Focusing on tools that create wide-reaching change, the IWN takes a pro-active role in advocating women's rights in the Knesset and providing pro-bono legal aid on precedent-setting cases.

IWN also functions on a grassroots level in activities ranging from a “Hotline” that provides legal assistant to women who have suffered discrimination in the workplace to leadership and educational programs. One such program is Eshet Chayil, a multi-stage program geared toward assisting long-term unemployed women to gradually integrate into the workforce, currently operating in 21 Israeli towns out of which 4 in Arab villages.

This year saw the launch of the Jumpstart program, a unique program that empowers young women (18-25) from disadvantaged backgrounds through personal mentoring to enter the workforce. IWN’s Teenagers Leading Change program takes place in Arab and Jewish high schools all over Israel focusing on changing the gender positions and attitudes among teenagers.

About Coexistence & Women Empowerment Projects:

The Towards Coexistence Courses are particularly innovative. They have the merit of dealing at the same time with the issue of coexistence and the issue of empowerment and leadership for women, whose gender attach an additional dimension to the problems related to coexistence.

Gender stereotypes are ingrained in the Israeli society. Women have to work harder and invest more time and resources in order to be equal to men who are on the same social level.

The coexistence courses emphasize empowerment by means of a “meeting among identities” for Jewish and Arab women living alongside each other; the courses are facilitated jointly by Jewish and Arab counselors and are bi-lingual. Ten Arab and ten Jewish women participate in each group. The courses consist of 12 weekly sessions, 4 hours each. At the end of the course the group initiates a social project which is lead with the professional guidance of IWN.

The Courses focus on supporting women in creating networks among them. It is necessary to promote an “active” coexistence by encouraging a real dialogue and networking among women from Arab and Jewish communities.

IWN strongly believes that a process that allows personal growth and familiarity on the basis of gender is a base for deeper trust and understanding that creates real coexistence, inclusion and acceptance.

For more information, please visit IWN website: www.iwn.org.il/indexEn.asp