The Steering Committees

In each of the seven communities in which Mahapach-Taghir is active there is a group of six to twelve active parents and residents who meet bi-weekly and function as a community Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is the primary link between the pedagogical work, which takes place in the Learning Community, and the communal work of Mahapach-Taghir. The role of the Steering Committee is to oversee and develop the work of the Learning Community, and to discuss communal education issues in a wider political context. It also provides a platform for examining strategic issues concerning educational structures in the neighborhood, and initiates communal and national-scale campaigns on various issues. These leadership positions enable the parents in the Steering Committees to become positive role models for their children by being actively involved in shaping the community’s future.

In addition to running communal activities related to education in the Learning Community, the Steering Committees also function as the directing body for their communities and for their local civic centers. These centers were established in order to increase the involvement of local residents in improving conditions within the community and to encourage the growth of local leadership. The Center is the epicenter from which the communities initiate and carry out communal campaigns and activities focusing on women's rights and empowerment, municipal infrastructure, environmental issues, available open spaces, education and more. With the guidance of the Mahapach-Taghir coordinators, all discussions and communal activities carried out within the framework of the Civic centers are put in the wider socio-political context of human and social rights.