About Near
The education system in Israel is structured in such a way that students from different sectors rarely meet. Secular Jewish, religious Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and other students have few opportunities to get to know one another. It was against this backdrop that the Near Association was established.
Near implements the first educational method developed specifically for multicultural collaborative learning among students from different sectors of society.
Building Bridges Between Sectors Through Technology
Who are we?
The Near Association brings to life a vision of partnership, coexistence, and tolerance. It does so by building authentic relationships among children and young people from different sectors of society, at a formative age when attitudes and perceptions can still be positively shaped. This is achieved through a combination of innovative technology and a dedicated pedagogical approach.
The association was established in memory of Nir Diskin, who passed away at the age of only 30 after a courageous battle with cancer. Nir believed wholeheartedly in social justice and was determined to promote the ideals of tolerance and acceptance of others.
The association was founded by members of the Diskin family in collaboration with leading academic experts in education and technology from the TEC Center at the Mofet Institute.
Our Vision
To foster mutual respect and encourage social acceptance of others among children and young people—the future generation of Israeli society. Our goal is to enable them to communicate with and get to know people with whom they might otherwise never have the opportunity to interact, simply because they live in different and separate communities.
The Social Challenge We Address
In Israeli society in general, and in the Israeli education system in particular, there is a de facto separation between different sectors of the population. Students attend separate educational streams and do not have opportunities to meet one another as part of their regular schooling.
The Near Program
Through an innovative educational-technological method developed by the Near Association in collaboration with the Mofet Institute, students from different sectors—religious and secular, Jewish, Arab, and Druze—have the opportunity to collaborate through shared learning and get to know one another. The aim is to counter prejudice and build bridges between members of different sectors—the future generation of Israeli society.
The program is designed for children and young people in elementary and middle schools. It uses innovative technologies to overcome language barriers and geographical distances, creating long-term interpersonal relationships that foster dialogue based on mutual respect.
At the heart of the program is a gradual process through which children get to know one another while completing educational tasks using an online platform. Throughout the school year, groups of students from different sectors of the population collaborate and learn together to achieve common goals. They do so during a fixed weekly one-hour session throughout the academic year.
The program progresses in stages, with groups of students completing different tasks at each stage. They begin with text-based activities and gradually move on to images, audio, and video.
At the end of the year, after the students have had the opportunity to get to know one another, they also meet face-to-face in an exciting in-person gathering.
Our Vision
To foster mutual respect and encourage social acceptance of others among children and young people—the future generation of Israeli society. Our goal is to enable them to communicate with and get to know people with whom they might otherwise never have the opportunity to interact, simply because they live in different and separate communities.
Program Achievements to Date
The Near method has been successfully implemented for more than a decade, with excellent results. More than 30,000 students and 700 teachers have already participated in the program.
Every year, we conduct research using student and teacher questionnaires, personal interviews, and analysis of data collected through the association’s online platform. The research indicates that students who participated in the program demonstrated greater tolerance toward people from other cultures.
The association’s program has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Education. In 2018, the President of Israel presented its founders with the Jerusalem Prize for the Unity of Israel. The award committee described the Near method as “an innovative model for creating relationships between different sectors and fostering constructive dialogue among thousands of participants.” It also noted that research showed that participants’ experiences in the program led to a reduction in negative attitudes toward other cultures and an increase in tolerance toward others.
Join us in making this vision a reality!
Contact Details:
Tzahi Barzilai
CEO
Mobile: 054-3901405