This month we wish to spotlight the work of a group of students in Afula who are participating in the Netuim program. Within the framework of the two-year program, they work at youth centers in the periphery, study in our Beit Midrash, and run community projects for the benefit of local population.

According to Adi Sapir, group facilitator, "Among the many things that we do, we get together and study textual sources and the learning leads to discussions of issues that are of personal, social and local relevance. Increasingly, this study helps us to understand our place in society, where we belong, and how tremendously important it is for every person to feel a connection to his or her city, people, traditions and homeland. Our students also reflects the multicultural richness of our city – the group includes individuals who are religious, masorti (traditional) and secular, men and women, and sabras, as well as immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. The differences within the group allow for enriching and fascinating dialogue and help in understanding that you can live together in mutual respect while developing personally. Parallel to the learning process, the students are actively involved in the community and lead social projects in conjunction with local partners and various target populations: women, children, parents, and the elderly."

Last year the students organized a photography contest called Afula through my Eyes, which was designed to strengthen the residents' sense of belonging and love for their city by documenting urban and human landscapes and charming pockets of the city.
In addition, students who run an experiential Beit Midrash program for 25 parents and children in the community garden in the Wolfson neighborhood, are operating, for the second straight year, the Netuim Bagina (planted in the garden) project. This successful activity has strengthened inter-generational ties, enhanced the sense of kinship among the residents and strengthened the personal commitment of the residents to their neighborhood by cultivating community gardens and encouraging shared holiday celebrations.

The initiative has engendered a wonderful and unique connection, particularly between the students and the children, who look forward to their arrival every Thursday. Every week, a different family of children and parents present their family through a song, a story or a meaningful item, creating a special and meaningful neighborhood bonding.