Women's Leadership

One of Mahapach-Taghir's primary target groups consists of women and their families. This target group has been chosen following our realization that widespread social change often begins with mothers and their struggle to provide their family's needs. Although women are often more oppressed than other groups in the community, and are not always aware of their personal and public skills and capabilities, they still conduct nearly all local activism. We believe in local leadership and see the necessity of women’s empowerment as a source of strength for rights, knowledge and leadership. Building solidarity and drawing women to be active is one of our most important goals.

Participating women learn about human rights and feminist issues, and are also taught the logistics of how to petition their local government agencies for the needs of their community. In the program the women also gain experience in initiating and carrying out communal campaigns, and are encouraged to engage in inter-communal cooperation. They are provided with the tools required to move forward from local initiatives based on particular interests to leading a national-scale campaign in the field of education, based on inclusive dialogue.

A joint nation-wide women's leadership group, composed of women from different marginalized communities, both Jewish and Arab, have joined together in order to promote equal opportunities in the field of education for their children and the community as a whole. 'Tracking', a term denoting the assignment of different academic tracks for children based on their expected achievements, has been chosen as the focus of communal and national activities for both the women's group and the Steering Committees.

In addition to the regular working sessions of the Steering Committees, each year Mahapach-Taghir conducts four national conferences: one two-day conference and three one-day conferences. These conferences allow Jewish and Arab residents to meet, exchange information and tools, and build cooperation channels between the Jewish and the Arab communities. Since the members of the Steering Committees belong to marginalized communities, with limited access to transportation and the internet, this seminar provides them with a unique opportunity to meet and talk.