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Developing unformal education in Sha’ar HaNegev and Gaza Envelope – I Believe
In the last decade Gaza Envelope residents are in “War normality”. The understanding that every moment the situation may change and become a warday, or even more,
escort the everyday life. As time passes, and as the escalation rounds increase, there is a growing need in psychological and mental help. The strength of the Gaza Envelope residents is very important to the strength of Israel.
We believe that by establishing unformal education institutions in Gaza envelope area, it will increase the sense of solidarity and belonging. The connection and meaning to this land will enable to support the courage of the residents.
We believe that by bringing youth from all around the country to a unique year in the area, it will establish a community of belongness. It will make a sense of meaning in the future army service, and it makes ambassadors of the Gaza envelope area to the whole country.
We believe that by forming a youth movement in the gaza envelope area, formed around Zionism values, it will make clear to those who participate, how important is settlement and will give practical tools to deal with emergency situations. Also, will enable the sense of strength to the youth around the gaza envelope.
We believe in forming community plan, from kindergarten age to the elders of the community, separate and together, that will conclude in a big community event in the end of the process. It will create the sense of togetherness, and belongness, and will help the strength of community during crisis.
Meitarim Lachish – Nahal Oz founded after operation “Protective Edge” in 2014. The Envelope as a whole, and Nahal Oz community in specific, has been affected a lot after the war. During the
operation, the IDF exposed offensive tunnels close the Kibbutz. In 22.8.2014, a bomb shell fell inside the Kibbutz and killed the 4 years old Daniel Tregerman.
Families left, Students learning near by didn’t come back. The community straggled. During the thought process how to change and improve the reality, the community decided to establish a Mechina.
The creation of Mechina involves many processes, from bureaucracy, to creation of educational program, to recruit staff. Normally, founding a Mechina takes 2 years, but the Mechina in Nahal Oz founded in only 45 days. As the youth came into the Kibbutz, and the involvement of the staff in the community life, change immediately the feeling of the community.
Nahal Oz community has wrote on their flag the saying: “The day after another fire round in Gaza, the reality in Nahal Oz will never go back to what it was after Protective Edge in 2014.” To make that
statement a reality, there is a need to divide reality to two situations: one, routine life, second, emergency.
The accomplishment of project during last years
In routine, the Mechina is a part of the thriving Nahal-Oz community. The Mechina sees itself as a partner in the Kibbutz activities and helps in the
Kibbutz projects each week. Today, more families live in the Kibbutz, than there were pre-2014 war. The Mechina, together with the Kibbutz management, are acting to creating a strong sense of community.
In emergency, the Mechina aids the families to arrive home at times when the kids aren’t allowed walk and play freely. Also, immediately after the last war rounds, the Mechina raised funds to
make happenings to raise the Kibbutz moral. It aided much to the community.
Since the Mechina established, some alumni that finished their army service,
and former staff, stayed to live in the Kibbutz, and in the Gaza envelope area.
Meitarim Lachish also helped a settlement community by alumni in Kibbutz “Holit”.
We see great meaning in bringing youth to the area, from a sense of mission and Zionism. After 5 years, we want to expend our activity to the whole municipality.
Conditions to extend the project
Nahal Oz institution founded in 2014 after Protective edge, that impacted deeply the strength of community in the Kibbutz. After six years, where we formed and enabled the Mechina to operate and integrate, we believe that by duplicating the model to other
settlements in the municipality and area, and extending it to other ages, we will strengthen the will of the residents. Meitarim Lachish is already creating the extension process and preparing the land for it. The purpose of the Mechina is to become the
center pillar the unformal education in the area.
1. The conditions to forming a multi-age program (Pilot in Nahal Oz, In next year):
A) Choosing a topic and building the perfect educational program
– Importance that the topic will suit all ages and will connect the generations involving the project.
B) Raising Funds:
1. Staff – We need professionals to guide the program.
2. Means – We want an end product. To create it, we need suitable means.
3. The conditions to open a youth movement for 10-12 grade in the municipality (2021):
A) Recruiting Staff – The youth movement will operate mostly on weekends. This movement requires a staff member for each age, and a logistic personal.
B) Funds – The weekend needs to be significant and worthy. From the content, to the little details.
3. The conditions to forming another Branch/Second year
program (2022):
A) Acknowledgment from the defense ministry – The process that the defense ministry promotes, is to form more Mechinot, under already acknowledged organizations to ensure ability and history proven performance.
B) Location – Choosing a community that Is ready to co-operate. A settlement that will ensure the well being of the Students, staff.
C) Recruiting Staff – A process we’re well experienced in.
What It Takes to Be the Leader and Founder of an Endeavor –
The founder’s characters:
Yaniv Mezuman is an educator and entrepreneur, and the head of Meitarim Lachish Mechina since it’s founding, he’s also the Co-Chairman of the Co Council of Mechinot. Lachish has three branches, at Bet Govrin, Eliav and Nahal Oz. Yaniv promotes the involvement of handicaps in Mechinot and is founding a fully accessible to all kinds of disabilities.
Yaniv combines a sense of entrepreneurship and social involvement, together with intellectual research ability. He’s very involved in the intellectual sphere and is completing he’s PHD on the “Prayer in Rabbi Shalom Mizrahi Sharabi, in the Kabala. He finished he’s masters with honors, and he’s research is considered a one-off it’s kind. In the Mechina, Yaniv puts great emphasis in bringing big range of ideas and thesis to the Mechina participants. The ability of Yaniv as an education-oriented social impact entrepreneur to make a change. The Nahal Oz
Mechina initiative, arrived from a member of the community after Protective Edge, when the Kibbutz got to a deep crisis, and the community members
asked to establish a Mechina, as a “reality changer” project.
In Eliav, in the Lachish region, where Yaniv lives, he was involved to establish the settlement, which is a secular and religious mixed community settlement.
He led, with the settlement management, to establish a Mechina that will act as the heart of the community.
The Mechina in Beit Govrin, in Yoav municipality, changed the whole perspective on secular-religious relations in the area, and it was decided to join the
municipality in creating a place of Torah study in the area.
Other than the educational work and establishing Mechinot, Yaniv practiced in journalism and documentary films, and started his way as an army reporter in Galey tzahal, and filmed a documentary film to channel 10. He had a column in Maariv paper
and publishes his opinion in various ways from time to time.
Motivation for the initiative:
The initiative was the call from Nahal Oz kibbutz members. After the crisis, that made people leave the Kibbutz, the assembly decided to act to establish a Mechina in its area, together with the Education and Defense ministries.
The realization that founding a Mechina may assist in the community life, and may impact the whole region, made Yaniv and Lachish staff to answer the call, and found a Mechina. In two months, after the 2014 war, the Mechina opened its gates, and with thirty
Mechina Students, educational staff and lecturers, all answered the call and
arrived to strengthen the Kibbutz community. The Mechina now started its Sixth year and initiated many educational programs in the whole municipality and region.
Role characters:
Yaniv oversees the Educational perspective, and the curriculum of the Mechina. Also, Yaniv oversees the
general management of the Mechina, and building and executing it’s strategic plan. He works with the managers of each branch, the educational manager and the board and CEO of the foundation, all to execute the work-plan and assist many of the processes involved.
