of spoken Hebrew for integration in academia, advocacy and reducing fears of encountering Israeli society.
• Encouraging enrollment in 5 units in Hebrew (which now includes a unit in spoken Hebrew) and providing assistance in studies.
• Assistance in studying for the YAEL test and encouraging registration for the Mechina – Preparatory Program.
Mechina – Preparatory Program:
• Marketed as a framework that can motivate the student to excel and provide exclusive tools for integration. This is in order to combat the misconception that "those who cannot pass the exam 'in the normal manner' actually fail."
Part 2 – Round table withMr. Shmuel Abuav, Director-General of the Education Ministry
At the opening of this part of the conference, the Director General shook hands with all the teachers present, asked where they were teaching, which classes and how many sessions. He was knowledgeable about the name of the principal of each school, the socio-economic status of the schools and the level of students there in general.
The teachers were very impressed by this fact, and they mentioned this at the end of the conference - mainly as a promising sign that their work in the program is taken seriously and that they are being listened to by the higher authorities.
The following are the achievements of the program, as expressed by the teachers:
The program teachers identified communication with these students as a gateway to raising the confidence of the rest of the students - by exposing them to the diversity of opinion existing in Israeli society and the freedom to express them. The teachers noted that this was a turning point in their role in the school.
Teachers' improvement points:
December 2017
The second conference for women leading social change took place was convened at Givat Haviva.
The conference was opened by Ms. Anhar Masarwa, Director of Givat Haviva’s Unit for the Advancement of the Status of Women and the conference organizer, who presented the situation of Jewish and Arab women in Israel in 2017. Ms. Masarwa stated that the conference was intended primarily to enable the core group of pioneer leading women, Arab and Jewish, to meet the media, share experiences and ideas. It is about creating a stage for women to sound their voices in public and thus influence and enable women to become leaders in Israeli society.
Among the participants were senior and leading figures on the advancement of the status of women in Israeli society (partial list): Shula Agami - Advocate for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Aida Touma Suleiman - Chairperson of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women, Ms. Heli Friedman/Panim, Parliament of Leading Israeli Women, Ms. Salima Moustafa-Suliman, the Authority for the Economic Development of the Minorities Sector.
Other leading figures in the academy also participated, like Dr. Asmahan Masry-Herzalla of the Center for Academic Studies – Or Yehuda, Ms. Agadir Abu Zarqa - the Open University, and Dr. Michal Hoffman of the Netanya Academic College of Arts and Society.
Among the topics discussed at the conference were "Barriers to Development", "How to Promote Social Change" and a panel discussion with the conference speakers.
MK Aida Touma Suleiman referred to the conflict between the hidden message and the overt message of the political system towards women. She noted that women must have a place in the political, social and political arena, but in practice there is a hidden message that women have no place and no right to create social change.
Yaniv Sagee, CEO of Givat Haviva said at the conference: "Today we will talk about politics; the country needs female leadership and changing the ways in which it operates. Two days ago, we received a reminder through Lieberman, how the state works. Stop leaving politics to men, do not settle for social change, you have to establish a joint party so there is a chance for another future! "
Michal Hoffman shared with us the exciting story of Tamam, who needed help and knew how to receive it through the frameworks and organizations in which she worked. Tamam's message - you need to know what you want, do not say it's too late, make a plan, make your voice heard without fear, get to know new people, find sources of inspiration, change starts from within!!!
The event culminated in a summary by Yael Ben-Zvi and Abir Ganayem and in a musical performance by "Three Women, Three Languages".
"YIHIYE BESEDER" (IT WILL BE ALL RIGHT)
During the past few weeks, the program's staff visited junior high schools participating in the program "Yihiye Beseder"/"It Will Be All Right" in the Ministry of Education’s northern district. Thirteen of the program's teachers work in twenty schools in that district.
In every tour, the program's director, Nasreen Saif, meets with the school principal and observes a lesson of our program teachers.
BARA'EM HIGH TECH
The 2017-18 school year began on Friday, November 3, 2017. We started this year with three groups, 2 groups of first year (with 82 students) and one group of second year (with 25 students).
Our first third-year students moved to the Netanya Academic College this year and are integrating into their studies there very well.
Studies at Givat Haviva take place on Wednesdays and Fridays. Second year students study on Wednesdays between the hours of 17:00 and 21:00, and first-year students study on Fridays in two groups, between 8:30 and 18:00.
In addition, a course for spoken and academic Hebrew was opened for the program's students (15 participants) in order to reinforce their Hebrew language skills, which will help them in their tests. We are planning to open another course for the rest of the students.
We are currently planning a study tour of a high-tech company as part of Givat Haviva's commitment to the students. We will visit two high-tech companies (Galil Software / Amdocs / Tsofen – High Technology Centers).
We are also pleased to note that we received an invitation from MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi to participate in a meeting initiated by the Knesset Finance Committee on High-Tech Entrepreneurship in Arab Society. The meeting will take place in the Knesset on Tuesday, December 26, 2017.
VISIT OF THE GERMAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
The Head of the German Football Association and the coach of the German National Under-21 Football Team paid a visit to Givat Haviva accompanied by a distinguished delegation.
The delegation met with some of the children who participated in the summer Peace Camp at Givat Haviva. The guests, who were deeply impressed by Givat Haviva's
"Soccer for Peace Camp" program, gave a gift to every child who attended the event.
