The Mandel Foundation–Israel believes that outstanding leaders, motivated by powerful visions, are the key to improving societies and the lives of people throughout the world.
The Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev, founded by the Mandel Foundation–Israel, runs local leadership programs that seek to develop quality leadership in the public sector and civil society throughout the Negev – leadership guided by values-based vision, and capable of driving and implementing change. The Mandel Program for Regional Leadership in Eilat–Eilot was designed for people with a deep and proven commitment to action on behalf of the region’s residents, and who are committed to the program itself.
The program was designed for people who hold leadership positions in the region – in local authorities, in the formal and informal education systems, in the welfare system, in municipal and regional institutions, in civil society organizations, and in community frameworks – as well as for others who make a significant contribution to advancing the area and its residents.
Program Goals
The program had three main goals:
- To train key leadership figures and social activists who are focused on action in Eilat and localities around the region; who will lead processes to improve the systems, organizations, and communities in which they work, currently and in the future; and who will build relationships with one another based on shared learning, mutual support, and collaboration.
- To develop participants’ leadership capabilities, with an emphasis on developing personal skills, creating and honing a world view, and reexamining the field of action.
- To help develop specific initiatives that will advance and improve Eilat and the region, while deepening the participants’ involvement in the development and prosperity of the places in which they live and work.
Program Structure
The program comprised one study day per week over a period of two years (around 450 hours in total). It opened in 2017 and concluded in 2019.
The first year was devoted to theoretical and practical study of Eilat and the region and to explorations of the main issues facing the area, as well as to group bonding and analysis of the participants’ own work. Over the course of the year, there were approximately 30 full study days, held on Wednesdays (from 8.30am to 4.00pm). These days included study trips, experiential learning, and two or three retreats (two-day seminars that include overnight stays).
The second year was devoted to continued learning for the entire group. Workshops focused on developing practice and on learning from practice, and there were sessions dedicated to individual support and tutoring. Studies focused on subjects relevant to Eilat and the region, and on topics related to leading change in the systems and organizations in which the fellows work to improve the quality of life of residents of the Negev.
Participants continued with their regular jobs, attending the program one day a week and to devoting additional time to completing assignments.
Graduation Certificate
At the end of the program, participants who met the program requirements (attendance, engagement, completion of individual and group assignments) were awarded a “Graduate of the Mandel Program for Local Leadership in Eilat–Eilot” certificate.
Program Director: Dr. Nitza Roskin
