The student rooms that make the study experience more valuable

Usually the familiar images from around the campuses, which appear from time to time on the news websites and social networks, will show political protests. Students who, until a moment ago, sat together copying summaries and homework, can by swinging a group WhatsApp message find themselves on both sides of a barricade of a stormy demonstration, with each holding a different flag and shouting from the depths of his soul for his classmate. This is probably better captured than thousands of other students who work daily within dozens of academic cells that strive to promote a more value-oriented society, but the academic framework is much more than politics. “Academy is not a detached tooth tower”, says Prof. Moshe Cohen Elia, “it is not only a place where you acquire academic knowledge and professional tools for the future, but also an incubator where people, usually young people, learn about the challenges of Israeli society and try to bring about change in it”. The academic to drive these changes will mostly be a student cell, association around a common platform of principles and agreed upon methods of action, and then jump into the deep waters of social contribution.

Professor Moshe Cohen-Alia: Student cells are a welcome thing. Young students have leisure and motivation to engage in worthwhile activities. This is their opportunity to shape their character and their world of values ​​through activities at the educational institution

Professor Moshe Cohen-Alia, a senior jurist and who was until recently the president of the Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan and is currently a lecturer there, points out the great importance of student activity, “Student cells are a blessed thing. Young students have leisure and motivation to engage in worthwhile activities. This is their opportunity to shape their character and their world of values ​​through activities at the educational institution. Quite a few leaders grew up in the activity cells at the academy while they were students.”

On the other hand, he warns of places where the activity of the cells can spread, “we must avoid a situation where students with a political view contrary to the accepted line in the academy will feel uncomfortable or do not belong where they study. We need to encourage student cells that represent the variety of opinions, that will promote their values, and beware of closing mouths.”

Sivan Borinsky: Our point of view is to take care of the well-being of the male and female students on the campuses and give them space for social involvement. Usually, the student period is a formative stage in life, and those who are involved in social action at this stage, will take this care with them further

The unit that unites all students is of course the unit of the National Union of Students. Sivan Borinsky, head of social engagement at the association, says that thousands of students participate in the initiatives they lead: “In all our activities, about 5,000 students participate in the influence tracks, and another 1,500 in training. We have three communities of influence and three training programs on which the association believes. Our communities of influence are designed to unite and unite students around belonging and identity, communities such as the proud student brotherhood, the Sam’an project – students leading accessibility – in which both disabled and non-disabled students participate, and work for the disabled population. In between, we opened the young female politicians program which is a hybrid of an influence program and a training track, and two more training programs, one called ‘Money Time’ and one called ‘Arab Speaks’. In these two tracks, professionals teach students financial training and spoken Arabic. The students who are the core part of the program undergo training and with its help they teach with them on their campuses.”

Is there a connection between this activity and the fact that these are young people who are in the stages of learning and acquiring a profession for life?

“Our point of view is to take care of the well-being of the male and female students on the campuses and give them space for social involvement. Usually, the student period is a defining stage in life, and those who are involved in social action at this stage, will take this caring with them further. We see the circles of influence of the activity when they finish the degree, the involvement accompanies them. This is actually how we train students to be socially involved people.”

Burinsky adds that the association is an umbrella organization of 42 student associations and receives broad support from the heads of the academic institutions where the tracks operate.

without politics

Among the known cells (from the aforementioned demonstrations) belong to the “If You Want” movement that organizes activities for students at over 20 academic institutions. Shai Rosengarten, head of the movement’s national activist wing and responsible for student activities, describes large cells with about 100 activists as opposed to new cells of 20-30 activists who operate regularly, “Our approach is ‘do away with evil and do good’. There are activist actions, protests accordingly for topical issues, but there is a regular activity of volunteering and doing good. It includes ideology and advocacy, lectures, seminars, trips, tours. They come in groups, to the Negev, the Galilee, East Jerusalem, there are lectures by interesting figures such as Amit Segal, Ziv Shilon, Adv. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Dr. Moti Kider, and they promote content designed to give students the ideological tools to understand what Zionism is, what the Zionist vision is, and issues of Israeli society. Voluntary activities such as distributing costumes in hospitals on Purim, an apple in honey before Rosh Hashanah and Israeli flags before Memorial Day, and accompanying bereaved families in courts. You learn to be good and active citizens.”

