The Netuim Leadership Conference
Ran Huri
"I prefer local development. When you bring guests in they remain guests forever", says Yahaloma Zchut, Director of the Hossen Center for at-risk youth and a prominent social activist in Ofakim, concerning the importance of local leadership.
The Memizrach Shemesh Netuim Beit Midrash has now been active for three years. As part of the program, dozens of local students and young people meet every week to study identity, belonging, family and society as a basis for the work they do in their communities. A third year of in-depth community work, expanding circles of influence, developing concrete and strong ties in the community, and contributing to local development.
This year, for the first time, we held an annual conference in Ofaqim for the Netuim membership from Migdal HaEmek, Afula and Ofakim. Additional participants from other student leadership programs, fellow journey men and women, friends and community members joined us in an evening devoted to honoring local, inspiring leadership.
The conference opened with study circles led by Memizrach Shemesh Beit Midrash facilitators with local leaders by their side. Posters recounting the life story of each participant with his or her comments on the importance of local action were prepared. Through the study session topic – how to be part of change – participants learned why "serving scholars" [shimush talmidei hachamim – serving a mentor] is a necessary condition for every leader's training. Why is it important to observe models for emulation, such as teachers or leaders? What can one learn this way? The insight gained from the study circles was that an inseparable part of a leader's development comes from "serving scholars" – connecting to the echelon of local leaders, studying them and following in their path. The leaders who participated in the study session told their stories to the participants. The encounter was very moving and demonstrated the powerful influence of local leadership on the next generation.
Leah Kabessa-Damari, director of the local Young Adults Center, shared with the participants how her deep faith in the strengths of the local Ofakim community forms the basis of the breadth and diversity of her social action. Leah is one of the founders of the Young Adults Center (which partners with the Netuim program, as do all other local Centers in the program), a founding member of the Ofakima Local Residents Community NGO, and party to local initiatives for youth and children. Leah gripped her audience as she spoke of the resource of human value and shared goals as motivation for social activism.
Following the study session circles, the 150 conference participants met again for the second part of the evening, which began with opening remarks by Mayor Yitzhak Danino. The mayor shared his feelings of pride at having the first Netuim conference event in his town. He presented several of the focal projects in Ofakim and called upon the local young people to continue their activities for the benefit of their home town.
Dr. Yehuda Maimaran, CEO of Kol Israel Haverim, was next to address the group. He praised the Memizrach Shemesh – Kol Israel Haverim staff for their initiative and for producing the conference and thanked the mayor and the head of the regional council for their extensive cooperation. Dr. Maimaran emphasized the importance of the fundamental concept of the Netuim program – the recognition that every development town has the human resources required for its leadership and that empowering local residents represents a deep change towards a type of discourse whose application has great potential.
The next speaker was Dr. Meir Buzaglo, Chairperson of the Tikun Movement. Dr. Buzaglo spoke of the challenges facing those who seek to become leaders in their own towns, referring to the need to develop trust without being patronizing, the lulling effect of routine, and the difficult personal work required of those who undertake responsibility from a leader's position in their home surroundings.
This part of the evening reached its conclusion with a stirring moment. The Alfonso Sabah Prize for Excellence in Social Responsibility was awarded by Mr. Samuel Sabah, a family member, and Moshe Shriki, to Shai Vainer, a second year student in the Ofaqim Netuim group, for outstanding social action and leadership this year and during the summer's Operation Protective Edge (Tzuk Eitan).
Koby Oz, the evening's featured artist, and his band followed, sharing songs and stories that traced the journey from his childhood in Sderot through to the success of the Teapacks pop band and to his current position, looking to the future. It all began, as he explained, with the local support that enveloped them in Sderot and because local residents harnessed their abilities for the benefit and cultivation of their community. The performance swept the young audience off their feet. Their appreciation was obvious, as they sang along and gave the band a long standing ovation.
The conference had a powerful effect, as could be seen from the students' enthusiastic responses while they discussed among themselves the experience they had just undergone. They spoke about their potential influence as local residents on each other and on their community membership and, no less important, about who would host next year's conference...
