Initiatives & Projects Economic Development Education Community and Leadership    News “Young Adults Centers” Initiative Begins “A Promising Future” – the first year    Links madarom The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for desert Research JDC- Israel To All Links   A Promising Future The Initiative The Need The Goals Expected Outcomes Highlights of the Initiative The Initiative This initiative provides a solution to the negative migration of young educated quality adults from the Negev, by offering a unique scholarship program for leading students from academic institutions in the Negev.  Concentrating the effort and resources towards this quality group of young adults will raise the likelihood that each and every one of them will choose to live in the Negev and will attract other friends their age to join them.  This initiative is part of an overall concept which views young adults as segment of the population with the strength to initiate real change in the Negev and to brand the whole region as a space for young adults. Back to top The Need  For the past number of years, the Negev has suffered from a negative migration rate, and from the departure of the young and educated population from this region.  The academic institutions in the Negev have established themselves as quality institutions which succeed in attracting each year thousands of young students from all over the country. However, even with this, the Negev has not managed to translate the success of the academic institutions into transforming the region into one which is attractive to the graduates. Back to top The Goals  Having young people who have attended Negev academic institutions remain in the Negev after graduation.  Enlarging the Negev population by increasing the strong/quality population Back to top Expected Outcomes  Creation of a quality reservoir of young people who remain to live in the Negev  Integration of students in the social and community activities in the Negev Back to top Highlights of the Initiative  Formation of groups of quality students, particularly from Ben Gurion University and the Sapir Academic College, who are active for the benefit of the community 10 hours a week.  The groups will be active during the three years of their academic studies and will receive tuition scholarships and stipends for living expenses during this period.  The group and the group building process has motivational strengths, emphasis will be placed during the program on the group building and on their transformation to quality leadership. The uniqueness of the program is found in the idea of having “mentors”. Each group will be coached by a “mentor” from the field of Israeli economics and from a social field. The integration of these two fields will bring to the program entrepreneurial and management tools alongside social values. The integration of “mentors” will also assist in branding the groups as unique.  At the end of their academic studies, the students will be assisted by an array of services which will include accompaniment, support and integration into the work force including an integration grant.  The integration grant will be given upon the condition that the young person stay in the Negev a year for each year he/she studied in the Negev. It should be emphasized that acceptance to the program will be based on clear criteria and a strict selection process which will ensure the formation of an elite group of students from the Negev and from the rest of the country Back to top