YOUNG AMBASSADORS PROJECT: RECRUITING ISRAELI YOUTH

A PRESENTATION TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL’S OFFICEPRESENTED BY: DOLEV ZAHARONY

13/08/2012

Agenda

• General overview• The youth of today and its attitude towards

its heritage• Focus group insights• Our proposal• Q&A• Conclusions

This is our Israel

Though it is a small country, its history is like no other.

Biblical History

Zionist History

The Center for all Three Major World Religions

Today’s Youth

- They live on the social web

- Zero affinity to heritage and history

It seems that all hope is gone for future generations. With no

connection to heritage, how can people and traditions be

conserved?

Unlike in the past, this time it’s up to us to change the course of the future.

• Heritage is not constructed within today’s youth.

• All current activities around the subject of heritage

are perceived as binding, outdated and irrelevant.

• The youth of today wants to feel as a part of its

country but doesn’t know how.

Focus Group Insights

A Project to connect Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli youth

across borders.

Our Solution

First, we need to understand what main social agents

Israeli youth has aside from the school system?

• Training (Disconnection)• Turning into a “communitas” - a unique short lasting group

that creates and builds its own history from past to present and into the future

• Back to daily life - strengthening the Zionist notion

Journey to Poland

• Gathering Jewish youth from around the world

• Strengthening ties to their heritage• Strengthening the connection to

Judaism and Zionism• Strengthening the connection

between the youth of Israel and Jewish youth from around the world

Birthright

• The biggest youth movement in Israel today, it is over 70 years old

• Based on Jewish- Zionist values• Focus on group activities

Scouts

• A leading agent in Israeli Heritage

• Connects different cultural and socio-economic groups within Israeli society

• Creates a new social group of new recruits

IDF

Each of these cultural programs provided its own inspiration.

• The Journey to Poland - “Communitas” and the

return to everyday life

• Birthright - the connection to youth from abroad

• Scouts - working as a group entity

• IDF - A Group of people with different characteristics

that has a shared experience

Our Inspiration

Young Ambassadors Project

1. Connecting Israeli youth to its heritage2. Providing positive media exposure for

Israel internationally

2 Main Goals

• Select a group of Israeli youth for participation

• Complete a thorough training course in basic diplomacy,

public relations, history, and international relations

• A trip around Israel with a similar youth group from abroad

(non-Jewish)

Ongoing projects and activities maintain a connection between the groups. The end-goal of this project is to transform Israeli youth into formal young ambassadors for the country’s Foreign Ministry.

The Process

Project Phases

Preparation Field Activities Youth Ambassador

Return to Daily Routine

3 major elements will be at the core of this project:

Water - Northern IsraelAir/Spirit - JerusalemLand/Earth - The Negev Desert

The Concept

• Building a “Choma and Migdal”, A Fence and tower similar to the time

of the British mandate

• Segway tour in Jerusalem

• Illustration of the battle in “Emek Habacha” (Cryer’s Valley) or similar

sites in the Golan Heights

• Picking fruit in the Desert or in the Jordan Valley

• Academic Seminars

• Producing and demonstrating PR ideas for Israel

• A meeting with the IDF at an army base

Proposed Activities

• Building a website and social media presence (Facebook,

Twitter, YouTube)

• Producing PR projects through media tools such as YouTube

• Participating in projects for the Foreign minister’s office

abroad

Additional Projects

Questions?

• Israeli youth are at a junction in which its heritage is missing and there is a lack of relevant tools to pass it on to new generations, though the will to reproduce it still exists.

• The Young Israeli Ambassadors project aims to “relight the fire” of the notion of heritage through modern day activities presented as an official government program that will enhance the participation of youth around Israel.

• After becoming formal ambassadors of Israel, program participants will become agents that will help to create positive media coverage for the country through various platforms.

Conclusions

“A formative experience that will transform you into an official ambassador of Israel”

Campaign Slogan

Thank you!