November 2017
Exposure for the program "Yihye B’seder" (It will be all right) on Arabic television
Two teachers from the program "Yihiye Beseder" (It will be all right) were interviewed a few days ago on Hala TV: Teachers Nili Gross, who works at two junior high schools in the village of Qalansuwa in the center, and Meir Kashani, who teaches at Tel Arad in the Bedouin sector in the south. The teachers were hosted by Bilal Shalate, the presenter of "This Day." They talked extensively about the program and their personal experiences in the schools. They noted that one of the strengths of the program is that it employs teachers whose mother tongue is Hebrew, in order to teach in Arab schools.
To watch the interview (in Arabic): http://m.panet.co.il/article/1946376
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT MONTH
Two courses open: Documentation of Women's Stories and Women Cooking for Peace
A documentary project on women's stories opened this month. The essence of the project is to document the life stories of brave and strong Arab and Jewish women whose story would serve as an inspiration. The women were chosen after an in-depth conversation and considering elements and "scenes" in their lives that can fit into the documentation.
The women’s ages are varied and so are their stories. The relationship between the Jewish and Arab women will also be documented, with an in-depth look at the commonalities and differences between them.
The goal is to emphasize and focus on the strengths of women, on the power that is hidden in every woman and how it is revealed. The documentation will enable an in-depth and refined look at the strong and unique story of each participant.
The project is based on 10 meetings, in which participants will receive and experience basic cinematic tools such as photography, editing, writing and acting.
Between the meetings, the group members will set out on various photographic missions. The materials that they film will constitute the raw materials for a documentary of about 40-50 minutes dealing with their life stories and documentation of the course and the process itself.
The project will culminate with a screening of the final film, when the audience can witness their life stories.
A new cycle of the "Women Cooking for Peace" project was opened in partnership with the Emek Hefer Regional Council, the Municipality of Baqa al-Gharbiyye and the Zemer Local Council.
Another similar project will soon begin between the Alona and Kafr Qara regional councils.
The course is based on dialogue and cultural learning between the two sides, in order to achieve partnership and understanding between the two peoples by formulating a new creative reality.
Givat Haviva is behind the initiative for the course.
It is precisely during periods of radicalization, violence and social strife in which we are living that the course can serve to create dialogue and develop the ability to communicate for good, neighborly relations.
October 2017
Bara'em High-Tech
This month concluded the academic year of the Bara'em High-Tech Program, and second year students are moving to continue their studies at the Netanya Academic College as part of the agreement between Givat Haviva and the College.
Meanwhile, most of the first year students are continuing into their second year; and 22 of the 38 students who began the first class will continue their studies for the third year in Netanya. We at Givat Haviva will continue to follow them and accompany them in the years to come.
Registration for the Bara'em High-Tech program for the 2017-2018 academic year is currently under way. To date we have recruited about 50 students for the first year, with a goal of 80. Some of the applicants are taking a reinforcement course in Hebrew. They have already had seven sessions to increase their Hebrew language skills, which will help them towards their academic studies. The 2017-2018 academic year is scheduled to begin on November 3, 2017. Apply now!
"A country that reflects 100% of its residents"
What is the current discourse between Arabs and Jews?
Are we destined to live together or can we live side by side in peace?
How does each one of us experience shared society?
The Road Map for a Shared Society initiative is working towards change within society and with its help.
Yaniv Sagee, Executive Director of Givat Haviva, and Mohammad Darawshe, Director of the Center for Equality and Shared Society, were interviewed by Ynet.
To view the interview in Hebrew, click here.
September 2017
Bara’em High Tech
The Bara’em High Tech program continued its study program during the summer semester beginning on July 15, 2017. Students in the first year spend the summer term learning about computer organization and assembly languages, while second-year students study programming in a Windows environment.
Read more…
On Sunday, August 27, 2017, a Hebrew course began for students in the Bara’em High Tech program. The goal is for students to improve their Hebrew language skills, especially in speaking and understanding oral Hebrew. Hebrew is perceived as an obstacle, can prevent Arab students’ entrance to higher education, and presents a serious stumbling block for Arab students. The course is based on Givat Haviva’s Yihye B’seder program, with adjustments to the content based on the needs of the students participating.
Note that registration for Bara’em High Tech for the 2017-18 school year is underway. Another recruitment campaign kicks off during September.
Soccer for Peace 2017
The Soccer for Peace summer camp was held in August at Givat Haviva for the third year in a row. 70 Jewish and Arab children from the surrounding region came to take part in three days of soccer, dialogue, and fun. The children were divided into mixed groups of Jews and Arabs for the various activities, and played soccer in mixed teams.
On the last day, the spectators at the final matches included representatives from the embassies of Germany, the USA, Canada and Argentina and the German diplomatic delegation in Ramallah. The diplomats played a friendly match with the children along with Givat Haviva director Yaniv Sagee. You are invited to look at the photographs from the soccer camp.
August 2017
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bara’em Hi-Tech
The program, training gifted 8th and 9th grade students towards a bachelor's degree in computer engineering, both the first and second year students continued in their second semester.
As part of the curriculum, a collaboration of Givat Haviva and the Netanya College, the students in the program held two field trips this year, one to Galil Software, a high-tech company in Nazareth, and the other to the Netanya Academic College. The program, which has been active for two years, is gearing up to start its third cycle in the upcoming academic year, and it already has twenty students registered. Registration is happening now!