Within the framework of the "Teen Leadership -Diller" Program, a group of eighteen teens from Pittsburgh visited the Karmiel-Misgav region during a three-week period from July 8-27. They were hosted by nineteen of their Israeli counterparts, all of whom are 10th and 11th grade students from Karmiel and Misgav high schools. The program is operated within the framework of the "Partnership 2000" Karmiel, Misgav and Pittsburgh Partnership of the Jewish Agency and the Helen Diller Family Foundation from San Francisco.
During the school year, the project includes a series of bi-weekly meetings in which activities are conducted surrounding issues such as Israeli-Jewish Identity, leadership, current events and community service, etc.
During the Passover vacation, the Israeli group attended a North American Seminar held in Pittsburgh.
Now the time came for the Israelis to host the Americans in their homes. The weeklong visit in the community was fascinated for both the Israelis and the Americans, and included many shared experiences. These included "The Great Race" to become better acquainted with both Karmiel and Misgav, a visit to Tzipori and Nazareth and a tour of the Golan Heights that centered on the issue of the importance of the IDF in daily Israeli life, etc. One of the emphases of the program centers on the self-management of the young people and the responsibility they take concerning various contextual and organizational aspects of the hospitality program.
For example, they decided to volunteer in the community and dedicated a whole day towards painting kindergartens and homes of families in need.

After their weeklong visit to the area, the young people travelled to Givat Haviva where they participated in an International Youth Congress with approximately 250 other "Diller" program participants from Israel and North America.
At the conclusion of the program, each young person is required to participate in a social service project on behalf of his/her community.
Shoshana Kraus, the Group' Counselor wrote: "Wow, I just got back home to Pittsburgh after Diller and while it is nice to be back home I want to thank everyone for making me feel a part of a new home in Karmiel/Misgav! I have never felt so welcomed and been treated as wonderfully as I was in your homes. It wasn't just that you opened up your house to a guest, or treated us to amazing home cooked meals, you treated us as one of the family and made it easy to relax and feel comfortable right from the start".
At the beginning of September, a call will be issued to recruit a new group of 10th grade students from Karmiel and Misgav who will participate in the program during the coming school year. The group in Pittsburgh is already in Place and will start the program soon.