Friends of Givat Haviva

For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Friends of Givat Haviva, Inc. operated the following programs:(i)Children Teaching Children - A unique educational program, offering in-depth two-year activity in grades 8 and 9, in both Jewish and Arab schools. The program focuses on accepting the other, equality, acquaintance, and friendship. (ii)Center for Shared Society - Givat Haviva has developed a comprehensive educational program for Jewish and Arab students that fosters learning and understanding and imparts tools to promote a shared society in Israel. Implemented within and alongside the formal education system, Givat Haviva's programs utilize informal peace education approaches, focusing on experiential education, Jewish-Arab encounters, dialogue, culture, arts, and joint activity. Givat Haviva aims to reach students throughout their educational lifecycle, starting in elementary school and continuing through high school. The programs create opportunities for repeated encounters and personal development among Arab and Jewish young people laying the foundations for a shared, democratic future for Israeli society.(iii)Givat Haviva International School (GHIS) - GHIS is a two-year boarding-school program that aims to promote peace in the Middle East and globally by developing a multicultural and international network of leaders that will work together to create dialogue, understanding, and collaboration between individuals and societies(iv)Through others eyes - Through Others' Eyes (TOE) is a dialogue and community-building project that brings 9 Arab and 9 Jewish teenagers together. The teenagers learn photography skills and learn about each other as they explore questions of identity, nationality, religion, and community. (v)Baraem Hi-Tech Seeds - The Baraem Hi-Tech program at Givat Haviva allows promising Arab high school students in Israel to study computer science and technology and earn credits toward a bachelors degree in computer science while still in high school. This head start, available to the most talented Jewish students through the army, is the foundation for the Start-Up Nation.(vi)Cross-Sector Teachers Exchange - The proposed program is a series of semester-long exchanges of teachers in pairs from Jewish and Arab schools. Schools will be paired based on proximity and parity to facilitate stronger connections between the schools, beyond the individual exchange teachers. The program will run for three years as a pilot with the Ministry before being scaled up and integrated into the educational system. In the first year, the mechanisms for implementation were created and honed on 14 pairs of teachers. In the second year, we plan to expand to 25 pairs.(vii)Awad memorial - This fund supports the building of a new computer room on Givat Haviva campus in memorial of Awad Darawshe who was killed on October 7th.(viii)Educational Encounters - The program utilizes informal peace education approaches, focusing on experiential education, Jewish-Arab encounters, dialogue, culture, arts, and joint activity. The program aims to reach students throughout the education lifecycle, starting in elementary school and continuing through high school. The need for educational intervention in Israel is rooted in the deep division between the Jewish majority and the Arab minority. Young people are the most vulnerable to powerful influences and subject to incitement. Givat Haviva's educational program aims to transform conflict trends among young people into a shared, democratic future for Israeli society.(ix)Educator Training - The project aims to reduce hostility by creating an across-the-board program of teacher trainings to instill values of shared society and build the capacity to change the prevalent discourse in schools and classrooms. Teachers, as role models and pace setters for the next generation who can spearhead change in society, are the key actors in this project. To reach as diverse a population as possible, Givat Haviva employs a strategy of creating and implementing these trainings over the full range of teaching arenas new teacher trainees, veteran teachers, teachers in informal education, and cross-sector teachers.(x)Emergency Kibbutzim relief - this program was set up by the kibbutz movement as a way to get American funds to the kibbutzim that were impacted by the October 7th attacks.(xi)Heart to Heart Canada - Heart to Heart is a youth leadership program for Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel dedicated to empowering youth with the tools and skills they need to create a more inclusive and peaceful society. Heart to Heart was created to counter the culture of division and fear between these communities, the reality of structural racism and inequality in Israeli society, and to create an empowered generation ready to fight this system and demand better. It may not be fair that young people inherit problems from previous generations, but we believe that they can find the creative solutions needed to chart a new path with the right tools. We believe that youth have a valuable role in creating change, not only as future leaders but as meaningful actors right now. (xii)Hebrew Language Enrichment - This program aims to improve the Hebrew language skills of Arab citizens of Israel, as the level of Hebrew proficiency among Arab graduates of Israeli public schools is inadequate. The program is a three-year series for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders taught by Jewish teachers in Arab classrooms. The program seeks to achieve several goals, including creating a growing number of Arab youth proficient in spoken Hebrew and enhancing familiarity and understanding between Jewish and Arab educators.(xiii)Givat Haviva Campus Housing for Evacuees - after October 7th attacks Givat Haviva management chose to open the campus to house evacuees from the areas surrounding Gaza. There was shelter, mental health clinics, and activities for the evacuees on campus.(xiv)MD Honorarium - This appeal is for honorariums from speaking events done by Givat Haviva staff in the United States.(xv)Mediation and Dialogue Centers - The Mediation and Dialogue Centers aim to address the increase in violence and crime in Arab society in Israel. These centers are staffed by trained community mediators who monitor and resolve conflicts through mediation and foster a culture of mediation and nonviolence in their communities. The program will operate for three years, during which mediators are recruited and trained and centers are established. The local authority is included in the operation of the centers, and the mediation training is taught by experts who have extensive academic knowledge and field experience in mediation.(xvi)Professional Capacity Building -The project aims to assist educators to bring about a change in the attitude of their students to the other with an emphasis on dealing with racism and prejudice and to change the prevalent discourse in schools and classrooms. Educators, as role models and pace setters for the next generation who can spearhead change in society, are the key actors in this project. The teachers are targeted as the most relevant leaders, who set the tone among generations of students and are best positioned to target the assumptions and attitudes of the countrys youth. Givat Haviva aspires to change the prevailing, accepted atmosphere in classrooms, schools, and eventually society, by equipping Israels teachers with the attitudes, tools, and skills to mitigate the reigning antagonism and strengthen the values of tolerance and equality.