Often there is a claim of politicization of the academy, which is held in the hands of left-wing elements, do you feel this as a right-wing body that operates within these districts?

“Usually, universities encourage student activities. There is even a small budget for the activities of the cell. In political events such as demonstrations and protests, sometimes there are problems, they ask that we take the protest outside the premises of the institution and sometimes they even oppose the raising of flags or a memorial stand for those killed in terrorist attacks. Things do not always go smoothly.”

learn quality

An academic cell that has nothing to do with politics is the cell founded by Dr. Shalhav Tzur, head of the department of quality engineering and industrial reliability in the Faculty of Engineering at Kinneret Academic College, called the Quality Cell. “A student cell should be an organizational unit run by students,” she says, “the issue of Quality is taught in academia and business sectors. But there was no body that centralizes student activity on the issue of quality. We recognized the need and lack and we are the first place in Israel that teaches quality in industry as part of a bachelor’s degree, but we also wanted to have a body run by students that would create activities and a source of knowledge for students in everything they do, in the field of quality, quality products, quality service, this is something that is relevant to all fields . Industry, medicine, economy, automotive industry, food, pharmaceuticals, plastics, space – all industries and all sectors.”

The cell has only been operating for about two years and is still not big, but it is also successful overseas. “The chamber gained international importance,” says Dr. Zur, “it was adopted by the American Association for Quality and in fact became its representative branch in Israel. There are collaborations with academic institutions in Israel and also in the United States. The students manage the cell, with a chairman, treasurer, etc., and are assisted by professional advisors from the academic staff. Gideon Roth from the American Association for Quality, who advises the cell, tells us that the cell has a work plan that includes tours of the various organizations and industries, actions of various officials.” There are also explorations for more collaborations with academics in Europe, in the Emirates, and if this develops it will be possible to do student exchanges as well, but we are still in the initial stage.”

break down the walls

You can find student cells in any field of activity – social, political, moral or cultural, and also in unexpected fields. Gal Rappaport, for example, manages the “Spring in the Desert” program, which operates on 18 campuses across the country with the aim of forging friendships and personal relationships between Jewish and Arab students and giving both parties tools to build capacities for the rest of their lives.

“The program works with the goal of connecting the Jewish and Arab population, by reducing language gaps,” she says, “from the thinking that the academy is the place where Jews and Arabs meet formally for the first time, shoulder to shoulder, and we saw fit to act so that these relationships are built at this stage. In classroom lessons, the students study together, but hardly mix, and during breaks, each with his own group. Our program conducts activities in pairs, each of which is Jewish and Arab, and they do a joint activity. This is how you naturally get to know each other’s world and learn a language. The goal is to address the language gap – the Jews learn spoken Arabic and the Arabs improve their Hebrew. There are also group meetings where you learn about the similarities and differences between cultures.”

The idea began to operate in a program that began 8 years ago, in front of the ultra-Orthodox public. “The initiative came from the Tzioni Derech association. She activated the ‘Baliva Huma’ project, which is designed to help integrate the ultra-Orthodox public into the academy. During the program’s activity, we saw that there is another population that needs help with integration, and over time this expanded to the Arab society and the program is a success.”

Shai Rosengarten: Universities usually encourage student activities. In political events sometimes there are problems, they ask that we take the protest outside the territory of the Mossad and sometimes they even oppose the waving of flags or a memorial stand for those killed in terrorist attacks. Things don’t always go smoothly

What tools do you use to measure success?

“We measure in relation to the goals. During the program we check if there is indeed an improvement in language and engagement, and among the graduates we pass questionnaires that check how the program has helped them in the long term. You see the connection between the couples. They continue to meet, build a relationship, and celebrate holidays together. This is not a political plan”, she clarifies, “the initiative does not come to resolve the conflict, but to put aside the political issues, and create friendships between couples.

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