Dear Students,
Shalom,
The Division for Social Involvement invites you to join one of the following social involvement initiatives:
All the above programs are based on the view that the educational, social and economic disparities in Israeli society are extremely wide, even wider than the disparities in American society. Therefore, we invite students – the next generation of leaders – to participate in the discussion, insights and activism for social change and a more egalitarian society, based on values of justice and social rights.
We hope you will find a framework in the Unit for meaningful social activism and involvement, that will give you an opportunity to contribute and from which you can Recompense and develop social awareness and sensitivity towards disadvantaged populations in Israeli society.
Thank you for contacting the Unit and we wish you success.
The Unit has an Open-Door Policy, so please do not hesitate to contact us with any queries, concerns or suggestions.
Please note: You can only participate in one program: If you have signed up to an additional foundation that requires social involvement, please choose only one!
Yours Faithfully.
Tel: 02-5882364
Fax: 02-5880174
Office hours: 7:30-15:00
Email: sociali@savion.huji.ac.il
The OPI project (Active University in Jerusalem) is the university's flagship social project, in the framework of which the university and students are committed to helping youth at risk and running various programs that support and empower them. The purpose of these programs is to expose youth to higher education and the cultural and emotional worlds of students, and as such develop their abilities and self-esteem, give them hope for a brighter future and the opportunity for social mobility. We also strive to develop the students who participate the project by encouraging them to participate in a group of social study and activism among themselves and also with the youth, with the aim of sharpening social awareness and sensitivity that they can express in their student life as well as in the future after their studies.
The OPI project runs the following 5 programs:
"Hand in Hand" individual tutoring – a big brother/sister program whereby students tutor youth at risk – individually and in groups - who live in frameworks away from home.
"Life Experience" groups - a program of group activity for youth at risk who live in educational frameworks away from home. The activity is enriching and experiential and takes place in the various educational frameworks. (This program will not take place in the next academic year – 2016/17.)
CLAF MENATSIYAH - academic enrichment courses for youth that takes place on campus. The youth choose a course and study it at the university throughout the academic year.
LAHAV – a continuation of the CLAF MENATSIYAH program whereby high schoolers come to the university and attend academic courses for which they receive credits that are reserved for when they become fully-fledged students at the university.
A Real Opportunity - a program whereby students from Israel's outlying areas serve a bridge between university and their towns and neighborhoods. These students track down young men and women and assist them in pursuing higher education, with an emphasis on the Hebrew University in particular.
We also hold special activities – as part of the OPI project – for the youth and staff of the educational frameworks in which we work:
Highlight events for youth: once a month we organize special events for youth, such as trips, visits to attractions and museums, shows, etc., that take them out of their routine and broaden their cultural horizons.
Seminars for staff: the staff attend seminars where they learn topics that are being researched at the university and are relevant to their work. Researchers get feedback on the staff's progress and can draw conclusions from field workers.
The amount of the scholarship varies depending on the program and the number of hours required to invest. Scholarships range between NIS 7,000-7500.
participate in the program.
Recruitment of candidates for the academic year 2016-17 has begun.
Email to submit application and/or queries: refaelboukai@gmail.com
Refael Boukai, Director of Youth Programs, Unit for Social Involvement
A program whereby youths create a meaningful connection with a "big brother/sister" (mentor) who helps them – individually or in groups – to improve their study skills, their ability to cope with emotional issues and their self-esteem. At the same time, mentors serve as a role model and a breath of fresh air in the youths' lives. As part of the program, the mentors also assist in organizing special events for the youth in the program and at the end of the year the mentors and the youth together produce a final project.
Students who participate in the program commit to 159 hours throughout the academic year, which are divided into five weekly hours, on average. These hours are divided into 112 hours of activity and 47 hours of instruction and training. Instructional and training sessions take place on Sundays 17:00 and 19:00.
A scholarship of up to NIS 7,000, contingent on putting in the hours and reporting them.
Recruitment of candidates for the academic year 2016-17 has begun.
Email for queries: refaelboukai@gmail.com
CLAF MENATSIYAH (Hebrew acronym for: Active Learning Courses) is a program of enrichment courses in academic fields that are taught at the Hebrew University, and is intended for high schoolers in grades 10-12 who are the first in their family to study and wish to enrich themselves by studying one of the courses offered in the program. Subjects taught in the program include psychology, business administration, law, and medicine.
The program is based on a model of active study, whereby all the learning material is imparted in an experiential, interactive and enjoyable way. We arrange transportation for the high schoolers and on their arrival at campus, we give them a sandwich and a drink. The idea is to create incentives for the high schoolers to come and study, by giving them as much access to courses and opportunities that exposure to higher education can offer.
