Haifa Social Entrepreneurship Program - Haifa Youth Center

For the first time in Haifa: a Haifa social entrepreneurship program
The final screening phase for the "Haifai Project" took place this week in a unique "speed dating" format and the entrepreneurs selected for the program will be announced soon

The program "The Haifa project", under the leadership of the Haifa Youth Authority, the Haifa Boston Partnership and the global organization Presentens, encourages young entrepreneurs to carry out projects with a social connection that contribute to the community. The program was launched for the first time last December with a huge exposure evening that revealed its details. The purpose of the program is to nurture and train social entrepreneurs to carry out their social projects, through professional support and personal accompaniment. During the program, which is 4 months long, the entrepreneurs will undergo group professional training during which each entrepreneur will be personally accompanied by a mentor and an escort from the social-business community in Haifa.

Out of the dozens of entrepreneurs who submitted their ideas, only about 20 made it to the main selection evening last Wednesday and only 12-15 entrepreneurs will be accepted and implement their impactful projects. The evening was conducted with a unique methodology and a model similar to "speed-dating" - the entrepreneurs will go through speed interviews with the members of the steering committee, the mentors and the advisors, so that each entrepreneur will be interviewed by each of them for a few minutes. In this way, the members of the steering committee will be able to get a deep impression of the entrepreneurs, their seriousness and commitment to the process and the proposed project. The ideas submitted to the program are from the field of tourism, integration of populations and community activity, education and economy, young families, environmental quality, art and culture in the city. Among the projects that reached the final stage can be found initiatives such as: economic education for children through play and the establishment of a cultural and art cooperative in Haifa.

To date, 36 prestigious acceleration programs for social entrepreneurship have been implemented in various cities around the world and in Israel the program operates in the cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and now also in Haifa. As part of the work of the Haifa-Boston partnership to strengthen the ties between the communities, the entrepreneurs who will be selected will collaborate with entrepreneurs from the parallel program held in Boston, starting in its fifth year. As part of the program, a team of volunteers works as a steering committee, guides and mentors - each of them an expert in their field. The idea that accompanies the project is that a supportive community is a necessary condition for the entrepreneur's success, and the success of entrepreneurs in the community is the key to maintaining an active and strong community .

Rafi Feinsud, director of the youth department at the Youth Authority: "Haifa is characterized by an extraordinary spirit of entrepreneurship led by high-quality and energetic young people, as well as a strong desire to influence and take responsibility for life in the city. We at the Youth Authority believe in the power of young people to create change and lead the city forward, so it was important for us to create, alongside the response that we give in the field of technological entrepreneurship and the successes in the field, also a unique program for social entrepreneurship that will make it possible to implement initiatives that emerge from the field."

Israeli rose The CEO of the Haifa-Boston partnership in Haifa: "In Haifa, an international model for activity that encourages social entrepreneurship is taking shape. The model will allow entrepreneurs in Haifa and Boston to develop joint projects in both communities. The young leadership of the Haifa Boston Partnership has set itself the goal of strengthening Haifa and empowering its young people. So far, there have been achievements in the field of employment and entrepreneurship and now we are also adding the subject of social entrepreneurship and I have no doubt that this entrepreneurship will affect the city and benefit its residents."

Guy Spiegelman, CEO of the PresenTense organization: "The entrepreneurs in the Haifa project are part of a national movement of entrepreneurs who work from within their communities and to strengthen Israeli society. From our experience, we see that the entrepreneurs and the dozens of volunteers who work with them on the projects become a central force for the renewal and strengthening of the community and urban life. Haifa, which is reviving and bustling with young people, is a fertile ground for this type of entrepreneurship and I am convinced that the program will help the young entrepreneurs to contribute to the design of the city. "

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