The Galilee Foundation also supports a wide range of projects that seek to promote development and the equality of the Palestinian minority in Israel, through the advancement of education and the preservation of culture. Below is a summary of projects that we are currently supporting.
Partner Organisation: Yaffa Youth Movement Association
Project name: Yaffa Al Mustaqbal Programme
The Galilee Foundation partnered with the Yaffa Youth Movement Association (YMMA) to support their Yaffa Al Mustaqbal initiative. The project aims to empower youth in Yaffa and to increase their chances of obtaining higher education through the provision of academic support while at high-school.
The project provides the students with training for the Psychometric Exam in Hebrew – one of the two factors determining admission chances to study at Israeli university – which causes stress and anxiety among many Palestinian high-school students, many of whom do not perform well because they study at Arabic-speaking Primary and Secondary schools. The project works with 50-60 students from secondary schools for the duration of three years. Through its intervention and support, the project also wishes to reduce school drop-out rates amongst its direct beneficiaries, which is currently at a low of 20%.
The aim of this project is to provide students with academic, leadership and life skills training to enable them to successfully complete their secondary education and become more active and involved members of their communities.
Annual budget: USD 148,000
Partner Organisation: Baladna Youth Association
Project name: Youth Leadership Programme (YLP)
The Galilee Foundation partnered with the Haifa-based Baladna Youth Association to support their Youth Leadership Programme (YLP), which aims to empower Palestinian youth in Israel through non-formal education. Baladna was established in 2001 to enable, empower, and educate Palestinian youth within the Green Line. As the largest independent Arab youth organisation in Israel, Baladna provides leadership training and cultural education to help strengthen the understanding of democracy, gender equality, anti-violence, human rights, pluralism and tolerance.
Their objective is to create a positive transformation in the lives of Arab youth in Israel by teaching them how to confront discrimination and create sustainable services that address their needs.
The YLP trains university students on how to think critically, issues around innovation and leadership skills. The graduates of its summer training programme work throughout the year to form and lead youth groups who go on to identify and address prominent problems in their communities. The project hopes to provide youth with the opportunity to understand their history and to gain some degree of control over their education, in order to understand and strive to change their complex and oppressive reality. Through this project, Baladna wishes to address not only the political, but also the social issues, including issues around patriarchal and oppressive social structures within the Palestinian community.
Annual budget: USD 53,000
Partner Organisation: Mada Al-Carmel, the Arab Centre for Applied Social Research
Project name: Supporting Higher Education Students Programme
Since 2010, the Galilee Foundation has partnered with Mada Al-Carmel by supporting several of its programmes. Most recently, the Foundation has supported the Post Graduate Programme. Mada Al-Carmel is the largest and most established independent Palestinian academic organisation operating inside Israel. Their overall objective is to provide academic and intellectual support for Palestinian PhD students. As a result of systemic discrimination throughout the entire trajectory of Palestinian students’ educational experiences, the Palestinian community in Israel lacks the infrastructure for nurturing independent, bold, and authentic intellectual leaders.
The Palestinian community in Israel has been dependent on information and analyses provided by Israeli research institutions, and this Programme provides information and analyses conducted independently by Palestinians for Palestinians. The project provides monthly seminars and workshops where students make presentations and solicit feedback about their own research from their Palestinian peers, the seminar leader, and another scholar whose work relates directly to theirs. The project also organises an annual conference which is open to all Palestinian PhD students, irrespective of their place of residence. This conference is a first of its kind offered to Palestinian PhD students and provides a rare and unique opportunity for Palestinian scholars to gather and share their research and ideas in a dynamic academic discussion with other high-achieving students and established scholars.
Annual budget: USD 75,000
Partner organisation: Challenge To Change (C2C)
Project Name: Work-readiness, Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills Training and Development
In 2019 the Galilee Foundation partnered with Challenge To Change, a Geneva based non-profit association, born out of a strong, genuine desire and need to enhance and enrich the lives of Arab women, especially those affected by conflict in the Middle East. Current programmes aim to enable these women to transform challenges into opportunities for positive change. Their vision is to create a community of Arab women who are resilient and successful.
The Galilee Foundation supports The Work-readiness, Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills Training and Development which aims to improve these skills, encourage entrepreneurship and promote income generation for young Palestinian women.
The programme aims to raise awareness about the skills and mindset of entrepreneurs, and guides participants on how to shape their start-up idea, create a compelling value proposition, establish the right business model,create a business plan, and build and practice an impactful pitch.
By connecting, inspiring and empowering women in these ways, their lives and those of their families, communities and future generations are enhanced by the ripple effects of education, social participation and wealth generation.
Find out more about our Scholarship Programme in Israel here
Find out more about our Scholarship Programme in East Jerusalem here