Throughout the course, the high schoolers have a variety of experiences including tours, projects and opportunities to gain experience. In addition to the courses taught, the high schoolers acquire study skills that serve as preparation for the second stage of the LAHAVA program. The course instructors are advanced students in the subjects taught and they are carefully selected before undergoing specific training for the task.
Students who take part in the program commit to 187 hours throughout the academic year, which are divided into an average of four weekly hours from the beginning of the academic year until the start of classes (December) and an average of 8 weekly hours from the start of classes to the end of the program (May).
These hours are divided into 110 hours of instruction and 77 hours of training. Training takes place on Sundays 17:00 and 19:00.
A scholarship of up to NIS 7,500, contingent on putting in the hours and reporting them.
Recruitment of candidates for the academic year 2016-17 has begun.
Email address for queries: refaelboukai@gmail.com
The LAHAV program (Hebrew acronym for: Towards Higher Education at the Hebrew University) was founded 17 years ago and is intended for high school students who are the first in their families to study higher education, and graduates of CLAF MENATSIYAH with strong learning abilities who are motivated and can commit to the program.
Those students, who successfully completed the first year of CLAF MENATSIYAH, enroll and study in university courses, like any other student. Those who meet the course requirements accumulate credit points that are reserved for a future date, when they will be admitted to the university.
It should be emphasized that beyond the 6 to10 credits accumulated by students in the program – which will help them when they study for a degree – the key Recompense of the program lies in internalizing the message: "I will be a student too" and that it's not unattainable but simply involves hard work and applying yourself to your studies. The teenagers in the program are supervised by mentoring students who study or have studied the same courses the teenagers study.
Student who participate in the program are responsible for 10 teenagers. The students mentor the teenagers once a month and monitor their progress. The students commit to an average of four weekly hours and a total of 124 hours throughout the academic year, which are divided up into 80 hours of mentoring, 44 hours of group training and 7 hours of one-on-one meetings with their supervisor once a month.
A scholarship of up to NIS 4,700, contingent on putting in the hours and reporting them.
Recruitment of candidates for the academic year 2016-17 has begun.
Email address for queries: refaelboukai@gmail.com
In the framework of this program, 14 students from Israel's outlying areas are chosen to serve a bridge between the university and their towns and neighborhoods. The students track down young men and women and assist them in pursuing higher education, with an emphasis on the Hebrew University in particular. The students operate at the urban and neighborhood level to help bring young people to the university's Open Day, and also operate at the personal level by informing young people from outlying towns or neighborhoods about the assistance they can receive at university.
14 students from outlying towns and neighborhoods will be selected for the program. Each student will commit to 157 hours throughout the academic year, which are divided into 100 hours of activism in outlying towns and the university, 50 hours of group training and 7 hours of individual sessions with the supervisor.
A scholarship of NIS 6,500 which will be transferred to the student's account at the university in two stages: during the semester break and at the end of the academic year.
How to sign up to the program
Applicants are to send their resume to the email address below and include a cover letter explaining their reason for wanting to participate in the program.
Only suitable applicants will receive a reply.
Candidates will be invited to a group interview and an individual interview in September.
Email address for questions and/or queries: refaelboukai@gmail.com
Recruitment of candidates for the academic year 2016-17 has begun.
"Women Speaking Hebrew on Campus" is the result of a collaborative project between the nonprofit organization LISSAN and the Hebrew University’s Social Involvement Unit. The aim of the project is to impart Hebrew conversational skills to women and female adolescent from neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and to provide them with practical tools to help improve their Hebrew. Since 2013, over 1,800 women/adolescents have graduated the project, and over the past year alone, more than 500 women/adolescents have studied in the framework of the project.
The project is based on the belief that Jerusalem, where 37% of the population speaks Arabic as a first language, is a bilingual space in which there should be equal access to resources and opportunities for all its residents. Since 2013, LISSAN has been working to make Hebrew and Arabic – the two main languages spoken in Jerusalem – accessible to groups of people with an increased need for language, based on the principle of maximum accessibility and cultural, content-related, geographical and economic suitability.
LISSAN is a non-profit organization that promotes linguistic justice, by recognizing language as an essential resource and basic right. The organization was founded in 2013, when a group of women from Issawiya in East Jerusalem, who were facing a language barrier on a daily basis, sought a Hebrew learning program that would address their needs. In response, LISSAN, in collaboration with the Issawiya Community Center, established the volunteer-based project Medabrot Ivrit (Women Speaking Hebrew) which has grown and developed over the years, thanks to a wide collaborative network including the Hebrew University, which has provided a home for the organization's flagship project for several years now. "Women Speaking Hebrew" is LISSAN’s largest project and it operates in three branches: “Speaking Hebrew on Campus” in collaboration with the Hebrew University's Social Involvement Unit on Mount Scopus; "Women Speaking Hebrew - MA”AN" in cooperation with WAC-MAAN (Workers’ Advice Center) for the integration of women from East Jerusalem into the labor market; and "Women Speaking Hebrew - MATI" in collaboration with the Jerusalem Business Development Center to teach Hebrew skills to women who integrate into the workforce and open small businesses.
