Community Awareness Raising

Community Awareness Raising

The lack of sufficient access to information regarding individual rights and social entitlements is a serious obstacle to the successful integration of the Ethiopian community in Israel. Many immigrants are ill-equipped to maneuver Israel’s complex bureaucracy and utilize the full range of services available to them. To address these challenges, Tebeka coordinates workshops, conferences and lectures that aim to raise the community’s awareness about their rights and responsibilities in Israel. Tebeka hosts a regular radio show in Hebrew and Amharic, as well as publishes informative literature in both languages. Tebeka also holds seminars in high schools, community centers and absorption centers where students, young adults, parents and community elders learn how to handle basic bureaucratic tasks, engage with public officials, write proper correspondences, negotiate a labor contract, utilize small claims court, and much more.

The result is a better-informed Ethiopian Israeli community whose members are aware of their rights and responsibilities, and equipped with the tools to claim them.

Youth Programs

Although most Ethiopian Jews have been in Israel for almost a generation, many families still struggle with the challenges of integration. While older generations remain stuck in their traditional ways and strive to find their place in their new society, children are quick to find their way and to distance themselves from their traditional ways. This often results in a loss of authority amongst parents, as children view them as irrelevant and inadequate.

Indeed, as the child acculturates to the new society, learns the language and culture, makes friends and succeeds in school, the parents are often left behind. There is a link missing between schools, teachers and parents when it comes to Ethiopian Israeli families, and this misunderstanding and lack of communication often leads to frustration on both sides.

Moreover, Ethiopian Israeli teens face the challenge of forming an identity in a society with conflicting messages. On the one had Ethiopian Israelis feel different: they have a different heritage, mother tongue and color, yet on the other hand they feel the same: they speak Hebrew, feel Israeli and know no other homeland.

Community Awareness Raising

Reconciling these multiple identities continues to prove to be a struggle for the community as a whole, particularly the teenagers. It is at this crucial apex of identity building that Ethiopian Israeli young adults need an outlet for self-expression and activity.

Tebeka does not claim to address all the issues surrounding immigration and integration, but rather wishes to invest in the new generation of Ethiopian Israelis, empower them and encourage them to be leaders in their field.

Youth for Justice

Tebeka’s Youth for Justice Program operates under the umbrella of the Center for Children’s Rights. Its aim is to create a well-informed citizenry among Israel’s younger generation and to foster their lifelong commitment to community service. The program is designed to acquaint Israeli high school students of both Ethiopian and non-Ethiopian descent with the fundamentals of democracy, the Israeli legal system, and the importance of social justice. The curriculum encourages students to closely examine their rights and obligations as Israeli citizens. A group of highly dedicated Ethiopian and non-Ethiopian Israeli law students lead the workshops, and serve simultaneously as successful role models.

The program involves eight groups of high school students in four under-served neighborhoods who participate in 16 workshops covering lessons in civics and learning critical tools to address conflict-resolution and build self-esteem. Workshop topics include civil rights, the legal system, equality, tolerance, pluralism and current events. Simulation games are conducted to help internalize the concepts being taught. Participants also visit Israel’s High Court of Justice, meet with law enforcement officials, conduct a moot court at a university campus, and initiate community service projects of their own design.

Community Leadership Development

This program aims build capacity within the Ethiopian community. It grew out of a desire to promote the skills of young lawyers and encourage them to become leaders in their community and society. This year long program is open to all Ethiopian lawyers, law students and interns and includes full day seminars and travel, both in Israel and in the U. S. The program exposes participants to social justice issues, examines different ways to address them and emphasizes the role of individuals in social change.

Community Awareness Raising

Day long seminars focus on learning specific skills: developing vision, negotiating, assertiveness, and group and management skills. Other meetings focus on how to build a campaign for social awareness and change, leadership and effecting change in government policies and institutions. These seminars are combined with trips throughout the country to meet with leaders in order to understand the dynamic social issues facing society. In Israel they include visits to development towns, Arab villages, the Knesset, courts, prisons, civil rights organizations. Meetings are held with individuals in the public and private sector involved in social entrepreneurship, business, politics and academics.

As part of the program, a two week visit to the United States is conducted. The participants will learn about the U.S. experiences in civil rights and justice and the development of the Jewish community and its social network.

At the end of the program, participants are invited to put their newly acquired knowledge to use and develop their own vision and plan as individuals and a group, in order to contribute to social change and Israeli society.