The Center of Social and Civic Involvement (C-saci)
Because Today’s Students Are Tomorrow’s Leaders
The Center for Social and Civic Involvement (C-Saci), which was established in 2018 as part of the CURE by Erasmus+ project of the European Union, is an incubator in the socialization process of teaching students and in imparting skills and tools in the professional development processes of teaching faculty and officials within the education system. The center coordinates all the social activities of the college, which includes a wide variety of programs, and its primary goals are:
- Promoting social-community and civic involvement among the students and faculty members.
- Bridging social gaps and reducing inequality in various fields, including education, economics, and social.
Following are various examples of social activity at the college:
“Shades in the Academy” Course for Faculty Members – A Development Process of Diverse Institutional Leadership
Background: Under the umbrella of “Israeli Hope in the Academy” and in the spirit of the Tribes Speech of the Honorable former President of the State, Mr. Reuven Rivlin, who encouraged discourse and building bridges between different groups/tribes in Israeli society.
Year: 2021
Activity: 10 meetings between faculty members from Sakhnin College and Levinsky College in which joint ventures were promoted to establish a humane and fruitful dialogue, encourage cooperation in educational processes, and develop joint research areas and innovative publications in the academy.
Beyond getting to know each other and breaking the existing barriers, professional collaborations were created due to the meetings, including the partnership of faculty members from both colleges in conducting research.
Traveling course ‘Israeli Hope’ – Partial Program: Sakhnin Academic College for Teacher Education and Levinsky College of Education
Background: former Israeli president Mr. Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin drew attention to the emerging Israeli reality. No longer a Jewish, Zionist, IDF serving majority, united in its ambitions for this country and small marginal groups, but rather Israeli citizens who belong to different ‘tribes’, four separate sectors which are increasingly equal in size – secular, religious-national, ultra-Orthodox and Arab – who have very different perceptions regarding fundamental questions. Against this backdrop, The President called for recognizing the existence of the various ‘tribes’, promoting dialogue between them, and creating a shared vision and living space. He called his initiative ‘Israeli Hope’.
Year: 2018/2023
Activity: A course with accreditation for 2nd and 3rd-year students from all the tracks was developed, in which Arab and Jewish students from the two colleges (Sakhnin and Levinsky) participate. The course aims to convey information about the ‘different tribes’ and ways to develop dialogue. The course is built around two axes – theoretical and experiential. The theoretical axis dealt with the concept of ‘identity’ and different circles of identification. The experiential axis focused on the students’ encounters with each other, and with social activists, Jewish and Arab clergy, social entrepreneurs, and educators from various educational settings.
Volunteer Work Regarding the Issue of “Violence in Society”
Year: 2019-2020
Background: The issue of “violence in society” was identified as a complex social problem that must be considered.
Activity: 80 students who received a scholarship volunteered once a week during the year (for a total of 90 hours) in various frameworks that work to promote women’s status and reduce and prevent violence in Arab society. These included The Association Women Against Violence, the Kayan Feminist Organization, and Al-Ssiwar: The Feminist Arab Movement. They became involved in preventive action and raising awareness of the issue in schools and women’s groups in the community.
Workshops and group meetings: throughout the year, the students participated in bi-monthly workshops aimed at processing the processes they went through with the target population and enrichment through meetings with associations, organizations, and social activists.
Guest Lecturer on Community-Based Learning
Year: 2019
Activity: As part of the CURE by Erasmus+ international project, Sakhnin College hosted Dr. Catherine Carré-Karlinger from the University of Linz-Austria (University of Education Upper Austria) for a lecture and workshop on community-based learning, a methodology that connects higher education studies with the community, and the role of The Social Involvement Unit in graduates’ social efficacy.
Bone Marrow Donation Reach-out
Year: 2018/2019
Activity: Cooperation with the “Struggle for Life” association named after Eli Alkoubi (who passed away due to cancer), which operates in cooperation with the Hadassah University Medical Center Jerusalem. Students received an explanation of the issue, joined the fight, joined the donor pool, and donated samples.
Placemaking: World Café
The “World Café” event is a product of an educational approach called participatory leadership, in which students are invited to lead a process from beginning to end. The entire process is done as a workshop that includes learning involving thoughts, feelings, and emotions to benefit joint creation.
In the first year of activity (summer 2018), the students and faculty analyzed the college space, the local identity, and the community meaning on campus using an approach called “Placemaking”, that is, creating spaces with high entrepreneurship. At the end of the process, a sign was produced with the story of the college’s development, the students’ expectations from it, and its and the students’ vision for the future.
In the second year of activity (summer 2019), a survey was conducted among the student community and the academic staff regarding various measures they thought would promote the Regev Excellence Program.
The “World Café” is a project within the Cure-Erasmus+ project and The Center of Social and Civic Involvement (C-saci) at the college.
A Multi-Year Program to Integrate Women from the Minority Population who Excel in their Studies into Institutions of Higher Education and Sought-After Professions.
Background: The program, funded by the Authority for Economic Development in the Arab Society in the Ministry of Social Equality, seeks to prepare the future generation of Arab women who excel in their studies for academic studies in prestigious professions that generate employment.
The activity included:
- Empowerment and preparation of women for the entrance exams in higher education institutions
- Guidance and assistance in choosing subjects of study required in the Israeli labor market
As part of the program that operated between 2013 and 2019, about 1000 outstanding young women from Arab society were trained from the Rahat area in the south to the Majdal Shams area in the north.
“Remembering Life” Project
Year: 2017
Activity: Raising awareness of road accidents prevention and the importance of the value of life among school students (Elementary School D’ in Kafr Kanna; Elementary School D’ in I’billin; Junior Highs Ibn Khaldun and Elhalan, and High Schools Taha Hussein and Elbshair in Sakhnin; Elementary School Omar Bin Al-Khattab in Majd al-Krum).
Planned Projects:
Collaboration with the Search for Common Ground Organization and the Pathways Institute
A collaboration, planned for the 2023-2024 academic year, with Search for Common Ground to promote dialogue and conflict resolution and to hold meetings between members of different religions (Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze). The possibility of cooperation with the Pathways Institute for Negotiation Education is also being examined.
Alum organization
Year: 2023-2024
Background and activity: Establishing a logistical and administrative infrastructure to operate an alum organization. The organization will monitor graduate development as a vital source of information for future college development directions alongside expanding its social involvement through its members.
Empowerment and involvement program among parents of prep school students
Year: pilot in the year 2023-2024
Background and activity: The college seeks to increase the number of students enrolled in academic studies among Bedouin society, particularly Bedouin girls. This is a traditional society where choosing a life path that includes academic studies is not obvious. Including parents in the empowerment and personal and professional development process of the boys and girls as students in the pre-academic preparatory course will help achieve this goal.
Workshops to increase the parents’ involvement in the study process and the development of their sons and daughters in the course are expected to increase their expectations of the children and their belief in their abilities, increasing the student’s self-confidence.
For details, please get in touch with:
Ms. Aysha Badarneh, Secretary
Phone: 04-905-8025