The project’s activities are based on the practical needs of the students and therefore the learning materials are designed to optimally address the challenges faced by the students as Arab-speaking residents of Jerusalem. The method of study is interactive with an emphasis on speaking skills and gaining confidence in the language. Each training team in the project works with 2-3 volunteers, and together they build and impart weekly Hebrew lessons to the various classes, at 4 levels of study and on the basis of accessible study material. Each training team has a coordinator who receives an annual scholarship from the Social Involvement Unit. The project’s training program is based on LISSAN’s pedagogical training program, which provides professional training and support throughout the year (no previous teaching experience required), alongside training in relevant social issues provided by the Social Involvement Unit.
A NIS 6,500 grant for assembling a training team in the program.
The grant is based on a total of 96 practical hours and 58 theoretical hours.
The grant hours will consist of four main components:
Applicants must send their resume and will be accepted for the position based on a personal interview.
To enable female students to participate in an atmosphere of social study and activism aimed at raising their awareness and social sensitivity that will find expression during their student life and their future life after graduation. The students will gain experience in forming a communicative, cooperative and empowering leadership group for the Recompense of Israeli society, based on the values of human rights and social rights. In the first semester, the group will focus on feminist issues and feminist pedagogy and in the second semester on feminist leadership.
14 students will be selected for the program - preference will be given to graduate students who will be asked to participate in the following
The scope of the required activity is about 192 hours throughout the academic year, in exchange for a scholarship of NIS 7,800 that will be transferred to the student's account at the university in two stages: during the semester break and at the end of the year's activity.
Please send inquiries the the following email address: dakars@savion.huji.ac.il
The student period is a time for acquaintance, dialogue, resolving difficulties and finding alternatives to building a more just and less divided society between two groups of students that barely meet until they come to university, namely the Jewish students and the Arab students.
Today's students will tomorrow integrate, as university graduates, into meaningful key jobs and lead Israeli society. Before they leave the university, students from both groups should stop, look around, meet and talk with each other so that they can share the insights and abilities that emerge from this dialogue with new colleagues with whom they will work, volunteer or socialize, and together find a new and better path for Israeli society.
14 students will be selected – half of them Jewish, half of them Arabs – and required to participate in the following:
The group will be facilitated by two coordinators, one Jewish, the other Arab.
The scope of activity required is 85 hours throughout the academic year, in exchange for a grant of NIS 2,500 which will be transferred to the student's account at the university in two stages: during the semester break and at the end of the academic year.
Email address for questions and/or queries: dakars@savion.huji.ac.il
The goal of "Access for All" is to make academia accessible to vulnerable populations, so that everyone has equal opportunity to realize their potential and contribute to building an egalitarian and just society.
The "Access for All" program aims to build a creative connection between the 'university' and 'the people'- between a center of knowledge and populations that are unable reach this center of knowledge in any other way. As part of the program, the university opens its doors to vulnerable populations and enables them to acquire a vital and practical education in an academic environment.
Participants in the program are adults, referred by the welfare and educational authorities, who once a week take a special adapted introductory course in one of the following fields: law, business administration and psychology. The course is administered by undergraduate students/mentors. The program's participants come from a low socio-economic background, having been expelled from previous educational frameworks and suffer from significant knowledge gaps. The program provides them with basic practical knowledge to help them better cope with their daily lives, but more importantly, to develop their curiosity, restore their desire to learn, and equip them with the tools to continue learning and developing. The studies expose participants to the university experience, to students and faculty members, to their fields of work and worldviews. This creates a dialogue between different strata of the population in Israel that usually never meet. This connection empowers and enriches the participants and contributes to the education and training of the students, but most of all it brings people together and reduces the alienation suffered by those living on the margins of society.
The students-mentors attend a course throughout the academic year, designed to train and prepare them for teaching. The focus of the course is to examine, consolidate and strengthen social commitment. In addition, the students-mentors teach a group of participants once a week and are themselves supervised by a pedagogical staff and representatives of the welfare agencies, responsible for referring the participants to the university. Students receive credits for their participation in the course and for teaching the participants. This is part of the prevailing philosophy that academic education should encourage, initiate and promote social involvement among students, alongside democratization and accessibility of academic knowledge.
