The third day of the Australian Educators’ Study Tour in Israel was dedicated to visiting exciting initiatives for environmental sustainability education for Jewish and Arab youth in the Galilee, and encouraging them to strive for excellence.
“On this study trip it’s been amazing to learn about Israel,” said Heather Marshall of Sydney’s Emanuel School. “Technology in Israel is extremely impressive, and the educational issues under discussion are similar to those that concern us. It’s great that we can take away with us the knowledge we’re acquiring here.”
Environmental and social sustainability in Misgav Regional Council
As Misgav has a special relationship with Australia, it was only natural that the delegates should pay a visit to the area. The lands on which the Misgav communities were established were developed with the support of
JNF Australia, as was the sustainability park that surrounds the Misgav Regional Sustainability Education Center and ecological garden, as well as the local sports center, swimming pool and tennis courts.
The park, which combines ornamental plants with trees native to Israel, contains children’s playground facilities and an amphitheater for open-air performances. A stone relief sculpture of KKL-JNF’s iconic
Blue Box stands on a map of Australia.
The Misgav Regional Sustainability Education Center’s ecological garden and classrooms were likewise created with the support of friends of JNF Australia. Local Jewish and Arab schoolchildren come here to learn about sustainability and the environment.
Michal Honen, Director of the Merhavim Senior Citizens’ Association in Misgav, explained to the visitors that Misgav Regional Council comprises thirty-five communities, of which twenty-nine are Jewish and six are Bedouin. She emphasized that the council’s services are available to all local residents, whatever their background or religion.
Yousra Suwaid, a social worker from the Bedouin village of Kammana, spoke about her work and about the shared life of the area, where members of all communities cooperate with one another. Of herself she said: “In the past it wasn’t really acceptable for a Bedouin woman to go out to study. When I began my studies, a lot of people in the village were critical, but I persisted, because I wanted to do what I’d dreamed of doing. Today more and more women choose the same path.”
Gilad Ostrovsky, director of sustainability in Misgav, explained that the Sustainability Education Centre adheres to the principles of green construction. It is made of recycled materials, plants grow on its green roof, it has a rainwater collection system and it is surrounded by shady trees. “Our aim is to attract large numbers of schoolchildren to the center so that they can learn about sustainability by practicing it themselves,” he said.
“Sustainability is not just about natural surroundings, it’s also about what happens between people,” added
Keren Fuchs, Misgav’s director of community and environment.
“Environmental projects are a wonderful way to create a connection between children in different countries,” said
Sonia Newell, of Emanuel School in Sydney. “I have no doubt that we can learn a great deal from one another and benefit greatly from strengthening the relationships between us.”
Striving for excellence in Upper Nazareth
The
KKL-JNF House in Upper Nazareth is a fascinating place for educators – and, indeed, for anyone who views investment in the young generation as top priority – to visit.
KKL-JNF House is a
network of educational centers in peripheral communities that provide supplementary lessons and enrichment activities that encourage local youth to excel and become community leaders. It offers educational activities for high-school students, with the emphasis on technology, mathematics, English and science.
The KKL-JNF House for Excellence in Upper Nazareth is an impressive building that contains smart classrooms, a computer lab, an auditorium and an open-plan area for social activities. Its design is young and innovative with colorful walls, murals and an advanced multimedia system.
“Our objective is to narrow the gaps between central Israel and its periphery,” explained
Avi Musan, director of the KKL-JNF Houses project. “If we can arouse the children’s motivation and encourage them to believe in themselves, they can realize all their dreams.”
“What we’ve actually created here is a young person’s university that will nurture excellence in Israel’s periphery,” said
Shimon Abuchasira, director of the KKL-JNF House. “Our activities help to reveal the youngsters’ hidden talents and enable them to fulfil their potential.”
Since the KKL-JNF House was established a year ago, it has been
visited by large numbers of schoolchildren from Upper Nazareth and its environs. They come to study, to excel and to experience a range of technology. The House’s establishment and operation have been made possible thanks to the support of KKL-JNF’s Friends worldwide.
The House in Upper Nazareth is just the first of ten such Houses that KKL-JNF plans to establish in Israel’s northern and southern periphery to promote excellence in those parts of the country where young people generally have fewer opportunities. The
second House is now on its way to being set up in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi.
To get a sense of the atmosphere of KKL-JNF’s House of Excellence, the teachers took part in an educational workshop entitled “Israeli Reality,” which was developed by KKL-JNF Education Division’s Overseas Department as an experiential education module that teaches students about Israel’s significant contribution to the world as a startup nation famous for a number of notable inventions, such as drip irrigation, cherry tomatoes, SodaStream, Iron Dome, Waze and the computer flash drive.
The delegates watched videos, searched for information on the Internet and even created interesting structures from cherry tomatoes. Each person who successfully completed a task was presented with a capital letter, and at the end all of them together spelt out the phrase “Israel, startup nation.”
“Teachers can use these educational tools in activities with their pupils in Australia, to acquaint youngsters with new aspects of Israel and put them in touch with the country’s success stories,” said Hani Dessa, director of
KKL-JNF’s Overseas Education Department, who is responsible for the development of Zionist education programs for schools outside Israel.
Higher education at the Technion
After experiencing some of the activities designed for high-school students, it was time for some higher education – and so the next stop was the Technion in Haifa, which is one of the world’s leading universities.
Producing Nobel Prize winners, launching satellites into space, spearheading advanced research into water management and nanotechnology, fostering researchers in all fields of science and engineering and embarking on international partnerships with the world’s major universities,
including Australian universities – these are just a few examples of the Technion’s activities at the forefront of research in science and technology.
Gil Leiner, head of the Technion’s School of Communications and Foreign Relations, told the delegates something of the university’s illustrious history. “Researchers from different disciplines work here together to find solutions and make new discoveries,” he said. “Though we are not a large university, we have produced a great many inventions and created a great many jobs. We are an important growth engine for the State of Israel.”
The delegates then split up into four groups, each of which visited a different aspect of the Technion: a robotics and digital technology lab; chemistry laboratories; a lecture on science education; and a
beautiful green ecological garden.
The visit concluded with a discussion with the Dean of Students,
Professor Orit Hazzan, on the future of education in Israel. She told the delegates about a special Technion program that enables students to acquire teaching certification while simultaneously studying science or engineering. “That means that if they decide one day to leave the world of hi-tech to become teachers, they will be able to do so. Large numbers of students from different areas of study have joined the program,” she said.
She explained that the Technion attaches particular importance to students from Israel’s periphery and does its utmost to help them succeed. In conclusion she invited the teachers to encourage their students to come and study at the Technion.
The day ended with a traditional Druze meal in Daliyat al-Karmel and a performance of folk music and dance. From there the delegates made their way to Jerusalem for a weekend of visits to some of the fascinating historical and cultural sites that stand in the nation’s capital – and for a respite before embarking upon another intensive, action-packed week.