The event was attended by senior KKL-JNF officials, Nissim Ben David, Chairman of the Network of Youth Centers, Rinat Lapidot, Manager of the "Eco Leaders" Program, the managers of youth centers in the Jordan Valley, Golan, Yavneh, Herzliya, Megiddo, Acre, Shoham, the Western Negev City Union, Mateh Yehuda and Harish, as well as additional dignitaries.
During the meeting, the sustainability challenges which we are currently facing both in Israel and in the world were raised, as well as suggestions and inspirations for possible solutions and the drive to carry them out. Supporting this Program is the Network of Youth Centers, which is the umbrella organization of Youth Centers Israel. The Network represents youth centers before government ministries and operates programs for promoting youth such as a Social Initiative Program, a Resilience Program for the Survivors of the Nova Festival and various other programs.
During the launch event, the key points of the Program were presented, according to which young local leadership groups will be established, over 10 meetings accompanied by the best professionals in the field, which will lead change and create a municipal authority initiative on the issue of sustainability, while addressing the nature and needs of the authority. The group will undergo a process whereby the participants become action and opinion leaders in the field of sustainability in the municipal authority. As part of the process, the young men and women will receive training that will impart to them tools for examining the living environment in the municipal authority and development of environmental initiatives in accordance with the needs emerging from the field.
The Program has already commenced in many municipal authorities throughout Israel – Kiryat Bialik, Deburiyya, Daliyat al-Karmel, Hof HaCarmel, Menashe Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Kfar Yona and Hefer Valley, Hadera, Kiryat Ono and Rehovot. The meeting that took place on Monday, constitutes the launching of the Program in 10 additional municipal authorities – The Jordan Valley, Golan, Yavneh, Herzliya, Megiddo, Acre, Shoham, the Western Negev City Union, Mateh Yehuda and Harish. During training, initiatives that meet a critical and relevant need will be chosen for each municipal authority. The initiatives will be led by the participants with the support and guidance of the best professionals in the field, up to integration of the issue, in cooperation with professionals within the municipal authority.
Sar Shalom Jerbi, Manager of the Education and Community Division at KKL-JNF: "We are proud to head a program that teaches environmental leadership and grants young people the ability to develop solutions and raise awareness for the issue of sustainability. We have no doubt that an active, inspiring generation is developing here, one that will influence what is being done by the municipal authorities in particular and the country in general during recent years. KKL-JNF will continue to encourage initiatives that are consistent with the values promoted by the organization on issues of environmental protection, sustainability, love of nature and education".