The unique operating model: the program participants come to the university once a week – transportation is arranged by the program – and receive a light dinner before class begins. The program's operating model makes possible the social leverage of academic knowledge, human resources (students) and physical resources (classrooms). As a result, the activity is based on a low-cost structure that leads to a particularly high social return in view of the low budgetary investment.
The hundreds of students who have mentored in the program over the years are testimony to its effectiveness as a meaningful learning experience in their lives.
The participating students receive 4 credits in the framework of the Cornerstone Program and a scholarship of NIS 4,000.
The selection of students interested in the program takes place in May-June.
For further details: www.unibaam.org.il
ISEF is one of the most long-established private scholarship foundations in Israel, and is also a social and Zionist organization that works to reduce disparities in Israeli society and to promote equal opportunities in education by increasing access to higher education.
The core values of ISEF are to foster education as a central tool for personal and national development, strengthen social commitment and personal identity, promote multicultural collaboration and strengthen the State of Israel as a democratic Jewish state.
The main target population, which ISEF sees as the key to realizing its vision, are students who come from Israel's economic and social periphery, have completed their IDF service or National Service, have the potential to succeed, personally and academically, and have a background and interest in social involvement.
Membership in the ISEF program involves participation in a program for social commitment and leadership - 15 sessions during the year (on Fridays); participation in educational and community activities - 4 hours per week; individual and academic support to students, in exchange for a high scholarship in cooperation with the Hebrew University.
Students who are members of the Foundation enjoy significant support while making a connection between their personal identity, social commitment and community work. The Foundation supports undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, and provides its members with a wide range of assistance beyond the scholarship.
In the academic year of 2016-17, the scholarship was NIS 20,000 for undergraduates, and NIS 18,500 for graduate students.
The application process for membership in the ISEF involves filling out forms, a screening workshop and a personal interview.
Students wishing to apply for membership in the ISEF program are requested to fill out application forms on the ISEF website
From June 2017, admission to the ISEF Foundation is contingent upon applying for and receiving a scholarship in the university's Financial Aid Unit.
Further information about the Foundation can be found on the ISEF website
The Director of ISEF can be contacted at Jerusalem Program
Please contact Michal Oli, Program Director.
Tel: 02-5881379, e-mail: michal@isef.org.il
The BR Ambassadors organization trains the future generation of social and business leadership in Israel.
The goals of the BR Ambassadors Organization are established by the Rothschild Caesarea Foundation:
If you would like to lead social change in Israel, are willing to work hard to succeed in a big way, and if you want to belong to a team that will lead the social and business agenda in Israel - then BR Ambassadors is an excellent starting point for your ambitions.
Real success is the result of hard work:
Students are invited to submit their candidacy for membership in the BR Ambassadors organization, if they meet the following conditions:
The most comprehensive information about the screening process, criteria and program is available on the registration website.
You are invited to visit the organization's Facebook page
The Preparatory Course is located at the Hebrew University's Mount Scopus campus in Jerusalem. The preparatory program is part of the Equal Opportunities Unit and under the auspices of Dean of Studies Office of the Hebrew University and is where students complete their full Matriculation certificate with an emphasis on societal issues guidance and for each student.
The preparatory program is intended for students who don’t have a complete high school Matriculation certificate. This certificate is essential for entering the world of academic study.
This preparatory program is one of the leading programs in Israel with a high percentage of students who receive their Matriculation certificate and successfully integrate into a variety of higher education institutions.
The preparatory program is a well-organized academic framework. The teaching staff consists of experienced, veteran teachers who excel in teaching heterogeneous classes. The teaching staff is dedicated and caring, with a high level of social awareness and the ability to assist students personally and help them cope with their difficulties. The quota of teaching hours is suited to the needs of the students and enables them to cover the material needed to complete their Matriculation certificate. In addition, there are reinforcement lessons and personal mentoring for students who require it. The reinforcement lessons are during the afternoon hours and mentoring is provided by students at the Hebrew University.
Mt. Scopus Campus, Frank Sinatra Building, room 3-005
Sun-Thu 09:30-16:00
Tel: 02.5881825
Fax: 02.5880174
Email: mechinab@savion.huji.ac.il
Perach offers you the opportunity to participate in one of its mentoring programs and enjoy a scholarship.
A wide range of programs is offered, and almost every student can find an area in which they will enjoy working – mentoring children, helping teenagers prepare for Bagrut, developing youth leadership in neighborhoods, and more. There are also projects in which students can tutor and implement knowledge from the fields of study, such as dentistry, theater, art, etc.
Further information on Perach website
Mt. Scopus Campus, Mexico Building, second floor
Tel: 02.5322651
Fax: 02.5322196