The program integrates native-born Israelis, new Olim and Arab youth.

The number of students who participated in the event far exceeded our initial expectations, and in the end, we had over three hundred drawings that depicted childrens' visions of Hadar, past, present and future. I was proud to be able to take part in the cooperative effort to identify and mount all of the pictures before the event. This process included several evenings in which members of the different groups that make up the Hadar Initiative gathered in our office to work together to finish the task. In this way, the process of organizing the event was as important, and in my opinion, as successful, as the event itself.

Over two hundred and fifty community members, including children, parents, teachers, and community organizers, attended the event on Tuesday night at the Matnas Hadar. The walls of the room were filled with the children drawings, and each of the winners took part in an award ceremony in front of their community.

While it was incredible to watch the children and their families take pride in their work, and to see the different communities interact, from an organizational standpoint it was even more impressive to observe the activities of the Leadership Team of the Telem Project themselves. They took an active role through out the event, and were recognized and individually introduced in the opening remarks as the organizers of the event. This was an important step in solidifying their roles as visible, coordinated, multicultural, leaders within their community.

Kislev 5764 - December 2003